s vocations to religious life declined beginning in the mid-1960s, Felician Sisters faced a future with fewer sisters spread out across North America. When the provincial leaders of the eight Felician provinces met in 1996 to discuss their futures, Sister Mary Laureann Alexandrowicz had been considering this plight. A visionary, she believed that, rather than focus on the future of each province individually, the sisters might be stronger and revitalized if they shared their talents, gifts, and resources among the provinces. She advocated for a study on how best to reorganize and reevaluate their governance. Her position paper on the subject launched a 13-year-long series of meetings to reimagine the future of the community.
As early as 2003, the eight provinces began to move toward the single province model when they instituted the North American Vocation Ministry Task Force, where sisters from different provinces took turns staffing the vocation ministry office in pairs for periods of time. By 2007, a common novitiate was established.
That same year, the sisters attended the Journey in Hope convocation in Novi, Michigan, where discussions revolved around embracing change and a new future. All were committed to being open to the Holy Spirit through the process of reconfiguration.
In the spirit of collaboration, as so many are musically gifted, 27 Felician Sisters joined together to record a CD titled One Voice: Journey in Hope. It featured music composed and performed by the sisters, which they shared with all the sisters.
In an air of anticipation, on November 1, 2008, all the provinces learned about the inception of the new Our Lady of Hope Province in a historic announcement sent by Sister Barbara Ann Bosch, Minister General. Then, electors were chosen on January 17, 2009, and the first Chapter of Elections for Our Lady of Hope Province was held April 20 through 24 in Plymouth, Michigan. On the second day, the new administration was chosen with sisters from each province, and Sister Mary Christopher Moore was elected first provincial minister. On November 21, 2009, the feast of the Presentation of Mary, nearly 400 sisters gathered in Rochester, Pennsylvania, for the ceremony installing the new administration. Sister Barbara Ann Bosch proclaimed the dissolution of the original eight provinces, but the sisters were joyful, as the new province revitalized them in their mission and gave them hope for the future.
When leaders of the eight provinces gathered to discuss their futures, Sister Laureann Alexandrowicz from the Enfield province advocated for a study to determine how they might reorganize their governance. She wrote a paper on the merits of unifying, which sparked 13 years of planning.
Sister Laureann Alexandrowicz is pictured far left.
With the formation of Our Lady of Hope Province, Felician Services Inc. (FSI) became the corporate member for some 30 sponsored ministries throughout the newly formed province.
Pictured are FSI leadership: Sister Mary Clarette Stryzewski, Sister Mary Julie Weckwerth, and Sister Mary Ramona Dombrowski,
The former Delaware orphanage, which closed in 2009, was repurposed as housing for low-income families and the disabled.
Pictured is Sister Mary Barbara Kemmerer, a resident of Our Lady of Grace Village.
