Exhibits

Countless sisters are composed against the backdrop of the renowned “red hall” of the Livonia motherhouse, where young novices once welcomed visiting family. Here, visitors to the Heritage Center are welcomed and oriented about the experience that lies ahead, as they wait to enter the theater to begin their tour.

Information and a map are available.

Bringing the Felician mission to North America, five brave sisters from Poland made their seminal trek on a treacherous transAtlantic crossing in 1874. You are introduced to these women when you enter the theater. Seated on reimagined deck chairs of the SS Ethiopia, viewers of A Journey of Hope will be engrossed in the emotional telling of their mission while physically experiencing the rock of the ship and the fog rolling in. After being immersed in the story of the sisters’ arrival in North America and informed of their purpose, you will be prepared to follow in their footsteps across more than a century.

Film length is approximately 15 minutes. The theater seats 11 with space for a wheelchair.

Exiting the theater, step into rural Wisconsin, just as the Felician Sisters did when they began their first mission in Polonia. Take in their cramped living conditions on the rugged American frontier, set against the backdrop of the sweeping midwestern prairie landscape at the onset of winter.

Meet Fr. Jozef Dabrowski, who wrote to Poland requesting the sisters come to North America. Learn how he and the pioneer sisters endured hardships, including multiple fires in which they lost all of their possessions. The sisters not only persevered, but inspired other women to join them, and their Congregation grew exponentially.

Step back in time, into the Umbrian town of Assisi, where St. Francis’ movement ignited a renewal in the Church that encompassed the world. Learn about his influence on other Felician patron saints, his contemporary Claire of Assisi, and later, Felix of Cantalice, for whom the sisters are named. St. Francis’ spirituality is further revealed through interactive displays of the Portiuncula and San Damiano Cross, two Franciscan icons with deep meaning that you will encounter as you move through this artfully recreated moment in history.

Through an arch bearing Blessed Mary Angela Truzkowska’s motto “All through the heart of Mary…,” enter into a space beneath a deep blue vaulted ceiling bearing gold stars and trim, an homage to St. Mary’s Basilica in Krakow, Poland, the town where the Felician Sisters originated. Here, you will explore all that is unique to this order: their mission, vision, and charism, the tenets of their spirituality and how the Eucharist is at the very heart of their consecrated lives. Discover what inspired the Felician Foundress to begin this contemplative-active order of religious sisters.

Follow the sisters' movement as their mission expanded across the continent and grew to accommodate the needs of a growing nation. Responding to the immigration boom, Felician Sisters were sought to provide orphanages, senior care, hospitals, and many social services. All the while, growth of the Felician community itself outpaced living conditions, leading to divisions of existing provinces to form new ones. Learn about the establishment of each province in locations strategic to ministry needs, and the struggle to provide the growing Congregation with adequate space for living and spiritual growth.

Gain an understanding of the sisters’ unanimous decision to unite as one province after 135 years divided into eight. At the end of a 13-year process that gave each sister a voice and time for transformation, the year 2009 marked the beginning of Our Lady of Hope Province, a new era under one governance.

Stroll through the modern era beginning in 2009 when Felician Sisters in North America united as Our Lady of Hope Province. See how existing ministries and missions have evolved and new ones created to meet today’s needs.

Find inner calm and connectedness in God’s creation when you pause to rest in this Franciscan inspired space, replete with forest imagery and sounds from nature. While there, read the Felician Sisters’ response to the Laudato Si’, the late Pope Francis’ encyclical On Care for Our Common Home. The sisters invite all to join them in incorporating care for creation into daily life.

In this final space, ponder the joyous faces of a fraction of the countless sisters called by Christ to serve in faith. As you turn to exit, let St. Francis’ powerful exhortation further inspire you to let “Christ teach you what you are to do.”