The Religious Institute of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph (Hermanas Franciscanas de San José) was founded in Mexico City in 1946 by Mother Maria de San Jose Vera Mancilla. In Mexico, the sisters serve in seminaries, have started missions in some Mexican states, and care for the needy.
The sisters also have a long history and many ties with the PIME missionaries in the U.S. The sisters served for years at PIME’s various U.S. locations: in the 1960s in Oakland, N.J., in the 1960s-90s in Newark, OH, and from the 1980s-2000 in Detroit. In the 1990s, they also helped Fr. Luigi Maggioni and Fr. Steve Baumbusch set up PIME’s mission in Mexico in the Archdiocese of Acapulco, Guerrero. PIME Missionary Fr. Bruno Piccolo also worked with the sisters for many years and has kept in touch with them since they left. In 2023 several sisters celebrated their Silver Jubilee, and Fr. Bruno and PIME U.S. Mission Center Director Fr. Daniele Criscione were their guests for the celebration.
Recently the sisters’ General Superior, Sr. Celiflora Gonzalez, reached out to the PIME U.S. Mission Center in need. Sister Celiflora presented a project for $11,111 to support the elderly sisters of their congregation with healthcare expenses, including medicine and food. Your support for this project will help the sisters who are now in need and who for so many years served PIME’s U.S. family in so many ways
Leader