Hospital Sisters of St. Francis: Springfield, IL

On Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, I got an opportunity to visit with the Franciscan friars in Springfield, IL.  The friary is on the grounds of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis.  This is where the sisters have their motherhouse, retirement center, and the Chiara Center, a retreat facility that is much-appreciated by those who have been there.  Here are a few photos:

The statue in the cemetery reminds me of an experience
 in Assisi back in  1995.  I was looking for a statue of
Francis with the wolf of Gubbio for one of my sisters, and the
owner of the store showed me a small statue similar to this one
and then tried to convince me that the animal was really a wolf--
it just looked like a sheep.

There were several cemetery areas.  It made me think about all
the sisters who had dedicated their lives to caring for the sick.  How
many people living today are descendants of ancestors whose
lives were saved through the ministrations of the sisters?

Entrance to the Chiara Center

Entrance to the main church