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Community
History
1868-1880
 During
this twelve-year period four courageous women (Pauline LaPlante, Christine
Rousseau, Pius Doyle, and Mary Van Lanen) responded to Father Edward Francis
Daems' request to minister with him among the immigrants on the peninsula
of Wisconsin. Together, they laid the foundation for our religious community:
living a simple life, following the Rule of St. Francis, and educating
immigrant children, especially in their religion. The diversity of the
immigrants' languages, the hard work of frontier life, poverty, and ill
health presented great challenges for our founders. Most challenging of
all was Fr. Daems' death on February 12, 1879.
1881-1899
 Honoring
the desire of Fr. Daems to establish a new community of religious, our
founding members received approval of the first Constitutions from Green
Bay's Bishop Krautbauer on March 14, 1881. As our membership expanded
to twenty professed Sisters, we extended our outreach from one school
to six. During the summer months, our Sisters continued their own education.
They worked hard to operate their farm and incurred significant debts
by building a convent in Bay Settlement. In 1893, our Community was incorporated
as an educational and charitable organization under the name "Sisters
of St. Francis of Bay Settlement."
1900-1919
 The
new century opened with a year of jubilee. For the first time, fifteen
of our professed members professed perpetual vows on August 27, 1900.
During the next several years, the Sisters experienced the sorrows of
death and very few new members. Pastors continually sought our Sisters
to teach in parish schools. In 1902, our Community responded to Bishop
Messmer's request that we continue the service of religious instruction
at the Chapel in Robinsonville that Adele Brice had begun. Through much
personal sacrifice by our Sisters and the wisdom of Mother Francis, all
debts were paid by 1905. Growth and expansion marked the second decade
of the century. To accommodate forty-five Sisters and eight novices, a
new wing with a larger Chapel was added to the Convent in 1917. We began
a formal program of religious formation for new members under the direction
of Sister Claire.
1920-1939
 Our
Community continued its strong commitment to educate our Sisters for religious
life and also for our ministry as elementary school teachers. We began
new ministries to educate children with mental and physical needs at the
Chapel at Robinsonville, and to assist elders at the McCormick Memorial
Home in Allouez. For the first time, our Community extended its ministry
beyond the Green Bay Diocese by undertaking a mission to teach at St.
Joseph Parish in Madison. Though struggling through the depression of
the thirties, our Sisters successfully financed another major addition
to the Convent, the 1932 wing.
1940-1959
 During
World War II, our Sisters assisted in the war efforts by wrapping bandages.
Educational pursuits had to be put on hold for several years, so our Sisters
focused on internal community matters. We revised our Constitutions to
comply with changes in Canon Law, developed a book of customs, and prepared
a manual of vocal prayer for our Sisters to use. These changes made our
lives more regulated and uniform. Due to changes in society during the
50s, many fewer children were being placed at the Chapel in Robinsonville
for their education. At the same time, many young women showed an interest
in religious life. In 1953, the Chapel became a center for the religious
formation and education of young women. This program continued for fifteen
years, after which the Chapel became a House of Prayer. We celebrated
our seventy-fifth jubilee as a Community in 1956. It was in this year
that we adopted the title, Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross, in
recognition of the importance of the cross for Franciscans and Crosiers,
the religious order to which Fr. Daems belonged. The continued growth
that we experienced and the deteriorating condition of the 1888 Convent
made it necessary to build once again. In 1959 we joined the 1917 and
1932 wings with a spacious new Convent.
1960-1979
 Dramatic
changes took place in the Catholic Church as a result of the Second Vatican
Council. In response to the call to renew our religious life, we studied
the documents of Vatican II, re-considered the inspiration of our founders,
and engaged in adaptation and renewal of all aspects of our lives. It
was a challenging time in the Church, and we, like many religious communities,
experienced the loss of many members. This period of renewal brought new
hope, however, as we worked side by side with others in our ministries.
We began to serve and learn from a wider variety of cultures - Nicaraguans,
the Carrier Indians in British Columbia, African Americans in Milwaukee
and Chicago, members of the Oneida Nation in northeastern Wisconsin, migrant
workers, and Appalachian peoples. Our outreach extended to adults as we
directed religious education programs and began offering pastoral services
in parishes. Some of us also ministered in health care.
1980-2000
 Even
though our membership continued to decline we remained vibrant and committed
to our mission within the Church. We established an Associate program
in 1984, through which women and men in the single or married life join
us in furthering our spirit and mission. Our Community studied various
issues and took corporate stands to: (1) support the Jubilee 2000 Campaign
for Debt Relief; (2) oppose the death penalty; and (3) urge the redirection
of excessive military spending to meet social needs. We established Wellspring,
a place of hospitality and respite for women on Green Bay's west side.
We also intensified our efforts to invite new vowed members. In these
and other creative ways, our Sisters and Associates continue our founders'
mission to further God's reign by responding to unmet needs, including
those of present immigrant groups of northeast Wisconsin.
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