Sara Wojcicki Jimenez emcees November 7 event
Springfield, Ill.— The Springfield Sisters’ Armchair Tour arrives in town on Thursday, Nov. 7 and the public is invited. This unique event, including storytelling and inspiring conversation, is a collaboration among the Ursuline, Franciscan, and Dominican Sisters, who have been transforming generations in Springfield since the arrival of the Ursuline Sisters 167 years ago, in 1857.
“My whole life I’ve been a witness to the kindness, mission, and commitment of the Ursuline, Franciscan, and Dominican sisters.”
Join the sisters at 7 p.m., Thursday Nov. 7, in Aquinas Center at Sacred Heart Convent, 1237 W. Monroe St., Springfield, IL 62704. The event is free and includes refreshments. Space is limited, so registration is required at springfieldop.org/events. For questions call Sister Beth Murphy, OP, 217-787-0481.
The Springfield Sisters’ Armchair Tour will provide guests an opportunity to reflect on the impact of the sisters’ ministries, to hear how they continue to influence the life of the city today, and to learn how they are moving into the future.
“How could I not?”
“How could I not?” This was Sara Wojcicki Jimenez’s response when she was invited to emcee the event.
Sara is connected to all three congregations. She was taught by the Dominicans in grade school, the Ursulines in high school, and worked for the Hospital Sisters Health System.
“My whole life I’ve been a witness to the kindness, mission, and commitment of the Ursuline, Franciscan, and Dominican sisters,” she said. “They taught me and helped shape my intellect, my faith, and my values. I’m honored to be included in this special event. I look forward to a wonderful reunion with the women who’ve made such an impact on my life.”
Register today!
Seating is limited. Please register early to save your space.
About the Ursuline, Franciscan and Dominican Sisters
The Ursuline Sisters established what would become Ursuline Academy three weeks after a handful of sisters arrived in Springfield from Ireland in 1857, and later opened the first institution of higher learning in the Springfield area. Ursulines were the first women religious to come to North America, having arrived in Quebec in 1639 and in New Orleans in 1727.
The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis came to Springfield from Germany in 1875 and quickly began receiving patients at a house on South Seventh Street. The cornerstone was laid for St. John’s Hospital at 9th and Carpenter in 1878. The sisters also had the distinction of founding St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing, the first Catholic school of nursing in the United States, in 1886.
From 1873 the Dominican Sisters were present in central Illinois—though not in Springfield. It wasn’t until 1890 that the first teaching sisters arrived in the capital city from their motherhouse in Jacksonville to staff St. Mary’s School—the precursor to the Cathedral School. Three years later their motherhouse moved to its present location on W. Monroe Street.
“Thousands of lives have been touched by the ministry of these three congregations of Catholic sisters,” said Maira Herrera, the archivist for the Dominican sisters who has been assisting with the project. “The ‘Springfield Sisters’ Armchair Tour’ is a chance for the sisters to celebrate one another and welcome guests who may be unaware of just how important the ministry of the sisters has been to the growth and development of Springfield.”
