The Franciscan Daughters of Mary

Who we are

Our Charism is to love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ, the Author of life, with joyful simplicity, upholding the dignity of every human person from the moment of conception until natural death in the spirit of St Francis of Assisi. The Church prescribes three vows (evangelical counsels) for all religious sisters- Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience. In addition to these, our sisters make a fourth vow to Jesus- to uphold the dignity of every human person from the moment of conception until natural death.

The Franciscan Daughters of Mary are pro-life missionary sisters currently serving in the diocese of Covington. As faithful daughters of the Roman Catholic Church, we witness to the Dignity of all human persons by being living examples of the love of Christ to our neighbors. In the Spirit of St Francis, each daughter is ready to console rather than be consoled, to understand, rather than be understood, and to love rather than be loved. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. (prayer of St Francis)

• Daily Prayer for Priests- In God's plan, the family is meant to be the primary place where a person begins to discover their dignity. This is why we see our fourth vow as having a special emphasis on building up the family, especially the family of the Church. To have a healthy and holy family, you need a good father and a good mother. Since the Church is the family of God, we need our priests, our spiritual fathers, to be good and holy!

• Spiritual and corporal works of mercy- The Rose Garden Home Mission, is a pro-life pregnancy care center that has a free food pantry, and free medical and dental clinics. Primary to all that we do at the Mission is simply to give people the love of Jesus and then do whatever we can for them. In the spirit of St Francis, the Daughters give to him who asks (Mt. 5:42) without question and without cost (Mt. 10:8) Serving Jesus in the poor, hungry, thirsty, ill, estranged, naked & lonely (Mt. 25:34-41) “Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Mt 25:34)

• Consecration to Our Lady of Guadalupe- Our Lady of Guadalupe is the true Superior and Foundress of our community, and each sister is consecrated to her. An image of her is prominently displayed in each of our chapels, and we pray for her guidance in all of our important decisions. Since we are her Daughters, another of our apostolates is to spread devotion to her. We do this through prayer, education, and family events. Each year, the sisters pray a novena to her and invite others to join us for a rosary procession to the local abortion facility. On the ninth evening, there is a Mass and Fiesta on Our Lady's feast day!

• Pro-life Prayer and Evangelization- The Daughters pray daily for the end of abortion and of all laws against life and family. We regularly pray in front of the local abortion facility, participate in pro-life prayer vigils, and host several pro-life events and retreats for youth throughout the year. Among these events are "Mary's Pro-life Bootcamp"- a retreat for high school students, "Bootcamp Jr."- a day camp retreat for middle schoolers, and "Drill"- a monthly get-together for pro-life teens to pray, share a meal, learn some apologetics and have fun together.

At the Heart of everything is our relationship with Jesus Christ, Our Divine Bridegroom. It is this spousal relationship with Jesus that is the very soul of our vocation. Each sister is called to give her whole heart to Him exclusively, in response to the infinite Love she receives from Him. This love flows out from the heart of each sister into love of neighbor, as she upholds the dignity of every person. The dignity that God Himself has given them, each sister loving them as if they were her own children.

We live out our charism and fourth vow in several ways,

Each day the sisters pray:

• Daily Mass

• Eucharistic Adoration

• Liturgy of the Hours

• Community Rosary

• Divine Mercy Chaplet

• Personal Prayer

Learn More about our Prayer and Spirituality

Hearts fully given to Jesus