FSLF Community Town Hall

The Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls are initiating a thoughtful and collaborative future planning process to ensure their mission and values continue to contribute to and enrich the local community for generations to come. Since 1891, the Franciscan Sisters have had a deep and long-standing relationship with the community of Little Falls and surrounding area. Over the years, the Sisters have consistently listened to the needs of the local community and responded with compassionate care. Whether through health care, education, pastoral care, or social outreach, the Sisters have served out of love and commitment to their Franciscan Gospel values. Today, as their numbers change and needs shift, the Sisters are discerning how their facilities, land, and legacy can continue to carry out Franciscan values, while serving the common good of the surrounding community. A central part of this process involves collaborating with community members and local partners to ensure that their properties and resources continue to be a blessing to the region. “For over 130 years, our community has sought to live our mission with the help of those with whom we serve,” shared Sr. Bea Eichten, Community Minister and President, Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls. “As we look to the future, we remain rooted in our Franciscan Gospel values—care for creation, compassion, hospitality, simplicity, and service—and we want to ensure that these values continue to live on in this place, in ways that respond to today’s needs.” The Sisters are taking an intentional approach to this process, engaging the community and evaluating needs. This intentional process will take time. We expect the planning to take place over the next three years, and the implementation of plans to occur in the future. It is the Sisters’ intention that their legacy will reflect the Franciscan way of life: prayer, loving action, and nurturing the common good in kinship with all. As part of this process, the Sisters are inviting people of the area to a Community Town Hall. There will be two options to attend: Wednesday, June 25, 6:30 to 8 p.m. or Wednesday, July 30, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Town Hall to be held in St. Francis Hall at St. Francis Convent, 116 8th Avenue SE, Little Falls, MN. Cookies and punch will be served. This event will offer an opportunity to meet the Sisters, tour the historic campus, and share ideas for how their properties and land might best serve the evolving needs of the community. The Community Open House is one of multiple ways that the Sisters will be gathering information and listening to the needs of community. The Sisters hope this process will foster creative partnerships and spark new ideas about how the sacredness of this space can be sustained and shared with the wider community. Regular updates will be shared with the public. The Franciscan Sisters welcome your prayers, ideas, and encouragement as they move forward with this thoughtful journey into the future. For more information, please visit www.fslf.org or contact the Community Relations Office at (320) 632-2981.