Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth
The Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth are a Catholic religious institute founded in Rome in 1875 by Mother Franciszka Siedliska. They use the postnominals CSFN and are an apostolic, international congregation, located on four continents and in thirteen countries.
History
The Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth was founded in Rome, Italy in 1875 by Frances Siedliska, a Polish noblewoman. From Rome, the Congregation spread quickly.In 1885, Mother Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd and eleven sisters journeyed to Chicago, Illinois, where they had been invited to minister to the needs of Polish immigrant children and families. There they staffed two schools and an orphanage. The Congregation soon expanded its services in the Midwest. They continue to serve throughout Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Texas, and Ohio. The sisters operate a high school for girls, Nazareth Academy, in Philadelphia.
Ministry
In the United States, the sisters have served in schools, and in child care services, care of the elderly, retreat work, and in the parish, prison, and youth ministry.Sisters continue to be engaged in various areas of healthcare and presently minister as hospital chaplains, nurses, therapists, and lab technicians, attending to the sick, the elderly, and the infirm. As of 2024, there are over 1,000 members in Australia, Belarus, Chile, Croatia, England, France, Ghana, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, and the United States.