Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in the USA

The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (CSFN) are an international congregation of vowed religious women dedicated to spreading the Kingdom of God’s love, particularly within families. It was founded in Rome in 1875 by Frances Siedliska, a Polish noble woman, in religious life known as Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1989. Today there are some 1,240 sisters serving in 13 countries: Australia, Belarus, France, Ghana, Great Britain, Italy, Israel, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, USA; they are joined by 700 lay associates.

In 1885, Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd came to Chicago with a small band of sisters dedicated to serving the families of immigrants from Poland. They first served at St. Josaphat Parish on Chicago’s North Side; rather quickly, their ministry expanded to include health care, education and pastoral ministry. That same year, they established a U.S. Provincialate in Chicago.

Today Holy Family Province, the U.S. province of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, has some 250 sisters serving in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Provincialate is located in Des Plaines, IL, a Chicago suburb. We share in Jesus’ mission of spreading the Kingdom of God’s love. We do this by serving families through active ministry in schools, hospitals, parishes, prisons, and social service agencies.