1960-1966
Mother Virgilius Burke
Jamaica Plain

1966-1972
Sister Rita Nolan
New York

1972-1975
Sister Alfred Beattie
Langhorne

1975-1978
Sister Harriet Marie
Greenville

1978-1984
Sister Emmanual Kilkenny
Delray Beach

1984-1992
Sister Mary Francis Flynn
Bordentown

1992-1996
Sister Mary Veronica Butler
Delray Beach

1996-2002
Sister Clare Francis McAvoy
Jamaica Plain

2002-2005
Sister Claire Andre Gagliardi
Chesterfield

2005-2008
Sister Mary Connor
Greenville

2008-2012
Sister Clare Frances McAvoy
Jamaica Plain

2012-2016
Sister Carolyn Forgette
Greenville

2016-2020
Sister Anne Bartol

2020-2024
Sister Mary Connor
Greenville

Religious Assistants
Father Michael Harding, OFM
Father Roch Knopke, OFM
Father Eric Kyle, OFM
Father Juvenal Lawlor, OFM
Father Giles Bello, OFM
Father Dan Lanahan, OFM
Father Tom Hartle, OFM

Foundations Made From Holy Name Federation

Japan’s Monastery 1st Founding Group (1961)

Kiry-shi,Guma-Ken, Japan was founded in 1961 from Jamaica Plain, Boston. Corrico Nor Yngas, Bolivia was founded in June 1962 from Bordentown, NJ. Anapolis, Goias, Brazil was founded in 1963 by the New York Monastery. In 1987 the last American Sisters left and this is now an independent monastery. Stamford, CT was the first to be founded by the federation and not be an individual monastery.  Five Sisters from five different communities began the foundation in 1985.   This monastery was closed 2003. Fort Meyers Beach, FL was founded from Delray Beach in 1988. Great Falls, MT began as a federation foundation in 1999 with four Sisters coming from four houses within the federation.

Assemblies, Workshops and Projects

The first official assembly of the federation was held in Jamaica Plain, April 30 to May 3, 1966.  Mother M. Michael from the New York monastery was elected President along with four councilors. Work on the revision of the Constitutions was the focus of this and subsequent meetings.  This work was aided by a questionnaire received from the Minister General of the OFM’s touching on all aspects of Poor Clare life

To approve the material submitted from the houses, an extraordinary chapter was held Sept 24 – 30, 1966 at Villa Cortona, MD.  Because so many such suggestions for revision of the Constitutions were coming to Rome from all over, a request was made for secretaries and translators.  Sister Catherine Flamino from the Andover community spent a little over a year in Rome serving in this capacity.

1st HNF Meeting in Greenville, SC May 1965

Since 1972 Assemblies have been held every three years with a wide variety of topics and speakers. These have included renewal, Franciscan sources and spirituality, the writings of Francis, Clare and Mother Maddalena, canon law, scripture, theology, psychology and human development, personality profiles, archives, music and liturgy, health care and living wills, graced history, to sample just a few.

In accordance with its purpose of promoting relations between monasteries, the Federation has also continued to sponsor a variety of speakers and a number of workshops.

The first Federation Workshop for novice directresses was held at Villa Cortona, Bethesda, MD in April of 1967.   Formation has continued to be the focus for a number of subsequent meetings.  Since 1966 the federation has also worked with the Franciscan Institute to sponsor three-week summer enrichment programs specifically for Poor Clares to further the educational needs of the Sisters. A federation newsletter, IN TOUCH, was begun in 1978 and continues to be published on a regular basis.

In 1966 there were 217 professed Sisters in the federation; in 1978 -189; in 1981 – 173; in 2007 – 131.

(This History was originally written by Sr. Mary David Franze, osc (Jamaica Plain) and subsequently updated by Sr. Elizabeth Enoch, osc (New York) and Sr. Marie Beha, osc (Travelers Rest). We are grateful to them for this treasure.)