Sister Maria Theresia Bonzel founded The Sisters of Saint Francis of Perpetual Adoration in Olpe, Westphalia, Germany in 1863.  The gift of a deep, personal, and faith-filled love for the Eucharist found expression as the charism of her new Community.  Today members of our Congregation seek to enflesh our charism of "All-embracing Lived Adoration" as we worship God in the Eucharist and celebrate the image of God in each other and in all of creation.  Throughout the day and night across the globe, the Sisters of the various Provinces of our Congregation pray before the Blessed Sacrament, giving glory to God and petitioning for the needs of all peoples.  In 'Lived Adoration' we encounter and adore God in Scripture, in our everyday work, in all of creation, in the challenges of our times, and in the needs of society.

The life vision and karma of Saints Francis and Clare so inspired Sister Maria Theresia that she founded her new community as a Third Order Franciscan Congregation.  Francis and Clare were 13th century Italian saints, natives of the town of Assisi located in the hill country of Umbria, northeast of Rome and southeast of Florence.  Their passionate love for God and all of God's creatures has had a profound impact on our world and continues to motivate contemporary women and men to embrace the Franciscan dream.  Led by a vision of faith, Francis and Clare stood in solidarity with the poor, the powerless, the outcast--as Jesus did, and embraced the Gospel as their rule of life.  The essence of our Franciscan life is our relationship with Jesus calling us to a new worldview, which recognizes and proclaims the goodness of God in all of life and creation.