Farewell to the good Sisters

The Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement's Vancouver mission ends

The Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement and Archbishop Miller cut
the cake at their farewell reception at Rosary Hall Aug. 27.

After the appearance of somewhat erroneous reports regarding the closure of the Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement's convent on Cordova St., a CBC story on the closure today has set the record straight (more or less).

The story explains the sisters are leaving because their order's membership is not being replenished and the few Franciscan Sisters in Vancouver could not continue running their numerous charitable missions in town forever.

"We have not had vocations sent to our community for at least 15 years and if anything happened to one of the four of us there would be no replacements," said superior Sister Elizabeth Kelliher.

What was lost in this report, and most other reports, is that The Door is Open (which is right next door to the convent) has taken up the food service role that the Sisters provided in the Downtown Eastside. The Door is Open will continue to do this until the Missionaries of Charity take possession of the convent and define their new ministry.

On Aug. 27 the Sisters had a send-off at Holy Rosary Cathedral, with Mass celebrated by Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, who thanked the sisters for their decades of service to the community.

Check out the next issue of The B.C. Catholic for a full story on the sisters' farewell Mass.