BRIEF HISTORY OF OUR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTE

WHO ARE WE?
The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception is a religious institute with pontifical right founded in Glasgow, Scotland in 1847 by Sr. Adelaide Vaast and Sr. Veronica Cordier, who came from the Franciscan monastery of Our Lady of the Angel, Tourcoing, France, to care for and educate the children of Glasgow. Sister Veronica was left as the sole-foundress after Sister Adelaide's premature death from cholera.

Over the years, the institute spread to England, the Republic of Ireland, Nigeria, Italy, the Republic of Kenya, the United States of America, and Barbados. We live by the rule and life of the brothers and sisters of the Third-Order-Regular of St. Francis of Assisi. As sisters in the Franciscan penitential tradition, we commit ourselves to living out our profession of chastity, poverty, and obedience in community, ever striving for a fuller expression of our baptismal call to conversion.

IN LIGHT OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION In 1854, Pope Pius IX approved our first constitution. It was, coincidentally, the same year as the proclamation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thus, at the request of Pope Pius IX, the Franciscan and Marian spiritualities were joined and lived according to the spirit of Saint Francis of Assisi. As a result, we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as our special patroness, and we are known as Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception.

CHARISM AND SPIRITUALITY
As Franciscans, the essence of our charism and spirituality lies in our commitment to a life of continuous conversion and renewal. Our main charisms are simplicity, joy, poverty, minority, fraternity, hospitality, contemplation, and metanoia.

Our primary apostolate is the witness we give through the apostolate of education, in the broadest, fullest sense of the term (Constitutions and Statutes, C4), particularly to the poor and the needy. In our approach to God's people, hospitality will be a special mark of the service we offer.

THE NIGERIAN MISSION
The Nigerian mission of our institute was established in 1950 at the invitation of His Lordship, Most Rev. Owen McCoy, the then bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria. He invited us to educate the young women of his diocese through the development of education in schools, vocational training, and training colleges. Four of our sisters came from Scotland to open our Nigerian foundation. Our first convent was opened in Isale-Aro, Osogbo, now Osun State. With the growing number of Nigerian indigenous sisters, the Africa Province, which includes the Republic of Kenya, was established in 1999 with its headquarters in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. Due to a further increase in the number of indigenous Nigerian sisters, the Nigeria Province of our religious institute was created in 2010 with the headquarters in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. Presently, we have our religious communities in eleven dioceses andarchdioceses in Nigeria. In these places, we work in schools and hospitals, taking care of orphaned and abandoned children, children with special needs, people living with HIV/AIDS, youth apostolate, vocational centers, social communication, prison apostolate, and pastoral and catechetical work. We are equally open to other areas of the life of the local churchwhere our services are needed.

WE SERVE IN THE FOLLOWING DIOCESES/ARCHDIOCESES

1. Abakaliki Diocese: Ishiagu
2. Abeokuta Diocese: Ayetoro
3. Ibadan Archdiocese: Igbo-ora
4. Ijebu-Ode Diocese: Iloti
5. Issele-Uku Diocese: Asaba, Ogwashi-uku
6. Lagos Archdiocese: Badagry, Badore, Alaba, Okokomaiko
7. Minna Diocese: Mokwa
8. Osogbo Diocese: Ejigbo, Ilesa,Inisa, Osogbo, Otan-Ayegbaju
9. Oyo Diocese: Awe, Oyo
10. Uromi Diocese: Usugbenu
11. Warri Diocese: Warri, Umutu, Ughelli