Franciscan Spirituality Strengthens Peacemaking
Opportunities for enrichment abound during the Franciscan Jubilee year
Last month, Milwaukee Archbishop Jeffrey Grob announced that our sisters’ St. Joseph Chapel had been named a pilgrimage site during the special Jubilee Year now underway honoring St. Francis of Assisi.
“The yearlong celebration has been proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV marking the 800-year anniversary of the saint's death,” Archbishop Grob noted. “This Franciscan Jubilee Year is a time for spiritual renewal in the spirit of the Poverello (poor little one) of Assisi.
“During this time, you and I have multiple opportunities to draw from the wellspring of God’s abundant graces by making a pilgrimage to Franciscan churches or places of worship dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. These are local opportunities to renew ourselves in St. Francis’ vision and joy.”
Our sisters are delighted that this Franciscan Jubilee year designation will increase awareness throughout Southeastern Wisconsin, and beyond, about the community’s focus on making St. Joseph Chapel a welcoming center for peace and nonviolence in Milwaukee.
“St. Francis called his followers to joyfully follow in the footprints of Jesus Christ, to live the Gospel,” said Sister Barbara Kraemer, Director of Chapel Ministry. “Our sisters have years of Gospel living in the spirit of St. Francis.”
Sister Barbara shared some of the ways that our congregation’s Franciscan spirituality is expressed:
- Reverence for all of creation and encountering God in creation (“As Sister Bea Dorsey put it, ‘Reverence may be considered the soul of nonviolent living.’”)
- Respect for the dignity of every creature, recognizing God’s image in each one
- Welcoming and including everyone, belonging to one another – locally and globally – as sisters and brothers, creating the “beloved community” envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Supporting people in need of healing and consolation
- Having peace of heart and creating a peaceful environment that is safe and free from fear
- Being instruments of God’s peace by living nonviolently
- Opening ourselves to continual conversion
- Realizing that our lives, and all of creation, reflect God’s love and God’s beauty
- Expressing the goodness of God in music and art
Sister Barbara said our sisters hope to tap into the heightened interest in St. Francis during this Jubilee year to make even more people aware of St. Joseph Chapel as a rich spiritual resource. For several years, she and other sisters have been establishing relationships with diverse communities in Milwaukee’s Burnham Park, Layton Park, Silver City, and Clarke Square neighborhoods, and throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s 10 counties.
“We open our facilities in response to the expressed needs of diverse communities, striving to open the hearts and minds of children, young people, parents, adults, and seniors,” Sister Barbara said. This is happening through dialogue, education, presentations, and nonviolence training; and programs on spiritual companioning, meditation, contemplation, prayer, and mindfulness.
“In our chapel tours and programs, we evangelize for nonviolence by focusing on the examples of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints and mystics – that ‘cloud of witnesses’ whose lives give witness to ways individuals can make a difference and have an impact on our world,” Sister Barbara said.
Beyond the walls of the chapel, Sister Barbara said the congregation is seeking to extend the reach of the Franciscan center for peace and nonviolence through social media and digital programming. “We also work to support our sisters nationally and internationally to use their voices to bring the message of peace through nonviolence to the people they work with,” she said. “We want to inspire all our sisters and associates to deepen their Franciscan spirituality; to learn about Gospel nonviolence; and, to practice active nonviolence.”
The calendar on the congregation’s website, www.sssf.org, offers the most up-to-date listings of daily events. Chapel programs are also highlighted on the congregation’s Facebook and Instagram channels. You can link to those channels using the buttons on the bottom of every website page.
Sister Barbara encouraged, “If you are interested in learning more, or volunteering, please contact me at by email at barbarak@sssf.org or by calling 414-385-5326.”
You can read more about St. Joseph Chapel’s designation as a Franciscan center for peace and nonviolence in the Spring 2026 issue of Alive magazine, available in print and on our website’s Publications page: https://www.sssf.org/SSSF/Media-Room/Publications.htm
Image: Sister Joan Brede leads a tour of St. Joseph Chapel.