Take a tour of our motherhouse

Dedicated on December 14, 1912, the first building of our motherhouse was erected on Heading Avenue, giving rise to the name by which we are often known--the "Heading Avenue Franciscans." An additional building, Sitio Hall, was constructed in the mid-thirties to accommodate our novitiate and growing aspirant school (a high school for women interested in religious life), and, in 1939, an addition to Sitio was built for our first pre-school and kindergarten. Expansion continued with the "1962 building" that included our current chapel and living quarters, followed by a physical education building built in 1967. Due to changing times and needs, Sitio was razed in 1992, and the Peoria Park District purchased the physical education building with eleven acres of land to form a beautiful new park which they christened "Franciscan Recreation Complex."