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The Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, New York, trace their beginnings to April 25, 1859, when, in the chapel of St. Bonaventure College and Seminary, Father Pamfilo da Magliano, O.S.F., gave the habit of the Third Order of St. Francis and the name, Sister Mary Joseph, to Mary Jane Todd. Father Pamfilo, the custos-Provincial of the Friars Minor of the Immaculate Conception Custody, had come with three other friars to western New York in 1855 at the invitation of Bishop John Timon, C.M., of the Diocese of Buffalo and Nicholas Devereux, a Catholic layman and land owner. The friars had come to educate young men at St. Bonaventure and carry on pastoral work in the area. Bishop Timon had also asked Father Pamfilo to “seek for Sisters of the Third Order” to provide education for the young women of the area, and his search led him to form a new congregation in Allegany, New York.

After the reception of Sister Mary Joseph, Ellen Fallon was received on June 24, 1859, and took the name Sister Mary Bridget. Several months later, these two sisters were joined by Mary Anne O'Neil, a 15-year old girl from New Jersey who had been exhorted by Father Pamfilo, “to be generous with the Lord despite her young years.” Mary Anne was received on Dec. 8, 1859, and took the name Sister Mary Teresa.

These three women formed the nucleus of the new community which soon began to attract other young women from the surrounding areas. From the beginning of the congregation, the sisters were under the jurisdiction of Father Pamfilo. He appointed the officers of the new community until 1865, when he presented the sisters with their first statutes, which had been adapted from those of the Franciscan Sisters in Glasgow, Scotland. That same year, the sisters elected Sister Mary Teresa O'Neil as their general superior, who served in this capacity for 55 years.

The new community grew, and the sisters sought to serve the needs of the church in a variety of ministries. In 1860, St. Elizabeth Academy opened in Allegany for the education of young women, and from this beginning the sisters branched out to open schools in Connecticut, New York and other East Coast states. In 1879, three sisters were sent to Jamaica and British West Indies, and the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany became the first American-founded congregation of religious women to send sisters to foreign missions.

In the 1880s and 1890s, the sisters became affiliated with hospitals in Boston and New York City. They also expanded to homes for the young and elderly, pastoral and social work. Many of these ministries, including health care, continue today.

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