Celebrating More than 150 Years of Serving Our Community
St. Francis Senior Ministries has a rich heritage of faith and compassionate care for older adults. Learn more about who we are, our history, and how far we’ve come. If you’d like to get to know us more, contact our team. We’d love to show you around during an in-person visit.
Our mission, vision and values
We live and promote the spirit and charism of St. Francis of Assisi, who understood the oneness of creation and recognized the importance of each individual relationship. We value the opportunity to serve those whose care is entrusted to us. In continually striving to achieve our vision our senior living community will:
- Encourage the joy of living.
- Treat life with reverence.
- Be good stewards of God’s creation.
- Advocate for those we serve.
- Act with gentleness and benevolence.
- Serve as a model of our values and spirit to the community.
- Promote an integrated continuum of services for seniors.
- Seek opportunities and leverage our resources to address community needs.
- Encourage residents to make decisions that foster their independence.
- Take a holistic approach to service development and delivery.
Our History
On June 4, 1869, three orphans and six older adults celebrated the Feast of Sacred Heart and the official beginning of the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, OH. In less than six months, the Citizens Hospital and Orphan Asylum were incorporated into their community. However, the Sisters of St. Francis felt their true calling was to serve older adults.
After caring for nearly 2,000 children, the Sisters shifted their focus to providing only senior housing in 1936.
By 1960, St. Francis Senior Ministries was thriving and had a growing waitlist. A year later, the Sisters established St. Francis Home, a new 84,000-square-foot building, designed to provide a high-quality life for up to 112 assisted living residents.
In 1980, our community began offering independent living in the Elizabeth Schaefer Apartments, by 1990 the St. Francis Villas were added and by 2009 the neighboring Friedman Village campus became part of St. Francis Senior Ministries.
St. Francis Senior Ministries Is Proudly Sponsored by CSJ Initiatives, a sponsored organization of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Now, St. Francis Senior Ministries is sponsored by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in partnership with the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio.
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph is a religious community of nearly 500 vowed Catholic women and over 500 lay associates who live and minister in the U.S. and around the world.
Through the unique lens and culture of religious life, this partnership offers expertise in life- enriching housing opportunities, compassionate health and wellness care, and responsible management for faith-based senior living communities.