Sisters of St. Francis elect new leadership team

The Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities announced the election of a new leadership team:

Sister Rita Marie Fritzen is the incoming general minister. Sister Rita Marie served four years as a general councilor and congregational treasurer on the current leadership team. Before joining leadership, Sister Rita Marie worked in education and transformed a struggling school in Bayonne, New Jersey, into a nationally recognized institution.

Sister Ann Bremmer was elected assistant general minister. She is a former administrator for a Pennsylvania health care system. Currently, she is the pastoral associate at Holy Spirit Parish in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. 

Three sisters will serve as general councilors: Sister Ann Kenyon served in campus ministry at LeMoyne College in Syracuse. She now serves as part of the spiritual care team and Franciscan education at Francis House, a home for the terminally ill and a Sisters of St. Francis-sponsored ministry.

Sister Amy Williams works as a hospice nurse in Pittsburgh. 

Sister Donna McGartland returns as a general councilor, having served on the previous leadership team. Before joining leadership, she was the Minister of Life Transitions for the congregation’s sisters.

The new team assumes its responsibilities following a special Eucharist Liturgy on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 11 a.m., at Immaculate Conception Church in Fayetteville. 

Over 200 Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities serve in education, health care, parishes, and agencies supporting people living in poverty. They reside and minister in Buffalo, Syracuse and Mt. Vernon, New York; Pittsburgh and Scranton, Pennsylvania; Honolulu and Kalaupapa, Hawaii; Florida; Washington, D.C.; Illinois; South Carolina; and Lima, Peru. The congregation is headquartered in Syracuse.