Sister Mary Francis Gangloff, OSF

Teacher, principal, campus minister and chaplain. Award-winning writer, photographer, organist and world traveler. All are part of Sister Mary Francis Gangloff’s experiences during her 67 years as a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities.

“The kindness of my elementary and high school teachers inspired me. They were Sisters of St. Francis,” she says. “They were especially gentle when I wore an eye patch from grades four to ten to strengthen one of my eyes.” She entered the community in Buffalo, New York, at age 17, to be followed two years later by her sister, Joanne.

“I have loved all my ministries,” says Sister Fran, as she is known. “Teaching junior high and college, principal of a grade school, campus minister and chaplain.” Twenty years at the Diocese of Buffalo newspaper “brought me so many wonderful experiences of faith, holiness and shared concerns for peace and justice issues.”

Her desire to learn about other cultures spurred Sister Fran to travel the world, collecting stories and artifacts. Her passion for writing resulted in more than a half dozen books, several of them about St. Marianne Cope, a member of Sister Fran’s community in the 1800s who left central New York to settle in Hawaii and treat patients of Hansen’s disease.

Six years ago, Sister Fran experienced pain when standing for any length of time or walking the long distances in the large assisted-living building where she lives. A diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis threatened to sideline her. But with a motorized scooter made possible by a SOAR! grant, there’s no stopping Sister Fran.

“With the scooter, I ‘drive’ the distances in this large building to the chapel and dining room. I use the house elevator to go to the lower level, where I continue my part-time work with insurance and benefits for the sisters in our area. In good weather, I ‘drive’ outdoors to enjoy the natural world. Using the scooter also helps me not to fall when my walking balance is off a bit,” says Sister Fran.

She’s pleased with her battery-operated Pride scooter with its electric charger. She “tidies it up” and charges it every week. “I chose the sugar plum color just for the delight of it,” she says.