About Us
Our Franciscan ministry is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia who are often remembered in the Portland area as the “Palatine Hill Franciscans.” When the congregation closed the Franciscan Renewal Center on Palatine Hill in 2000, several of the sisters remained committed to finding another home in the area to minister to the spiritual needs of the people in the greater Portland area. 2013 brought the ministry to the current location which is a historic residence that was home for two orders of religious women for over 100 years.
MISSION STATEMENT: Franciscan Spiritual Ministries is a ministry sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia. We are rooted in Gospel values and in the prophetic spirit of Francis and Clare, we seek to provide environments, experiences, and resources which enable persons to meet God in both stillness and activity. With hospitality, simplicity, and joy, we welcome all as brother and sister.
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VISION STATEMENT: In the Franciscan tradition, we will share/create a place of simple beauty and hospitality that will support and deepen the contemplative spirit.
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NATIVE LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
We acknowledge that the Franciscan Spiritual Center on the Marylhurst campus is located on the ancestral homeland of the Kalapuya people who lived for countless generations in permanent winter villages and seasonal settlements along the banks of the Willamette, Umpqua and McKenzie Rivers.
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Let us honor and thank their elders past and present for their stewardship of this land. Let us be grateful to be on this land, and in our Franciscan tradition let us continue to praise our Creator and work to care for and cherish all of creation.
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION:
This section of our website, while true and sincerely offered, is under revision. We want to know more about our neighbors. As Franciscans we want to consider the species of animals and plants that have lived on this land. How did the land nourish them and how did they nourish it? We want to know more about the Kalapuya people. How did this place nourish them and how did they steward it? We want to know more about this area's more recent history, too, including the two orders of hardy women religious who found here a home, a community, and an expression for their ministries.
It is our prayer that if we start with an open heart, we may arrive at a better sense of who our neighbors are (across time and space) and what has made them precious. Our experience encourages us to undertake this work and, in doing so, we believe we will learn better what is ours to do in contributing to a re-imagining of community.
If you have ideas, resources, or a desire to contribute something to this work, we will welcome you.
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STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
As a Franciscan ministry, we welcome all as a sister or brother. Specifically, we recognize and cherish the dignity of each person regardless of age, culture, faith, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, language, ability or social class.
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An ecumenical space to renew one's spirit, see with new eyes, learn, connect, find peace, quiet, and rest.
Our Staff
Celeste is the business manager for the Center. With a strong background in accounting and logistics, Celeste brings a calm sense of order to the spiritual center. She takes pride in our mission of providing a place of comfort and guidance to the community.
Michelle is a welcoming presence to all who come to the Center and is the one who responds to phone calls and designs all publications. She also co-leads the Franciscan Hermitage Experience and co-facilitates the Franciscan Companions Group
Sr. Theresa Lamkin, OSF is an experienced facilitator who is rooted in Franciscan Theology. She has been a Franciscan Sister for over 20 years. The past 17 years, she has walked alongside those struggling with poverty, mental health issues, homelessness and those who have been marginalized. She believes that we are all called to be a compassionate and healing presence with all those we meet.
After some life changing mystical experiences in the early 1980's Mark Lesniewski entered a Catholic seminary. This was followed by Franciscan formation, chaplain and spiritual direction studies, marriage and family, learning meditation and other mindfulness practices, time in Native American, Quaker, and Episcopalian communities, and 30 years of service to people experiencing poverty, mental and physical illnesses, and incarceration. In 2013 Mark received a Master's Degree in Contemplative/Budd
Eileen is a spiritual director and retreat leader. As a retired Presbyterian clergywoman and through spiritual direction training at Namaste in Portland, she has an appreciation for the varieties of ways in which people define and express their search for God. ​
Tom is a spiritual director who comes from a background in healthcare with particular experience working with people with mental illness and addictions. He has given workshops on the intersection of mental health and spirituality and sees his role as being fully present with others as they discover their deepest selves.