Special Announcement

Since the spring of 2024, The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi have been celebrating 175 years of ministry and service to the church.  The Sisters will bring this celebration to a close next May, when they celebrate their Foundation Day.  At this time we also celebrate that our Congregation was the First Franciscan group of Vowed Women Religious founded in the United States.

Welcome to

Poverello Creations

A creative outreach ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi

Have you been looking for affordable greeting cards with uplifting messages?  Then, Poverello Creations is your source for greeting cards with a Franciscan emphasis.  We offer economical greeting cards that will be a blessing to their recipients, as well as supporting a group of Catholic Franciscan Women Religious.

Each time you purchase our low-priced greeting cards and other crafts you not only save money, but you support the mission of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.  In addition, your support helps us care for our frail, elderly sisters.

About Us

Flowing from Our Original Poverello Prints Greeting Cards

Since the early 1980’s, the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, a group of Catholic women religious, have been creating greeting cards marketed as Poverello Prints.  All of the Poverello Prints greeting cards were designed by our sister artists to showcase their art, style, and spiritual vision through the affordable medium of greeting cards.  As of December 2023 this original line of cards has been discontinued.  HOWEVER ….

Poverello Creations continues

the mission that founded Poverello Prints. This mission is still as important to us today as it was when we first began creating and marketing greeting cards.

Poverello Creations as a website of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, presents the newer greeting cards of Sister Judy Placzkowski and Sister Ceil Struck.  Although the Poverello Prints’ original line of greeting cards has been discontinued, we continue to provide economically priced Catholic greeting cards that give our patrons a sense of beauty with a message that touches the heart.  Being the Franciscan Community we are, our greeting cards provide a visible expression of our Franciscan Joy and Beauty.  At Poverello Creations, we aim to give you, our patron, an alternative to what you find in the greeting card aisle of your local retail shop or Catholic book store.

Our greeting card collection now includes full-color photographic and watercolor-based images, as we have grown from our humble beginnings with one and two-color cards. Since we have moved into the digital age, Sr. Judy and Sr. Ceil now print their creative cards at the time of your order.  

Many of the verses found in our greeting cards are the original writings of the sister artist or from the poetry our sisters.  Other verses are selected from various sources and are noted as such.  All our verses flow from our Franciscan spirituality and bring a special touch to the messages of our cards.

What Can You Find Here?

Traditional  categories of greeting cards include birthday cards, thank you cards, and sympathy cards. Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Wedding cards are among our more unique items.  Catholic Christmas cards, Easter cards, and Thanksgiving cards continue to be available throughout the year for your shopping convenience.  Jubilee cards and Franciscan cards, including scenes from Assisi, also list among our popular items.  Greetings cards that you may not have thought of sending include such themes as Living with Illness, Encouragement to Caregivers, and Transitions in Life.

More than Greeting Cards

Some of our sister crafters, both active and retired, add their creations to our online offerings. For example, while managing our local Poverello Gift Shop, Sr. Helene Mertes also creates hand-woven baskets and has made some available online.  In addition, a number of our sisters have added hand-made items, including:

 – Kitchen towels with hand-made fabric toppers by Sr. Judy

– Hand-made “Scarves with a Twist” and other sewing creations by Sr. Charlotte

– Hand-woven baskets, designed and created by Sr. Helene

– Hand-made microwave potato bags and novelty pillowcases by Sr. Marcia

– Knitted, all cotton, dish clothes by Sr. Laverne

Explore our Full Line of Products HERE

You: The Most Important Element

Your purchase helps us foster our mission of expanding Franciscan Joy and Beauty into a world so in need.

Your purchases are also helping us meet crucial needs of our own.  For example, recently, we needed to build a new facility providing a safe and secure residence for our retired elder sisters.  Our original building, expanded over the years from 1861 through 2019, was no long adequate to meet the needs of our elderly sisters and was physically and economically impossible to update and renovate. So, in May of 2019, we moved into a new building just across the yard from the old building.

As a patron of Poverello Creations, you are helping provide a beautiful, safe place for our elderly sisters to live.

We thank you for your support. 

We, the sisters, continue to remember you and your intentions in our prayers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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