Our Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception had its beginnings at the end of 1874 in Mexico City. We are organized into five Provinces. Due to the religious persecution declared in 1926, with the necessary permission of the Auxiliary Bishop Don Maximinio Ruíz, in July of that same year, five Sisters moved to the United States to found a house of refuge for the Congregation. They were: Mother Belen Rico, who was serving as Vicar General, Mother Magdalena Hernandez, Mother Maria del Buen Consejo Andrade, Mother Loreto Arredondo and Mother Emerenciana Pastor. Upon arriving to San Antonio, Texas, they were welcomed by the Religious Sisters of Divine Mercy with whom they stayed for six months. From there they traveled to California where they were received by Father Albano Schwarze, OFM, who had previously been the General Visitator of the Franciscans in Mexico and had had contact with them before. Father Albano presented our Sisters to Father Francis Redman, Provincial of the Province of Santa Barabara, who made it his responsibility to present them to the Archbishop of Los Angeles who asked Father Redman himself to help them look for a house. 

 

On the 3rd of July 1927, our first house was founded in Santa Ana, California, taking the name of "House of our Father Saint Francis." God's Providence and the care that He took for His Consecrated Souls was clearly evident. The following year they had one aspirant. Since the Archbishop of Los Angeles wished that the Congregation establish itself there, they  aquired land to build the first house. Our Sisters always received the support that they needed from the Archbishop in order to spread the Good News to the Hispanic Community who they began to serve. 

 

As the years passed, and experiencing always great help from God's Providence, the need for more Sisters grew in this land of California. The seed of God continue to give fruit and up to now our Province consists of 13 convents where the Lord continues to allow us to serve Him through his people with the carism that He Himself gifted our Congregation with: Be in the Church and for the Church constructive members through total selfgiving to Christ, poor and humble, to restore the vineyard of the Lord in prayer, sacrifice and apostolic works.