By Catholic Review Staff
A funeral Mass for Franciscan Sister Irene Marshiano, who founded the Franciscan Center In Baltimore, was offered Nov. 2 at Clare Court Convent in Baltimore. Sister Irene died Oct. 31. She was 70.
A native of Harlem, N.Y., Sister Irene entered the Franciscan Sisters of Baltimore in 1964. The religious order merged with the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi in 2001. The motherhouse is in Milwaukee, Wis.
Sister Irene’s ministries included serving as a vocation director, staff assistant with a volunteer program and spiritual guide for the Secular Franciscan Order.
Sister Irene was the founder and director of The Franciscan Center, which opened in September 1968. She served as the center’s director for 17 years until she suffered a heart attack.
The Franciscan Center, at 101 W. 23rd St., offers emergency services, a food pantry and lunch and clothing programs, among other outreach ministries.
“The important work that Sister Irene started at the Franciscan Center continues at its expanded location with innovative programs that are designed to move individuals and families from a life of poverty to self-sufficiency and sustainability,” Christian Metzger, the center’s executive director, said in a statement.
According to Metzger, Sister Irene began a ministry that annually serves nearly 100,000 hot meals and distributes more than 6,000 bags of emergency groceries.
“Approximately 700 people a day visit the center for food, financial assistance, clothing, job readiness programs and case management,” Metzger said.
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