The Virtual Heritage Museum in Poverello Hall opened on March 25, 2025. Click on image above to launch the tour.
We welcome visitors to our Heritage Museum in Poverello Hall - a room here at St. Francis Convent (Springfield, IL) - which traces the guiding spirit of St. Francis of Assisi from our Congregation's Foundation in Telgte, Germany, to the present time. It is our desire that this museum communicates how, throughout our history, we have been instruments of God in bringing Christ's healing presence to humanity – especially the poor, sick, and needy.
Throughout the museum, Franciscan imagery, personal stories, photographs, artifacts, music, and videos are featured. Visitors to the museum first experience our Foundation with artifacts of our heritage including a San Damiano Cross, a replica of Our Lady of Grace Chapel (Telgte, Germany), a replica of the S.S. Maas (the ship that brought our founding Sisters to America), and a wagon.
Our museum opened on February 2, 2011, and it is designed by PGAV (St. Louis, MO).
Meet the PGAV designers.
In 2025, the virtual experience of our museum is designed by Crowdson Creative Media Production (Springfield, IL).
Meet the Crowdson team.
There are Four Main Content Areas:
(Each exhibit includes a video presentation.)
- Adoration
- Fire at St. Anthony's Hospital (Effingham, IL)
- Conversion
- Prayer & Healing
- Prayer & Community
- Refectory
This exhibit features one of our Refectory Tables with vintage tableware from various eras of our history. This exhibit also includes a video presentation.
- Joy in Community
- Formation
- Motherhouse
- Community & Hospitals
- Letter on Community
- Renewal
- Hospitals
This exhibit features a vintage desk from our collection which includes 12 drawers with a story about our hospitals. This exhibit also includes a video presentation.
- Joy in Missions
- Obediences
- Fulfilling Needs
This exhibit features 72 displays with an artifact of places we served or established.
- Letters from the First Sisters
This exhibit features artifacts and copies of letters written in the early years of our foundation in America.
- Foreign Missions
- China
- Japan
- Embracing the Leper
- Innovation
An original “The Nursing Sister” - our textbook
An original insurance voucher
- School of Nursing
- Care of Mary Todd Lincoln
This exhibit features "Healing Presence," a bronze sculpture depicting the care given to Mary Todd Lincoln. The original of this sculpture was given to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation in 2006.
We pray that visitors are inspired by our story and experience the invitation to deepen their relationship with God and all creation.
