Followers of St. Francis: Sister Shirley Shafranek, OFS/T
You could say that Sister Shirley Shafranek, OFS/T, was born a Franciscan and that, as her life unfolded, so did her realization that God was calling her to religious life. Now a vowed Franciscan sister with the Sisters of St. Francis in Tiffin, Ohio, Sister Shirley’s early life subtly hinted at her future with the Franciscans. She was raised in rural Chelsea, Iowa, along with four brothers, in a devout Catholic family. Despite their religious conviction, Sister Shirley and her brothers attended public school because money was tight. However, faith was a huge part of their home lives. “I remember kneeling down by [my mother’s] chair each night and saying my prayers,” Sister Shirley says. “I could even tell you the order we all learned them in.”