Mother Frances Streitel: her childhood experiences and influences

Wednesday, September 14, 2011:  Amalia Frances Rose Streitel, aka Mother Frances Streitel, Foundress of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother, had two brothers and a sister. Her oldest brother Adam was two years younger than she, Hermon, 7 years younger, and  her sister, Hedwig, 9 years younger. One of Mother Frances’ biographers states that she was a strong-willed child and had a willful temper.  Imagine her relationships with her siblings, given that information.   From this same biographer, we learn that punctuality and order characterized the Streitel home. Thus, I believe, Amalia learned to be respectful of other people’s time and space and probably also learned how to handle her willfulness in a way that maintained the order that her parents expected of her and between her and her siblings.  She was taught the art of homemaking and of decorative needle work, excelling in the art of embroidery, an activity that can have a very calming effect upon the craft-person.  How would you describe yourself as a child? How would you characterize your home environment and what impact did that have on your formation? What skills were you taught by your parents?