This year, the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, based at Holy Family Convent on Silver Lake, celebrate 150 years of operation in the Manitowoc area. The community was established in 1869, and since its founding, its works of service have focused on education and health care in the surrounding community.

Their Motherhouse, Holy Family Convent on Silver Lake, was built in 1874. In 1881, a fire that started when the convent was struck by lightning left only portions of three walls intact. In a Herald Times Reporter article written in 1981, the fire is described based on eyewitness accounts. The fire reportedly “burned between the ceiling and the roof in the attic,” preventing neighbors’ notice of the fire until it broke through the roof. In the face of the destruction, the Manitowoc community rallied around the Sisters, and many people donated to help them rebuild.