Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in 1863 in Olpe, Germany.

Drawn to the ideals of Francis of Assisi, Mother Theresia cared for poor and neglected children and for persons in need of healthcare.

In 1875, she sent sisters to Indiana where the mission grew to include hospitals, schools, orphanages and homes for the aged.

In 1974, the sisters of the eastern province incorporated their healthcare ministry under the name of the "Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc." In 1986, the corporate offices were moved to their current location on the provincialate grounds in Mishawaka.

[3] The group joined with eight states in filing a lawsuit against the federal government to vacate portions of Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which provided protections from discrimination on the basis of gender identity or reproductive choices.