In 1843, because of the excellent reputation of the Sisters, the empress of Austria, Empress Carolina Augusta, requested that they to begin a house/school in Vienna for the children of the soldiers in the military. She built the beautiful Motherhouse, chapel, and school we still enjoy there today.

Unfortunately, the bishop of Vienna would not allow the Sisters to live so far away from their motherhouse in Hallein. He told the Sisters to either split from the Community and make their house in Vienna their Motherhouse, or they could not stay. In 1852, the Sisters began another branch of the School Sisters of St. Francis in Vienna.

The chronicles of the Congregation state: "...the Sisters did not want this separation, but they had no firm statutes which could help them to hold this far branched-out tree together."

As a result, our Motherhouse has been in Vienna for over 150 years!