Her smiling face and jovial nature made her a welcome visitor to her clients, her sisters, and all her family and friends.

Sister Margaret Franks (Sister Marian Christopher) was born May 30, 1923 in Manhattan, one of three daughters and two sons of Henry and Margaret Waters Franks. Margaret attended Saint Francis de Sales School and Cathedral High School, both in Manhattan, and entered the Sisters of Charity of New York on September 7, 1941. She later received a BA in Home Economics and an MA in Nutrition from Hunter College. She also earned NYS Certification as a Dietician-Nutritionist.

Sister Margaret’s first ministry experiences were in elementary education, where she spent three years, including one year at St. John the Evangelist in Manhattan. She then went on to complete her studies in nutrition and a Dietetic Internship at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1949, Sister began her many years of ministry as a dietician and nutritionist. She served at Mount Saint Vincent; Saint Vincent Hospital, Manhattan; Saint Vincent Hospital, Staten Island; and Saint Vincent Hospital, Harrison. Sister Margaret worked in the Home Care Program at Lincoln Hospital, Bronx, as a Nutrition Instructor for child care students at the NY Foundling, in Community Nutrition at Sydenham Family Care Center, as an instructor for Home Care Trainees at the Visiting Nurse Service in the Bronx. She also worked in the Outpatient Clinic of North Central Bronx Hospital counseling patients in nutritional education and diabetic care.

After her retirement from active ministry, Sister Margaret continued to give lectures on Nutrition, Healthy Eating for Diabetics and Home Care Nutrition. For thirty-six years, during most of her ministry in the Bronx, Sister Margaret lived at Our Lady of Angels Convent where she was a very visible presence to parishioners and other neighborhood residents. In 2011, Sister Margaret went to live at the Convent of Mary the Queen where she continued to visit the other sisters, help in the sacristy and share her many gifts. In 2014, Sister Margaret was among the first sisters to move to Kittay House in the Bronx.

Sister Margaret was a kind, compassionate and caring person. She was ready to help in any area of nutrition and good health and often gave advice to sisters and their family members. Her smiling face and jovial nature made her a welcome visitor to her clients, her sisters, and all her family and friends. We rejoice with her now as she enters the kingdom warmly embraced by our loving God and greeted, “Welcome home, good and faithful servant.” Be at peace, Sister Margaret.