STEUBENVILLE, OHIO—Eight hundred years after St. Francis of Assisi embraced death as “Sister Death,” Franciscan University of Steubenville will gather scholars, clergy, religious, medical professionals, students, and lovers of Franciscan spirituality for a three-day academic conference on the mystery of death, human dignity, and Christian hope.

The Sister Death-Gate of Life Conference: St. Francis and Contemporary Questions in Death, Dying, and Human Dignity will take place November 5-7, 2026, at Franciscan University as part of the worldwide celebration of the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death and entrance into heaven.

The conference will explore how St. Francis’ witness speaks to some of the most pressing questions of our time, including palliative and hospice care, physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia, emerging medical technologies, accompaniment of the suffering and dying, and the Christian hope of eternal life.

“What a gift to celebrate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death and passing into eternal life!” said Father Jonathan St. André, TOR, vice president for Franciscan Life at Franciscan University. “We are excited to gather people of all walks of life—scholars, friars, sisters, lay Franciscans, and lovers of St. Francis—to celebrate this anniversary through an exploration of Franciscan spirituality as it gives insight into the mystery of death and resurrection.”

The conference will open Thursday evening with a keynote lecture from Sister Margaret Carney, OSF, president emerita of St. Bonaventure University, titled “When Death Is Unwelcome: Marianne of Molokai.” A longtime teacher of Franciscan history and spirituality, Sister Carney continues to serve as a lecturer and leader for Catholic higher education and Franciscan organizations throughout the United States.

On Friday, Dr. Charles Camosy, associate professor of moral theology and ethics at The Catholic University of America, will deliver the second keynote, “Pax et Bonum at the Threshold: Franciscan Nonviolence From the NICU to the Nursing Home.” Camosy is a moral theologian and bioethicist whose work focuses on human life issues from conception to natural death.

The final keynote on Saturday will feature Father Wayne Hellmann, OFM Conv., professor emeritus at Saint Louis University, and Brother Thomas A. Piolata, OFM Cap., assistant professor of systematic theology at The Catholic University of America. Their lecture, “Romano Guardini: An Early 20th-Century Pioneer of St. Bonaventure’s Theology,” will draw from the Franciscan intellectual tradition and its continuing relevance for the Church today.

Along with keynote and other lectures about St. Francis, Franciscan spiritually, and modern issues surround death, the conference schedule includes a performance of an early-Baroque requiem by Franciscan’s Schola Cantorum, a presentation of iconographic artwork by students, academic paper sessions, daily Mass, times of prayer and worship, a welcome reception, and concluding prayer.

“The best thing to do in this Year of Jubilee of St. Francis would be to visit St. Francis’ home in Assisi, Italy,” Father St. André said. “A runner-up to that pilgrimage is to join others who love St. Francis and Franciscan spirituality at the ‘Sister Death-Gate of Life’ Conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Stimulating academic lectures, artistic and musical presentations, and times of prayer and worship together will make for a wonderful opportunity to gather.”

As part of the Jubilee Year of St. Francis, Franciscan University is also serving as a pilgrimage destination where the faithful may receive a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions: sacramental confession, reception of the Eucharist, prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father, and detachment from sin. The University has designated several pilgrimage sites for the jubilee, including the historic Portiuncula Chapel, Christ the King Chapel, and Sacred Heart Chapel on its Steubenville campus, as well as Maria Thron Church at the Kartause Maria Thronus Iesu in Gaming, Austria.

The conference comes at a moment when cultural, medical, and legal debates continue to shape how society understands life’s final moments. By returning to St. Francis’ embrace of “Sister Death,” Franciscan University will invite participants to consider how the Catholic tradition offers not despair but hope and confidence in the resurrection.

For more information or to register, visit the Sister Death-Gate of Life Conference page on Franciscan University’s website.