The Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities today announced that they have signed a purchase and sale agreement (PSA) for the property known as St. Mary of the Angels in Williamsville to The Tzetzo Companies LLC of Buffalo. In addition to owning the property, Tzetzo will operate the region house as a New York State-licensed senior assisted living facility. The purchase price was not disclosed and final closing on the sale is not expected until sometime in November.

 Tzetzo has been in operation as a family-owned business in western New York for more than 100 years. Its primary business is in property development and management, with a subspecialty in senior health care.

 "When we began discussions about the sale of St. Mary of the Angels, our preference was to find someone who would both own the property and provide health care and all other services for the sisters," said Sister Barbara Jean Donovan, OSF, general minister for the congregation of more than 360 sisters. "Tzetzo has experience in both, operating a facility in Fredonia. That was the arrangement we sought from the start."

 Following the closing, Tzetzo will begin renovations on the building. When construction is complete, the building will be open to lay residents.

 "Our sisters understand that they will share their home with lay residents," Donovan said. "Hospitality is part of our Franciscan values. The sisters will embrace lay residents when they come; they already recognize that this will be a new ministry opportunity for them."

 The decision to sell the property stemmed from an in-depth study of all the congregation's

geographic areas where it had a presence, including Hastings-on-Hudson and Syracuse, New York; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The study showed that most of the properties no longer met the needs of a smaller, more elderly population; since then, the congregation sold its properties in Hastings-on-Hudson and Syracuse; sale of the Pittsburgh property is pending. In those cases, the sisters moved to other facilities.

 "While the sisters will remain in their home, there will be changes," Donovan said. "They are preparing for that and looking forward to moving along the process."

 The Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities is a congregation of 361 vowed women religious whose origin goes back to St. Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. Our Franciscan spirit, rooted in the Gospel, motivates us to continue God's work and respond to God's people wherever there is a need with reverence, justice and compassion. Together, the sisters serve in 12 states and the District of Columbia as well as in Kenya and Peru.