Her father, Johann Heinrich Schervier, was a needle factory owner and vice-mayor of Aachen. Her mother, Maria Louise Migeon, was the goddaughter of Emperor Francis I of Austria. At the age of thirteen, following the death of her mother and two sisters from tuberculosis, Frances assumed the role of homemaker for her father. During this time, she became deeply aware of the desperate conditions of the poor and gained a reputation for generosity, often selling family silver and using her dowry money to help those in need.

Religious Awakening In 1837, a religious revival in Westphalia and the Rhine region—sparked by the imprisonment of the Archbishop of Cologne—led to the formation of a society for the relief of the poor in Aachen. Frances joined this group with her father’s permission, though he later expressed concern when she began nursing the sick in their homes. She also worked closely with Joseph Istas, curate at Saint Paul Parish and founder of “Saint John’s Kitchen” for the poor, until his premature death in 1843.

Founding of the Poor Sisters of St. Francis in 1844, Frances and four other women became members of the Third Order of St. Francis. Following her father’s death in 1845, and inspired by a friend’s religious experience, Frances and her companions established a religious community on October 3, 1845, dedicated to caring for the poor. This community became the nucleus of the Poor Sisters of St. Francis. They cared for the sick, operated a soup kitchen, and ministered to marginalized women, including prostitutes and those suffering from syphilis, often enduring extreme poverty themselves.

Growth and Recognition The congregation received formal church recognition on July 2, 1851, despite objections to Schervier’s strict stance on personal poverty. Within seven years, they expanded overseas, establishing an American foundation to serve German emigrant communities. Frances also oversaw the founding of hospitals and sanatoria in Europe and the United States, particularly for those suffering from tuberculosis.

Legacy By the time of her death on December 14, 1876, her congregation had grown to 2,500 members worldwide. In 1959, the American province of the congregation separated to become the independent Franciscan Sisters of the Poor.