Sister Margaret Carney is a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. She has served in multiple roles as an educator and administrator  while completing degrees in education, theology,  Franciscan history and spirituality. Her doctorate was awarded in Rome by the Pontifical University Antonianum in 1988. The focus of her academic research is the role played by the women of the founding years of the Franciscan order and the development of its Third Order branch.

She served as the first woman appointed to a chancery level office in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. There she helped found structures of collaboration between Diocesan offices and some thirty congregations of religious women. She subsequently served on the international commission that reformed the Rule of the Franciscan Third Order Regular. The text—destined to serve more than four hundred different sisters’ congregations and the friars of the Third Order Regular-- was approved by Pope John Paul II in 1982.

In 1997 she accepted an appointment to the faculty of the Franciscan Institute of St. Bonaventure University. She was appointed dean and director of the Institute and worked to renew its financial and academic capacity to continue work on major Franciscan sources. Assisted by the Academy of American Franciscan History, she promoted a new English language edition of the writings of St. Bonaventure. The renowned scholar Zachary Hayes, O.F.M. (faculty of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago) served as supervising editor for this important contribution to a new generation of medievalists. She was a founding member of the Secretariat for the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition and is a member of the Societá Internazionale di Studi Francescani.

In 2004 she was appointed president of St. Bonaventure University. Participating in multiple bodies of higher education leaders, she chaired the board of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and thus served briefly as a consultant for the education committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops . She served in leadership roles for the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities and the presidents’ council of the Atlantic 10 Athletic Conference. At the conclusion of her presidency in 2016 she received the Monika Hellwig Award from the ACCU and the Pro Pontifice et Ecclesiae Medal from Pope Francis. She was also honored by the Buffalo Chapter of the National Federation for Just Communities.

Sister Margaret continues her work through her writings. She is the author of Light of Assisi: The Story of St. Clare. Her outreach includes podcasts, lectures and pilgrimages to Rome and Assisi. Upon being invited by Professor Danielpour to collaborate in creating the libretto for the oratorio, Francis, she offered to create a network of North American Franciscans to provide the commission for the work. In this way, the Franciscans of this country are helping to provide an artistic tribute for the Year of St. Francis proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV, a tribute that will be a lasting gift to all who seek to know and celebrate the Poverello.