We invite you to join us on either of the following dates; Oct. 27th or Nov. 1st. Come learn more about the future plans for the new Chapel and Retreat House! Please RSVP to Jody at 614-314-4887 or Jody@Whiteboard-mktg.com by Oct. 25th.
Father Stash challenges us to invite God to give us the Grace to appreciate what a devotion to Mary can do for our life and in our family’s life. IMG_9622
A wonderful group of women enjoyed a Saturday morning mini-retreat at the Bridgettine Convent on May 14th. Fr. Stash shared a beautiful reflection and a panel of mothers of Seminarians and priests shared their wisdom of raising young men to hear the call of God.
Everything has been broken down into phases. Now that the sisters are here and getting established they are welcoming people into the spirit of their family. They host gatherings, offer moments of prayer, and lend an ear to those who need someone to listen.
They are in need of finishing their residence so as to accommodate more sisters. At present there are four sisters but they need to accommodate up to 10 for the purpose of maintaining the schedule of prayer and the balance of community life.
The most pressing need right now is to build a proper Chapel where the people who wish to come and pray can do so. The desire of the sisters is to have Jesus available for Adoration every day so that those who need to pray and want to pray may be able to do so.
The chapel will be the heartbeat of the whole convent and grounds.
Once the chapel is finished a residence wing for visitors will be built. This wing will afford the sisters space to welcome people overnight. The primary guests must be and will be those who are weary from being caregivers to loved ones in hospitals.
The priority is the Chapel! If Jesus is not first and foremost at the center of all of this then everything will be in vain.
The strength needed to listen, to love, to be patient, to welcome, and to accompany those who are caregivers or even those who are just beaten up by the world can only come from spending time with the Lord Jesus in prayerful adoration.
Regarding the chapel, what is needed?
The sisters NEED PRAYERS! We should never underestimate the power of prayer!
The sisters need people to join them in adoration! People should know they are welcome to come and spend time in prayer, once a day or once a week!
There is no need for a chapel if people aren’t going to use it.
That makes sense, what about the Chapel building itself, what is the most pressing need?
The chapel phase is broken into two parts, the building of a bell tower and walkway and then the chapel proper.
The walkway or cloister walk will connect the residence of the sisters, or the cloister, to the chapel proper.
The ringing of bells calls the sisters to prayer and invites the whole world to know Jesus is about to be adored.
Mr. Chris Meyers, http://meyersarchitects.com/, has designed a beautiful chapel which will accommodate around 75 people. It will be small in the eyes of the world but it will be intimate for the purpose of prayer and listening to Jesus.
How can people help?
First, PRAY!
Second, PRAY some more! Especially for vocations to the Bridgittine sisters.
Third, prayerfully consider donating to this cause.
The Bridgittine sisters have an account at the Catholic Foundation and can receive donations in person.
What is an interesting detail or development regarding the sisters’ presence?
Good question! I would have to say that after a year here in Columbus their way of life and fidelity to Jesus started to attract attention from young women who are discerning a call to be a religious sister.
One young woman from Columbus has already entered the community and several others are carefully praying about also joining the sisters.
How did this start? The presence of the Bridgittine sisters coming to and getting established in Columbus.
About 10 years ago I was going to Rome for meetings pertaining to a cause of canonization. After one of my return trips Alice Heller, a parishioner at St Michael had encouraged me to visit and stay with the Bridgittine sisters at Piazza Farnese, very near the Holy See/Vatican.
The next visit I made for meetings I inquired with the sisters and stayed there. While in their convent guesthouse I learned about St Bridget of Sweden and her legacy. I also learned about them Blessed Maria Elizabetta who had refounded the Bridgittine Sisters in 1911z
When the sisters were refounded they were given a renewed vision to pray for the sanctity of the Church through unity around the Lord Jesus truly present in the Holy Eucharist. They would express this mission through daily prayer in adoration and by welcoming the traveler.
As I learned about the saints of the Order, their mission and apostolate/activity I could only think of the great number of people who travel to Columbus from around the world for the purpose of bringing a loved one to one of our hospitals. I saw the sisters’ spirit of prayer and hospitality, their spirit of welcome and intercessory prayer and wondered if they might be a source of consolation to the people who are far from their homes so as to be close to loved ones who are patients in the hospitals.
I approached Mother Tekla who was the Mother Abbess at the time and thus began the conversation which led to the sisters establishing a presence here in Columbus.
Where do the sisters live in Columbus?
Their convent and its grounds are located in one of the fastest-growing areas of the metro area, near downtown Columbus in Franklinton. They are very near 315 and blocks away from COSI.
What do the sisters do in Columbus?
At the present moment, the sisters are working to establish and make permanent their presence.
They have begun their prayer life on behalf of all people so they sing the psalms that are prayed by all priests and religious and they adore the Lord through adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Basically, they pray for the whole world and for the people of Central Ohio in particular!
They welcome members of the faithful to join them for Holy Mass and Adoration. The sisters welcome those who are in need of a moment of prayer and a place of peace.
The sisters also prepare food, a hot meal, every morning, Monday-Friday, to be served through Holy Family Soup Kitchen.
In Rome, Mother Fabia clothed the first American vocation in decades in the habit and give her a new name in religion,
