Prayer & Hospitality

 

To be basic and direct, when we usually think of a church it is a parish church, the place a parish family uses for public prayers and celebration of the sacraments.

 

A chapel is a small church used primarily for private prayer.

 

 

This is a good basic question! The parish church for Holy Family isn’t a chapel or even an oratory, it’s a parish church which means it has all of the Masses, Confessions, Baptisms, Weddings, Adoration, public devotions, and private devotions of the parish family and so much more. A parish church is a busy place where there is a lot taking place on any given day and there are a lot of people coming and going.

 

The Sisters’ convent will have a chapel where the Blessed Sacrament will be reserved and even Adored! The Holy Mass will be offered! And then the rest of the time it will be intentionally a quiet place where people may come to pray and find the rest and healing that only Jesus can offer and give. The sisters’ chapel won’t be just another church, it won’t be even a parish church, it will be a small intimate space where people who are worn out, tired, broken, run-down, and lonely can find a healing silence and a powerful presence.

 

Something special to note….if a parish church seems more like a chapel because of its inactivity then it isn’t needed as a parish church. But a chapel where there is plenty of prayer will ultimately guide the soul back to the parish church for all of the sacraments and devotions offered there.

 

 

The chapel will be the heart and center of the Convent of St Birgitta! As such it will be the place where the sisters will sing the psalms of the Old Testament throughout the day, pray the Holy Rosary, Adore the Lord in the Holy Eucharist and gathering to celebrate the Holy Mass.