Franciscan Sisters & Brothers make pilgrimage to Holy Land
The Sisters offered to take extra jobs, have bread sales and provide cleaning services as ways to earn funds for the pilgrimage. Mother Shaun felt it was important that the younger members of the community experience the Holy Land as the sacred land of Christ's life and as one of the community's places of mission. The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist have served in the Holy Land since 1979.
A highlight of the time of retreat was Mass at the Primacy of Peter during which Sister Monica Navalta pronounced her first vows. As a symbol of her vowed commitment, she received a cincture with three knots representing the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and the insignia of the community.
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MERIDEN, CT (08-23-2007) - Sixteen Franciscan
Sisters and Brothers and Reverend Christopher Mahar of Cranston, Rhode
Island, returned to the motherhouse community on August 23rd after a 12-day
pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The group included the Sisters in formation,
two Sisters who made final vows this year, the Franciscan Brothers, Sister
Barbara Johnson, Director of Formation, Sister Mary Elizabeth Endee, Director
of Pre-Postulants, and Mother Shaun Vergauwen, Mother General. Father
Mahar accompanied the pilgrims.
The
pilgrimage included Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Galilee, Nazareth, Mt. Tabor,
the Judean wilderness and the Dead Sea. At each of the holy places, the
group
prayed
for peace, for the needs of the community and for special intentions.
