ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY SAVIOUR OF ST. BRIDGET
Vocations
Contemplative & Active Sisters who spend the greatest part of our day in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament praying for our Pope, the unity of the Catholic Church and all Christian churches.
ORDER OF THE MOST HOLY SAVIOUR OF ST. BRIDGET
Vocations
Contemplative & Active Sisters who spend the greatest part of our day in prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament praying for our Pope, the unity of the Catholic Church and all Christian churches.
Columbus, Ohio
Our central mission heart in the Midwest, dedicated to perpetual prayer and hospitality.
Darien, Connecticut
A serene coastal presence continuing the spiritual legacy of St. Elizabeth Hesselblad.
Monastic & Apostolic Life
In the spirit of humility and simplicity, our life of Prayer and Adoration is lived out in a semi-cloistered contemplative service.
The apostolic life, through which the sisters of the Order of Saint Bridget engage in the modern world, has diverse forms. Central to our apostolic charism is hospitality, traditional to all monasticism, which in its Bridgettine form translates into the provision of guest houses.
“Amor meus crucifixus est” — My love is crucified.
Inseparable from this apostolic life, and giving the apostolic life its source of power and energy, is the Bridgettine prayer life, which is deeply rooted in the Eucharist; in daily Mass and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Monastic & Apostolic Life
The specific end of the Order determines in the first place the intentions for our prayers, the community prayers in particular and for our works of penance.
UNITY
Reparation offered to God for the separation of many people from the one fold of Christ.
RECONCILIATION
Cessation of the deplorable division among Christians, a serious impediment to the Gospel.
EVANGELIZATION
Conversion to the true Faith of peoples and social groups not yet Christian or de-Christianized.
VOCATIONS
Promotion and consolidation of the
priesthood and the consecrated life in
the Catholic Church.
SOVEREIGN PONTIFF
Promotion and consolidation of the
priesthood and the consecrated life in
the Catholic Church.
Our Habit
“To put on a religious habit means to put on Christ, to put on his virtues… This is not done only during a beautiful function, but must be our continual work during our whole life – to put on Christ”
— ST ELIZABETH HESSELBLAD, 1942
The Bridgettine Sisters wear a gray habit consisting of a gown and scapular. The gray is a symbol of reparation and penance.
The white linen “crown” crossed over the head has 5 small circles of red cloth representing drops or nails, in honor of the Passion of Our Lord. It is a symbol of chastity and a perpetual reminder of Christ’s sacrifice.
THE JOURNEY
Stages of Formation
Aspirancy
When a young woman first enters the community, she will spend her first months as an aspirant. It is a time for her to continue to get to know the community and the charism and for the community to get to know her. It usually lasts anywhere from a few months to a year.
Postulancy
A period to help candidates mature in their free and supernatural decision. The initiation comprises doctrinal formation, liturgical studies, and practical inclusion in the life of the community. Postulancy lasts at least 6 months.
Novitiate
Religious life begins here. The young woman receives the habit with a white veil and a new religious name. It is a year dedicated to prayer and study, initiating the candidate into the practice of the evangelical counsels as a total offering of self to God.
Juniorate
The novice professes temporary vows for one year and receives the black veil and crown. This formative stage lasts at least 5 years, preparing the sister for definitive profession through experiences of fidelity and service.
St. Paul’s Outreach Formation Talk,
Discerning Celibate Vocations – Fr Michael Haemmerle and Sr Jose Mary Ruffner O.Ss.S
DEAR FRIENDS OF ST. BIRGITTA
“Nothing is too small in the service of God! No sacrifice too great for the missionary whose heart is inflamed with love. Let us look up to Him as our great model.”
— SAINT ELIZABETH HESSELBLAD