08 October 2006
Bishop Welcomes Sisters
08/10/06 20:57
September 26, 2006 - Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde
is welcoming two religious orders of women to the
diocese.
In early September, Bishop Loverde blessed the site of the future monastery for the Dominican Sisters located on 200 acres in Linden, Va. When completed, the new monastery will house up to 24 cloistered nuns dedicated to contemplative prayer.
Also, in late August, five Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist moved into the convent at St. Philip Parish in Falls Church. Invited by Bishop Loverde, the order – which has nearly 90 sisters working throughout the world – seeks to support the Holy Father and the Church through strong community life and dedication to the Eucharist. The sisters will engage in a variety of work throughout the diocese, including teaching, assistance at the diocese’s marriage tribunal, and the promotion of the sanctity of life.
“Welcoming both the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and the Dominicans Sisters brings great joy both to me and our diocesan community. These two religious communities, the former engaged in active ministry, the latter living the cloistered life, will enrich our diocese. They witness to differing ways in which the universal call of holiness is realized within our diocese,” said Bishop Loverde.
The Diocese of Arlington is home to 16 convents and residences of women religious; over 30 women in the diocese are currently in various stages of religious formation, the process by which one discerns a call to the consecrated life of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
At the Diocese’s founding in 1974, 49 parishes served 136,000 Catholics. In the past thirty years, the Catholic population has tripled to over 400,000 in 67 parishes and five missions. Thirty-four of the diocese’s 67 parishes offer Masses in Spanish. Since 1999, the diocese has opened six new parishes, three missions, and three elementary schools with school enrollments increasing 25 percent in the past decade. Further information can be found at www.arlingtondiocese.org.
In early September, Bishop Loverde blessed the site of the future monastery for the Dominican Sisters located on 200 acres in Linden, Va. When completed, the new monastery will house up to 24 cloistered nuns dedicated to contemplative prayer.
Also, in late August, five Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist moved into the convent at St. Philip Parish in Falls Church. Invited by Bishop Loverde, the order – which has nearly 90 sisters working throughout the world – seeks to support the Holy Father and the Church through strong community life and dedication to the Eucharist. The sisters will engage in a variety of work throughout the diocese, including teaching, assistance at the diocese’s marriage tribunal, and the promotion of the sanctity of life.
“Welcoming both the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist and the Dominicans Sisters brings great joy both to me and our diocesan community. These two religious communities, the former engaged in active ministry, the latter living the cloistered life, will enrich our diocese. They witness to differing ways in which the universal call of holiness is realized within our diocese,” said Bishop Loverde.
The Diocese of Arlington is home to 16 convents and residences of women religious; over 30 women in the diocese are currently in various stages of religious formation, the process by which one discerns a call to the consecrated life of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
At the Diocese’s founding in 1974, 49 parishes served 136,000 Catholics. In the past thirty years, the Catholic population has tripled to over 400,000 in 67 parishes and five missions. Thirty-four of the diocese’s 67 parishes offer Masses in Spanish. Since 1999, the diocese has opened six new parishes, three missions, and three elementary schools with school enrollments increasing 25 percent in the past decade. Further information can be found at www.arlingtondiocese.org.