Early on in the planning and construction of our motherhouse chapel, I experienced a difficult but ultimately necessary grace (as difficult graces tend to be). I offered to take a visitor into the chapel, which, at that time, was enclosed but not completed. Our newly-arrived wood relief image of the crucifix was lying on the floor in crates, awaiting installation.
This woman, whom I had never met before, looked around at all the pieces. Meanwhile, I described how they would be installed to create the final image, and explained the spirituality of the Father’s mercy and our call as a community to be with Mary at the foot of the Cross. She began to share how meaningful this image and spirituality was for her and how significant it was for her to see the chapel and wood relief at this precise time in her life. Her sharing was so beautiful and clearly authentic and therefore moving, but I felt as if I had been hit with a two-by-four. Thankfully, this never literally happened during all my visits to the construction areas over the approximately nine months it took to build our motherhouse chapel and professed house! Absolutely nothing of what she shared matched up with our intentions, in terms of the spirituality of the wood relief image or the chapel itself.
After this visitor left, I spent some time in prayer, asking God why I had felt disappointment in the face of the grace that this woman had obviously received, even before seeing the chapel completed. The Lord helped me to see that everyone who visited us, and Him, in His Real Presence in our chapel, would have their own unique experience of the architecture and artwork, and would take away a grace that was personal for them.
The grace for me was one of detachment from our intentions in creating the chapel, and openness and excitement in relation to all that He would do for, in and through so many who would visit us here at our motherhouse. It was then that I realized, most clearly, that this chapel was for everyone who would ever visit it, or even hear about it from others, and not just for our sisters. In fact, as we have been livestreaming some of our communal prayers during COVID-19, it seems very concrete to us that our chapel and way of life is for everyone, living and deceased. Our prayers have the capacity to reach all around the world and even beyond it.
This woman who visited us during the construction of the chapel gave me an opportunity to deepen in the truth that my life is not my own, and that our community exists to glorify God and to make known His merciful love, in whatever way, and to whomever He chooses to pour out that grace.
There are so many people who have and continue to contribute in many ways to us, allowing us to live our way of life. Many of them will never visit our chapel and never even meet one of us, but they are all part of our family, all part of the vision the Lord has given to us. We are so grateful for all of our friends, almost too many to count, who have and will share their lives with us, by entrusting to us their prayer intentions, supporting us financially and in so many other creative ways.
We continue to be grateful to everyone who has made the construction and maintenance of this beautiful chapel possible, and to all who visit us here. Please come and receive your own grace from the Lord, even if it can only come to you through photos or videos of our chapel and our community. The grace is real.
*Father of Mercy Chapel was dedicated on August 1, 2010 by Bishop Daniel Conlon.
-Sr. Catherine Lynn Forsythe, T.O.R.
