Sacred Heart of Jesus convent, located in the heart of Manhattan, has been welcoming pregnant women in need as guests since early 1999.
A “Holy Respite,” it provides pregnant women an opportunity to be nurtured as they live side-by-side with Sisters, immersed in a deeply spiritual setting. This “spiritual tent” allows women a place to rest, to “get their feet on the ground again” and to grow in their authentic identity as women and mothers. After giving birth, guests are invited to remain at Sacred Heart for another four to six months to plan and prepare for a new beginning with their child.
The Sisters at the Holy Respite seek to serve those women most vulnerable to the pressure of abortion. She may or may not be Catholic, but, in order to thrive in such a unique setting, is likely to be self-directed, with some educational background and/or further job experience. She is a woman who is mature enough to respect both the dignity of the other guests in our home as well as the religious life of the Sisters. Guests come and go freely throughout the day, and may work or attend school, but are encouraged to share the evening meal together. As a means of building community and the culture of life, we do not use TV, Internet or radio in the convent. The phone is available on a limited basis. Guests are invited, but not required, to join us for daily prayers and Mass. A social worker is available through the NY Archdiocesan Catholic Home Bureau.
Though the Holy Respite cannot meet the special needs of pregnant women struggling with drug or alcohol addictions, or with serious mental or psychological sufferings, our Sisters serve these women by assisting them in finding safe and healthy environments that provide the support and healing they need.
Most of the sixty + women we have welcomed into our home return with their children to celebrate special occasions in the house and, sometimes, simply to share a meal, pray, and receive the love and support they need in a Christ-centered atmosphere.
If you or someone you know is pregnant and in need, please contact
The Visitation Mission 212-737-0221
"The process of formation and
development in the religious life has to be the process of the
clay in the hands of the potter, the Divine Potter, Who shapes
us uniquely to be filled with His Son, and yet each of us in a
different way... If God wanted every religious to be exactly
alike, then God would have created every human being exactly
alike." - John Cardinal O'Connor
|