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Archives Sisters of the Precious Blood: Called to prayer

Feb. 19, 2020

By Darcy Fargo
Editor

WATERTOWN – At the end of a short, dead-end street sits a large light-colored building with a cross on the wall. It’s the Precious Blood Monastery, currently home to four Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood.

“We’ve been in Watertown since 1963, and we moved into this building in 1976,” said Sister Marilyn McGillan, superior of the monastery. “The foundresses were all from Manchester, New Hampshire. They left a monastery there and founded this house.”

Sister Marilyn said the Sisters of the Precious Blood were introduced to the region through the works of Msgr. Robert McCarthy, who had a great devotion to the Precious Blood and to prayer.

“He wanted a monastery established here,” she said. “He went to the bishop in 1963 and received permission to proceed. When the first sisters arrived, they lived in what is now the (D.L.) Calarco Funeral Home.”

Currently, the monastery is home to Sister Marilyn, Sister Rose Rossi, assistant superior, and Sister Linh Therese Nguyen and Sister Mary Catherine Pham. Two other sisters, Sister Martha Emery and Sister Elizabeth Washburn, are members of the community but are currently living in other locations due to health reasons.

The sisters live an enclosed, contemplative life dedicated to prayer, and it was that prayer life that drew the four sisters to the community.

“I had a deep sense that God was calling me to this life,” said Sister Mary Catherine. “I’m an introvert. Though I worked out in the world for many years, when I asked God where He wanted me to go for religious life, God called me to this.”

“I guess my personality involves forming one-on-one relationships,” said Sister Rose, who entered the community after retiring from a 35-year nursing career. “I find intimate prayer attractive.”

After visiting another community in her discernment process, Sister Rose was introduced to the Sisters of the Precious Blood when she saw Sister Marilyn and another sister on EWTN.

“I lived alone,” she said. “I put on the TV and put on Mother Angelica. She was interviewing two sisters. I heard the term ‘Precious Blood.’ I thought, oh my goodness! That’s life! Blood is life! How much closer can you get to Jesus?”

Sister Linh Therese, who immigrated to the United States from Vietnam and says she is still developing English proficiency, said the sisters’ prayer ministry impressed her when she first visited the monastery as part of her discernment process.

“I heard people calling here asking the sisters to pray,” she said, noting she also heard people call to say the sisters’ prayers were answered. “They call in, ‘my daughter or son now has a good job or received healing.’ This house, it’s a miracle.”

“I entered at age 18,” said Sister Marilyn. “It sounds ridiculous, but I actually had the feeling I was called when I was a baby. My mother used to put a blanket on the lawn, and my siblings and I would sit on it. I remember sitting and looking at the grass around the blanket, grass blowing in the breeze. Even at that age, I remember thinking, ‘something is making it wave like that.’ I wanted to think more about it, think about what made it grow. It made me know my life wasn’t in my hands.”

The phone at the monastery rings frequently, and most of the calls are from people requesting prayers from the sisters.

“It’s heartbreaking some of the things people confide in us as they ask for prayer,” said Sister Marilyn.

“Sometimes it’s someone whose husband left them. Sometimes it’s someone with a sick child.”

“Sometimes, I don’t know what to say when I hear their stories,” said Sister Mary Catherine. “I just listen. I say, ‘yes, I’ll remember you in prayer.’ We have a request wall. We put the prayer requests there as a reminder when we go into the chapel. These are prayers brought to us. It’s a privilege to be called to this life.”

“Sometimes, we pray for generations of families,” said Sister Rose.

As part of their apostolate to spread devotion to the Precious Blood, the sisters also run a store that sells devotional items, including the Precious Blood shield, Precious Blood cords and rosaries with instructions to pray the Chaplet of the Precious Blood. They also offer confession guides.

The monastery has a card shop on location, and also takes orders through a website, sisterspreciousblood.org.
The sisters also distribute hosts to parishes within our diocese and beyond.

“We serve as sort of a clearing house,” Sister Marilyn said. “We order in bulk, package the hosts and distribute them to parishes. We’ve done that since day one here.”
The sisters acknowledge that life in a contemplative monastery is not for everyone, but they say it is also a blessing.

“I appreciate this life,” said Sister Mary Catherine. “Any life, there’s always ups and downs. As long as we serve what God wills for us, any vocation is beautiful.”

For more information about the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood, visit sisterspreciousblood.org.

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