St. Francis of Assisi and a Byzantine Catholic Nun: A reflection for the Feast of St. Francis during the Year of St. Francis by Mother Cecilia

I’m not a Franciscan, I’m a Byzantine Catholic nun, but when I hear the name of St. Francis, my heart smiles. Why?  

I visited Assisi in 2007 during the summer before my senior year of college. I actually experienced there a personal encounter more with St. Clare than St. Francis, but over the years since then, I’ve discovered that St. Francis and I (and I think our monastery, too) share a few important themes in common. I think he remains quietly in the background, happy to intercede for his Byzantine daughters without making a fuss.  

My heart first leaped with friendly recognition toward St. Francis when I learned that this man known for his service toward others spent just as much time communing with God in solitude as he spent doing anything else. I sensed his smile of love upon our monastic life and our practice of regular poustinia (“desert;” a two-day retreat in silence and solitude that we take each month). More time ministering to others doesn’t necessarily mean more fruit. Following the call of God always bears the most fruit, even if that fruit doesn’t look like what we expect. A friend gave me a little rock she collected when she climbed up to St. Francis’ hermitage on the slopes of Mount Subasio. I treasure this rock in my icon corner, and it reminds me to try to rest in God in the poustinia of my heart, even in the midst of my duties as hegumena of the monastery. 

St. Francis is also a brother to me in the command of God to renew the Church. Christ on the crucifix (painted in a rather iconographic style) in the dilapidated church of San Damiano came alive to St. Francis and mandated to him, “Rebuild My Church.” St. Francis misunderstood at first, thinking that the physical building of the church of San Damiano was the extent of the Lord’s concern. But St. Francis was being called to renew the whole Body of Christ through the foundation of a religious order and through prayer, penance and love. In the apostolic letter, Orientale Lumen, St. John Paul II called for the renewal of the Eastern monastic tradition in the Eastern Catholic Churches, for the purpose of reigniting the spiritual heartbeat of these Churches and fostering unity between the Eastern and Western Churches. The Lord called me and my sisters to rebuild His Church by founding our monastery and praying and fasting within the heart of the Body of Christ. Several years ago, I co-wrote a song called, “Rebuild My Church,” as a response to division and abuse in the Church. (Visit this webpage to read more about the creation of the Song.) 

The name “St. Francis” is synonymous with the word “poverty.” Not only do we nuns take a vow of poverty, I (and I think my sisters too) learn in the monastery that we are very weak…very poor. With the lack of worldly distractions and through all of the time we spend in prayer and in living closely to each other in community, we come face to face with ourselves, and we find that without God we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). But we also learn that when we are weak, we are strong (2 Cor 12:10), because God can act more powerfully in a person who knows she needs Him and who surrenders her life to Him. The physical poverty for which St. Francis is known is a symbol to me of the freedom to which I aspire by releasing my hands from all to which I cling, whether external or internal. 

And as a bonus, I love nature and see God easily in His creation, just as St. Francis delighted to praise God in His creatures, composing the Canticle of the Creatures. A number of the nuns in our monastery have an outdoor-adventurous spirit and enjoy spending time with God in nature. The nuns might tease me though, that I won’t let them have pets! (Raising monarch butterflies apparently doesn’t fit the description of “pets.”) 

Happy Feast Day, and Happy Year, St. Francis! Please continue to intercede for us!

Introducing Sister Marta and Sister Thekla

Our new rasophore nuns received the monastic habit and the names Sister Marta and Sister Thekla at their tonsure on Sunday, September 13, during Vespers for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. 

Before their tonsure, they submitted names to our hegumena, Mother Cecilia, for consideration, and in prayer she chose from among their suggestions. Below, you can read the new nuns' explanations of their names.

Sister Marta (Aramaic form of Martha)

Patron: St. Martha of Bethany

Feast Day: June 4

“Now Jesus loved Martha […] [and] said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.” (Jn 11:5; 25-27). 

Saint Martha has been pursuing me as a friend longer than I probably have noticed. I often noted, prior to my friendship with her, when people would share about saints wanting to be their friend, not really understanding what this would look like. Sure, I had saints that I liked because they shared interests or such but had not felt pursued particularly by any individual. Until Martha that is. 

I can first remember Martha popping up into my prayer life during my observership on the feast of Dormition. As with all Marian feasts in our Byzantine tradition the Gospel for the day was Luke 10:38–42;11:27–28, the reading of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha. As I read the words of Jesus, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things” (Luke 10: 41) I felt the Lord speaking directly to me and heard in my head, “Maddie, Maddie, you are anxious about many things” and I was. My desire to serve mixed with my perfectionism easily lends to anxiety if I am not careful. 

The next significant moment that I can remember Martha aiding me in my relationship with Jesus was later that same year on the feast of Holy Protection, again during the Gospel reading for the day as I prayed it during my private prayer. As I read the words this time, I noticed the emphasis of Martha’s serving being disordered. Not that her serving in and of itself was bad, but in that moment, she was serving out of obligation instead of love, which was lending to resentment of her sister. Her mistake wasn’t that she served, but that she took her eyes off Jesus while doing so. Like how Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and allowed himself to be distracted by the wind and the waves; an image furthered during my first months at the monastery. As I felt distracted by the wind and the waves, I used this image of Martha to remind myself to orient all that I do to the Lord and He will take care of the rest. 

More reflections with Martha that I have had since the monastery have been related to different things I have been struggling with at different times. Something I often struggle with is comparing myself to others and one day was lamenting to Jesus that I would spend my whole life trying to be less like Martha and more like Mary. He quickly corrected me and told me that he doesn’t want me to be more like Mary any more than He wanted Martha to be like Mary. Instead, He only wants each person to become more who He created us to be in His image and His likeness. This reflection helped lead me to know that Jesus was inviting me to tonsure when I continued to pray with it and how, vocationally, He wants me to follow Him. In that moment, as I thought about tonsure and pursuing Him through continued monastic life, I felt an immeasurable peace, His peace. 

Sister Thekla (using Greek pronunciation, so it's pronounced just like it looks; the "h" isn't silent)

Patron: St. Thekla, Protomartyr       

Feast Day: September 24

Thekla demonstrates the wholeheartedness to God we all desperately desire. I cannot help but feel some envy hearing Thekla’s reaction to hearing St. Paul preaching. Sitting for days without eating or sleeping while listening to Paul’s preaching reminds me of my own excitement when I began to study Paul’s letters as a teenager. This intense desire and hunger for God remains with me even today.

It is in Thekla’s intense and deeply rooted love for God and the spreading of the Gospel, I find an attraction to her life. When reading about her life, we find a personality that is both adventurous and witty. She understands the dangers, such as when she dresses up as a man when traveling for safety, but never allows danger to hold her back.

This impulsiveness was noted even by Paul, who when she requested baptism, told her to wait, seemingly concerned that her Faith needed some time to ensure it was genuine. Yet that same impulsiveness was also what allowed her to kiss Paul’s chains when he was in prison. A well-to-do woman going around kissing the chains of a man preaching the madness of a bodily resurrection and celibacy for the kingdom would cause any person who thought first and acted later to hesitate. Not so with Thekla. Not because she was foolish. She knew exactly what she wanted. Finding it, she embraced it. Leaving behind her good name and fiancé for a life where even something as abhorrent as chains were glorious in the sight of God because they were borne out of love, she demonstrated the glory of God surpassing worldly praise.

An element of Thekla’s life I find relatable is how God protected Thekla in her missionary activities and allowed even the dangers that He thwarted to only increase her witness and the conversion of those around her. My ministries have occasionally been dangerous, but also in those moments, I knew I was protected by God and was a witness to His power. Many live in fear and make choices out of fear. Living a life of love allows one to do what is right and exemplify true freedom, not one enslaved by fear. As Scripture says many times, we have nothing to fear when God is with us. We should only fear abandoning God for some passing good.

One may also think that Thekla, with all of her missionary success, was bound to spend the next several decades preaching. Instead, Thekla went to found what seems to be among the earliest monastic communities, though such language had not been developed. She went to a mountain and settled there in obscurity. Other women joined who desired the same life of total dedication to God.

Thekla models the monastic life to me in her total readiness and willingness to do all that God asks of her. Whether it was abandoning all she knew, facing danger, preaching, or seeking God in solitude, she embraced it all in loving trust.

The Monastic Tonsure of Maddie and Rose

It gives us great joy to announce on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Maddie and Rose will be tonsured as rasophore nuns. At this service, they will be clothed in the monastic habit, belt, riassa (robe), and skufia (hat), and will receive the title “Sister” and a new monastic name.

While this is a private ceremony, we hope you will join us in prayer in your homes and churches for Maddie and Rose as they deepen their commitment to Christ in the monastic life.

Fall Work Day, Saturday, October 3, 2026

We invite you to join us for a day of outdoor and indoor work projects, prayer, food and fun on Saturday, October 3, at the monastery. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome! The day begins at 1:00 p.m. and closes with Vespers at 4:45 p.m., followed by a potluck dinner. Come whenever available, and bring a side dish to share if you're staying for dinner. 

Please RSVP using this form by Monday, September 28, so that the appropriate amount of food can be prepared. Some tools that may be of help to bring: shovels, trowels, work gloves, wheelbarrow, chainsaw, pruning shears (please mark your name on tools).

Come to a Live Filming with the Nuns!

 

 Mother Cecilia and Mother Gabriella will be guests on the EWTN show, "Living Right with Dr Ray," and you are invited to the filming! The filming will be in Avon Lake, OH. Sign up for the 7PM to 8:30PM slot on Wednesday the 23rd of September to be at the filming with the nuns. You can sign up to come here Living Right with Dr Ray - TV Show Taping - September 23 and 24, 2026

Summer Update!

 We are having a very full summer so we haven't had a chance to let you know all that has happened!

Amy's Entrance

We were blessed to receive Amy as our newest dokimos (postulant) at Vespers on May 20 for the feast of Sts. Constantine and Helen. Amy is from Protection of the Mother of God Slovak Byzantine Catholic Parish in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Her entrance was a joyous occasion with her family and a couple of close friends. Bishop Robert’s insights in his homily so perfectly encapsulate the life of a monastic, calling us all into deeper union with God:

“I think I’ve learned as I have come to visit here and pray here more--and the beautiful video the nuns have given us recently--that if we take divinization and theosis seriously, a journey really that began with our baptism, first and foremost, it’s about openness to God’s love. Much less is it about what we do, what we accomplish, how many Jesus Prayers we pray, or how diligent we are in the chant or the holy services. It’s about this openness to God’s love.”

Please keep Amy in your prayers as she begins this journey deeper into God’s love for her, and please pray for all the women who are in various stages of discerning the monastic life with us.

See our photo album of the Entrance here

Spring Work Day

Thank you to all of our fearless volunteers who braved the rain and mud to help us have a successful workday. From those who helped us do a deep spring cleaning of our buildings, prepare our garden beds, cut down trees at the shrine, weed, clean the gutters, and every little odd job, we are continually astounded by your generosity.

Workdays are also such a wonderful time to get to see our friends and hear about the beautiful things God is doing in your life:  engagements, babies, getting ready for a new work opportunity, or starting college. The greatest gift you give us every work day is your friendship. Ending the day with prayer and a meal with you is a highlight for us every time.

We especially would like to thank the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch and Deacon Greg Loya for hosting us for Vespers and dinner.

May God bless you, and we hope you will come visit us to join us for prayer in the coming months.

See our Workday Photo Album here

ByzanTeen Youth Rally

We had a wonderful time with the teens who gathered for the ByzanTeen Youth Rally at John Carroll University. We helped to teach chotki-tying to dozens of enthusiastic participants. It was an uplifting experience to pray with all those who had gathered from around our Metropolitan Church with all of our bishops. Mother Natalia assisted the teen cantors of our parishes who led the services in singing. 

We were delighted to see how many of our teens are aspiring to greatness and holiness. We were also inspired to take courage and follow Christ as the Rally invited all present to be courageous in their lives. 

Mother Cecilia Reelected

Mother Cecilia has been reelected for another term as hegumena (abbess) of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery. Please keep her in your prayers as she continues her leadership in the monastery, caring for administrative matters as well as for the physical, psychological, and spiritual wellbeing of the nuns.

May God grant her many blessed years!