SISTER OF ST. FRANCIS SERAPH OF THE PERPETUAL ADORATION

Sister of St. Francis Seraph of Perpetual Adoration –  Sister Mary Boniface, S.S.F.P.A.                  She carries the Eucharist into the world and brings the fruit of her adoration in to all her               activities.  Thus, her whole life becomes a single act of adoration and praise of God.                                “The Eucharistic Lord must be discovered by her anew                                                              and must be proclaimed as an enabler of selfless love.”   – Blessed Maria Theresia

Foundress:  Blessed Maria Theresia Bonzel  (Regina Christine Wilhelmine -“Aline”)

Place:  Olpe, Westphalia, Germany

Year:  1863 A.D.

Her Charism:  This Sister’s charism can be captured in the words of her foundress: “Let us hasten to Jesus present on the altar, and there, united in love, let us place our gift and our petitions at His Feet.”  By seeking to preserve Mary’s spirit of prayer – even if Martha’s work is weighing upon her – this Sister fosters in a special way the continuous adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament as a sign of her surrender, in thanksgiving, and in atonement for sins.  Again and again she goes to the hidden God to find light, courage, and strength.  Poor and willing to receive, she comes before the Lord as a beggar, pleading on behalf of those she serves and for the whole world and in intercession for the needs of the Church.  Like Mary, the Mother of God, this Sister is a tabernacle and a monstrance – houses and dwelling places for Christ.  She combines the contemplative life and its quiet hours of perpetual adoration with the active life and her works of mercy in education, healthcare and other ecclesial ministries.