Saturday, July 16, 2011

Episcopal sisters plan convent in new location


From ENS-

The Order of Saint Helena is purchasing 28 acres in Aiken County, South Carolina, for a new convent.

The site, which is about 20 minutes north of the present convent in Augusta, Georgia, will be in the city of North Augusta, South Carolina, if the sisters' petition is granted for the property to be incorporated, according to a July 14 press release.

In October 2008, the Episcopal Church-affiliated sisters announced that they would sell their properties in New York State and relocate all of the sisters to the Augusta convent. The move was planned as a temporary step, while they searched for a location in which to build a new convent and a new future, according to the release.

"We have felt that God has been with us throughout this process," Sr. Ellen Francis said in the release. "Even though it has taken longer than we first expected to decide where we would ultimately settle, it seems to me that this is the place where God is calling us to be, to grow, and to thrive."

The Order of Saint Helena has served and ministered in the Augusta area since the 1960s, the release said, and the sisters "hoped to find a location that would be convenient for guests and for the ministries of the sisters, and also be a quiet and natural setting for retreat and contemplation."

Sr. Ellen Francis said that the new property has all of the qualities the sisters were looking for: a beautiful, wooded place close to a major highway, airport, and other facilities.

The sisters plan to design and build an energy-efficient convent that will house the sisters and provide hospitality for guests.

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/80263_129058_ENG_HTM.htm

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