Program Helps Renew Spirits

The article in the Catholic Courier about Spirit House
published August 2007

Click here to download the article in pdf format


Spirit House exists to serve those who serve God
    Spirit House is a "place of healing and comfort," says Mary Ann Ayers, a Sister of Mercy and the executive director.   Spirit House, founded in 1981, is a community for religious sisters who are experiencing life stresses - grieving the loss pf family or friends, coping with career changes, declining health, or even dealing with physical, sexual or emotional abuse from childhood.
    Ayers believes it may be the only such program in the country today.   Spirit House is an 8,700 square-foot home in Irondequoit, on 3½ acres, overlooking a ravine with spring-fed stream.
    The program was begun by Mollie Brown, also a Sister of Mercy, and a psychologist.   "This is not a mental health facility," she says.   "Our mission is to get to women before they need to be hospitalized."
    The home can accommodate up to eight residents, but these days, two, three or four are common.   The 170 women who've come to Spirit House (for stays ranging from two months to a year) have come from all across the country, and from England, Ireland, Australia and Africa.   Spirit House has always been open to lay women and women of other faiths, but most visitors are religious sisters.
    The routine includes group and individual counseling, but also Tai Chi, Yoga, literature and poetry discussion, and time for prayer and keeping a journal.
    "The women have always lived in a community," Ayers says, "and we continue that here.   We have no division of staff and guests.   We have a community meeting each week, we all plan for prayer services, have charges around the house and take turns cooking and shopping for groceries."
    Many of the sisters are in their 60s, 70s and 80s - women who have spent their lives serving their congregations, and who may have lost a sense of self.
    Of course religious life comes with a vow of obedience - a choice to honor and accept the decisions of one's superiors in order to dampen one's own selfish impulses and draw closer to God.
    "We're all used to being told what to do and where to go," Ayers says, "And that can lead to anger and resentment.   We can say, 'Well, I did what I was told,' and then we're not responsible."
    Sister Vicky Arndorfer, a Mercy sister from Iowa, has been at Spirit House since January.   "I was on my congregation's leadership team," she says, "and I had to deal with the loss of 32 sisters over an eight year period."
    Before that, she was working with adults developmental disabilities.   A steady diet of loss and hardship wore her down.   "When I celebrated my 60th birthday last year," she says, "I couldn't see much beyond it.   I celebrated my 61st birthday here, and things are looking much better."
    Sister Frances Schaeffer, of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Iowan native who worked most recently in Alabama, where she was a Montessori teacher.   "I taught young children for 40 years," she says, "But I had to give it up at 71 because I needed knee-replacement surgery and couldn't get down on the floor anymore."
    Her brother died in 2004, her sister in 2006 and her brother-in-law in 2007.   Spirit House "has been wonderful for me.   I've had the chance to grieve and deal with the fact that I am the last of my generation," she says.
    The stories of Sisters Arndorfer and Schaeffer are typical of the women at Spirit House.   "They come here broken and burdened," Brown says, "and they leave here standing up straight."
    It is a very special ministry.   Serving those who serve God.   Healing them that they might continue to serve.