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In this Issue:
• Forming Missionary Disciples
• Novena to the Holy Spirit
• MSBT Vocation Conversations
• Come and Rest Awhile Retreat
• MSBT May Birthdays
• Link to all MSBT Email Updates
• Pope's May Prayer Intention & More
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| Blessed Mother at our Motherhouse in Philadelphia | |
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Forming
Missionary Disciples
| Mother Boniface Spirituality Center welcomed young adults for the Restless Hearts Retreat offered by the Office for Ministry with Young Adults of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. This retreat was part of their Young Adult Missionary Disciple Initiative (YAMDI) formation program. YAMDI leads young adults to encounter the love of Christ in a more profound way and to share this love with others. | Photo credit: Archdiocese of Philadelphia | YAMDI responds to Archbishop Nelson Perez’s call to, “create a culture of missionary disciples in the Church of Philadelphia” by empowering young adults to discover and follow their call as missionary disciples in the Church and in their communities. There is a shared vision between this initiative and the MSBT charism based on Fr. Judge's call for every Catholic to be a missionary in the providence of their daily life. | |
Young adults gathered for a weekend retreat, which included featured speakers, small group discussions, spiritual reflection, personal prayer, guided Lectio and Visio Divina, Mass, the sacrament of Penance, and Eucharistic Adoration. Each young adult explored the particular ways the Holy Spirit is gifting them with unique skills, experiences and passions to share the love of God with others. Among them was Sophia Cipriano, an artist who practices Visio Divina, a visual form of prayer through sacred images and works of art. Throughout the retreat she prayerfully created a series of beautiful sketches inspired by the Stations of the Cross, stained glass and other sacred art and spaces.
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On her Instagram account @sewfia_marie_designs, Sophia captured moments of peace and inspiration in her depiction of our Sacred Heart Chapel and the surrounding grounds of the Spirituality Center. In her own words, Sophia shares, “The sunlight through the stained glass was so pretty in the morning and it was so peaceful in the chapel throughout the retreat. I also loved how the most prominent color in the stained glass changed from blue to yellow as you moved closer to the tabernacle and all the Trinity references depicted in the glass too.” Sophia runs a small business, SewFia Marie Designs, where she sells linocut prints, often depicting Saints and holy people of the Catholic faith to inspire others in their lives of prayer and apostolic service.
| The YAMDI formation process follows the three-phase format: Belong, Nourish, Serve. We join in the spirit of Bishop Perez's YAMDI Commissioning Prayer, "Almighty and ever-living God, prepare these young adults to be missionary disciples, followers and companions of your Divine Son, and, animated by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, ready to announce the Gospel with joy." | Holy Spirit Novena
in the Missionary Cenacle | The most significant feast days of the liturgical year for the Missionary Cenacle Family are coming up soon; Pentecost on May 24 and Trinity Sunday on May 31. Missionary Servants have maintained a perpetual novena to the Holy Spirit since 1913, with individual cenacles assigned times to keep the chain of prayer throughout the years. In the nine days before Pentecost, every single MSBT Sister prays a Holy Spirit Novena. | Article 11 of our Rule of Life begins: “We are to make the Holy Spirit better known and loved.” Please consider joining with us in these nine days of prayer to the Holy Spirit, beginning on Friday, May 15 and closing on Saturday, May 23. Together, let us ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of wisdom to discern God's will and the gift of fortitude to carry it out. | MSBT Vocation Conversations
with Young Women | |
Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us? (Luke 24:32)
This question, posed by the two disciples who encountered the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus, strikes a chord with those discerning a vocation to religious life. There are many small moments along the way that lead toward God’s intended path, but they can sometimes be difficult to recognize during the journey.
To help young women along this journey, our MSBT Vocation Council hosts monthly virtual vocation discussions. The “Hearts on Fire” series invites young Catholic women to explore together this stirring of interest in religious life. There is time for prayer, a short presentation by an MSBT Sister, reflection questions, and sharing and conversation. Together we seek to notice and name moments when our hearts are burning. What might the Holy Spirit be telling us in these moments?
| Our recent conversations have been about listening for the “whisperings” of the Holy Spirit, considering the Crosses we carry along the journey, naming those who can help us carry our Crosses and how to use our doubts as a tool for discernment. We have had several women attend these events, with a few returning each month. We hope this new virtual program supports the deepening faith and a sense of community for young women seeking to understand this fire burning in their hearts. | |
Extended Silent Retreat
in Philadelphia this Summer
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Is God calling you to Come and Rest Awhile this Summer? Mother Boniface Spirituality Center is offering a seven‑day, silent retreat this Summer for those seeking deeper peace, prayer, and renewal in their life. Participants have the option to include daily spiritual direction. This week long retreat includes private accommodations, daily Mass, nourishing meals, quiet prayer, and the restful atmosphere of the Mother Boniface Spirituality Center located in Philadelphia, PA. Consider joining us to experience the richness and depth of an extended retreat this Summer. Registration is open now.
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Archive of Previous
MSBT Updates
| These monthly MSBT Updates began in October 2025. New people have been added to the list of email recipients each month since. For those who would like to view previous monthly issues, there is an online archive available on our MSBT website. | | The Pope's May Prayer Intention | | |
That everyone might have food.
Let us pray that everyone, from large producers to small consumers, be committed to avoid wasting food, and to ensure that everyone has access to quality food.
| | We want to hear from you about what you think of these MSBT Email Updates. What have you liked most? What would you like to see more? Please use this link to give us feedback. | |
Thank you for your continued support
of the Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity. | |
Thank you for being a Friend of MSBT.
Our mission is the preservation of the faith in those areas and among those people who are spiritually neglected and abandoned, especially the poor, and the development of a missionary spirit in the laity to
be a power for good.
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Ministry of Prayer
Click here to submit special intentions you would like our
Sisters to include in their daily prayers.
| | Be Good! Do Good! Be a Power for Good! | | | | |
