(Every month this website features what I consider my ideal postmodern religious men and women. )
Sister Eppie Brasil, OP
The Gift of Creating Sacred Spaces
Gifts abound in the life of Sr. Eppie Brasil, founder of the Dominican Sisters of Regina Rosarii (OPRR) and the Regina Rosarii Contemplative Association (ROCA). Teacher, counselor, retreat-master, media evangelizer, friend, leader, artist, painter, composer and more.
But those gifts pale in comparison to the shining jewel in her treasure box of talents and skills: her desire and capacity to create sacred spaces. In fact, all her other gifts are mere reflections and manifestations of this singular virtue.
Sister Eppie makes the creation of sacred spaces her life calling.
In the urban and rural landscapes, she dreamed of and made possible the construction of monumental statues of Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary perhaps to provide a pocket of peace and corner of contemplation in a busy world. Her latest project, a rotating statue of the Virgin Mother in the rooftop of their convent near Tomas Morator, is a gentle reminder of the presence of God in our busy lives.
As an artist, Sister Eppie organizes their convent inside and out as a place of prayer. Every nook, every corner, every available space speaks of the silence of God and the beauty of His creation.
Like a true postmodern apostle, Sister Eppie, with the Regina Rosarii sisters and their ROCA partners, maximizes all five senses to evangelize and promote the good news: that God is immanent, availablem and can be tasted right Here... right Now.
For our sense of sight, Sister Eppie has monumental statues and prayer sites to look up to and venerate. Also, she is founder of The SacredSpace magazine, a quarterly publication that makes reading a prayerful and contemplative experience. She has powercards, bookmarks, paintings and various forms of visual arts that softly and gently remind us of the powerful, healing presence of the Divine among us.
For our sense of hearing, she has composed several short sacred songs for easy listening, our portkey to the sacred space within us and our melodious guide to inner silence. Every Sunday, she and the sisters host a radio program Sacred Space on the Air over at Radio Veritas. Her teachings during sittings fill our ears with the words of God.
For our sense of smell, Sister Eppie has formulated and produced the Rosaline Healing Scents: candles and aromatic sprays which lighten our mood, refresh the air, and facilitate our entry into our interior spaces.
For our sense of taste, she collaborates with her blood sister, Sr. Matthew to come up with healing and delicious recipes that truly nourish the body and soul. Try their experimentations with various herbs and you will feel refreshed right after the first sip. But more than that, the sisters made it their mission to feed their K-friends (families living in karitons or carts), giving these poor families a taste of life and friendship.
Perhaps among these sensous ministries, Sr. Eppie is most generous with the sense of touch. Her healing handshake and her warm hug bring comfort and a sense of h0me to those who receive them - making people feel a sacredspace within her embrace.
I always said in my previous talks during assemblies and conferences that the call of a postmodern world is to minister through the five senses, making our ministry truly a sensuous presence, and Sister Eppie is at the forefront of this challenge.
I was given the distinctive gift to accompany Sister Eppie as she discerned and decided to pursue a life-changing direction that allowed her to be metamorphosed into a religious of the future. And I was also given the gift to be a recipient of her gifts as I went into my own crisis. A religious woman of lesser faith and charity would have hated me for what I have done, but with her, forgiveness was given even if I don't deserve it.
Trust me when I say this, that because of people like her and her gifts, I restored my faith in the church, and my trust in the institution of religious life.
The OP Regina has a website: http://www.reginarosarii.org/
Sister Eppie Brasil, OP
The Gift of Creating Sacred Spaces
Gifts abound in the life of Sr. Eppie Brasil, founder of the Dominican Sisters of Regina Rosarii (OPRR) and the Regina Rosarii Contemplative Association (ROCA). Teacher, counselor, retreat-master, media evangelizer, friend, leader, artist, painter, composer and more.
But those gifts pale in comparison to the shining jewel in her treasure box of talents and skills: her desire and capacity to create sacred spaces. In fact, all her other gifts are mere reflections and manifestations of this singular virtue.
Sister Eppie makes the creation of sacred spaces her life calling.
In the urban and rural landscapes, she dreamed of and made possible the construction of monumental statues of Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary perhaps to provide a pocket of peace and corner of contemplation in a busy world. Her latest project, a rotating statue of the Virgin Mother in the rooftop of their convent near Tomas Morator, is a gentle reminder of the presence of God in our busy lives.
As an artist, Sister Eppie organizes their convent inside and out as a place of prayer. Every nook, every corner, every available space speaks of the silence of God and the beauty of His creation.
Like a true postmodern apostle, Sister Eppie, with the Regina Rosarii sisters and their ROCA partners, maximizes all five senses to evangelize and promote the good news: that God is immanent, availablem and can be tasted right Here... right Now.
For our sense of sight, Sister Eppie has monumental statues and prayer sites to look up to and venerate. Also, she is founder of The SacredSpace magazine, a quarterly publication that makes reading a prayerful and contemplative experience. She has powercards, bookmarks, paintings and various forms of visual arts that softly and gently remind us of the powerful, healing presence of the Divine among us.
For our sense of hearing, she has composed several short sacred songs for easy listening, our portkey to the sacred space within us and our melodious guide to inner silence. Every Sunday, she and the sisters host a radio program Sacred Space on the Air over at Radio Veritas. Her teachings during sittings fill our ears with the words of God.
For our sense of smell, Sister Eppie has formulated and produced the Rosaline Healing Scents: candles and aromatic sprays which lighten our mood, refresh the air, and facilitate our entry into our interior spaces.
For our sense of taste, she collaborates with her blood sister, Sr. Matthew to come up with healing and delicious recipes that truly nourish the body and soul. Try their experimentations with various herbs and you will feel refreshed right after the first sip. But more than that, the sisters made it their mission to feed their K-friends (families living in karitons or carts), giving these poor families a taste of life and friendship.
Perhaps among these sensous ministries, Sr. Eppie is most generous with the sense of touch. Her healing handshake and her warm hug bring comfort and a sense of h0me to those who receive them - making people feel a sacredspace within her embrace.
I always said in my previous talks during assemblies and conferences that the call of a postmodern world is to minister through the five senses, making our ministry truly a sensuous presence, and Sister Eppie is at the forefront of this challenge.
I was given the distinctive gift to accompany Sister Eppie as she discerned and decided to pursue a life-changing direction that allowed her to be metamorphosed into a religious of the future. And I was also given the gift to be a recipient of her gifts as I went into my own crisis. A religious woman of lesser faith and charity would have hated me for what I have done, but with her, forgiveness was given even if I don't deserve it.
Trust me when I say this, that because of people like her and her gifts, I restored my faith in the church, and my trust in the institution of religious life.
The OP Regina has a website: http://www.reginarosarii.org/
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2 comments:
Sr. Eppie was our Principal in St. Rose of Lima school when I was in elementary.
wow, really? it is her birthday today
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