Immaculata convent fundraiser
Donation protected
Miracles can happen! The Sisters of the Immaculata need a convent ... we started this fundraiser to buy land to build a convent for the Sisters and to enable their ongoing mission work and the generosity of so many helped raise over $50,000 in less than two weeks.
We have been touched and encouraged by the support and we are going to continue trying to raise funds as others want to help. The land behind the Sisters' current home is no longer available but that doesn't alter the fact that there is still an urgent need for accommodation for the Sisters.
The Sisters of the Immaculata currently live in St Joseph’s House (in Franklin near Hobart in Tasmania, Australia) which the Sisters were miraculously able to purchase through the generous initiative of others, who helped us to step out and get a loan. It is currently being used as a convent for the Sisters but it is at capacity and more girls are wishing to join! While it is a wonderful building the St Joseph’s House is not suited to religious life - for example, the chapel is currently a make-shift one using the lounge room. It is so important that the Sisters can live in an appropriate building, as this fosters their vocations and life of prayer - in other words, it will help religious life flourish.
The Sisters' mission is so needed in our world and they need a home to enable them to continue their work and make a difference in so many lives. A convent for the Sisters will also make the St Joseph’s House available to be used for the Long-Term Mission School and other retreats - the current building housing the Long-Term Mission School (a few doors down from the St Joseph's House) is at capacity and more room is greatly needed.
The cost of the land we were originally seeking was $295,000. Hopefully we can raise even more than this amount so that it can go towards the building of the convent. The Sisters don’t earn a wage and live on Divine Providence so thank you for even considering this and please pray for it. Your generosity will bless this mission and you will be in the prayers of the Sisters, who pray daily for their benefactors. The Sisters can be contacted at [email redacted] or on 0406 372 608.
There is more information below about how people's lives are being transformed by the love of God. Please pass this on to anyone you think would want to support this work and may God bless you abundantly.
Background
The Sisters of the Immaculata were founded on the 8th December 2008 and in the past ten years God has touched the lives of countless people through their community. The centre of everything is prayer - to love Him first - and they pray for the Church and the world. They seek to live as witnesses to the love of God, which is worth leaving everything to serve. Secondly, their apostolate is parish renewal, and seeking to help people, especially young people, fall in love with their faith, and bring hope and joy to a broken world. Some of these works include:
- The ten day Immaculata Mission School, held each January since 2008. For ten years, the Mission School has brought hope to hundreds of young people, as they have discovered God’s love for them and the purpose to their lives: to become the saints of the new millennium. Each day begins with an hour and a half of Eucharistic Adoration, which includes the Rosary and times of silence, followed by daily Mass, talks on the faith from speakers from around Australia and overseas, praise and worship, share groups, recreation, shared meals and lots of fun. The most recent Mission School had 150 young people in attendance for the ten days, growing deeper in faith and set on fire to share the love of God with the world.
- The five month Long-Term Mission School, held in 2016 and 2017 and running again in August this year. 22 young people have now completed this school, which aims to be a “training school for saints”. Prayer is at the centre of the school, with daily Adoration, Mass, the Rosary, prayer and praise, growing in the discipline of a daily prayer life and learning how to hear God’s voice and respond. The school includes three months of classes on the faith and two months of mission, including service in youth groups, schools, parishes and a mission trip all across Australia. The young people live in community, learning how to grow in love and receiving support in their faith journey.
- Youth groups and prayer groups, held in both Sydney and in various locations in Tasmania, helping young people to grow in the love of God and to be strengthened in prayer and in formation.
- Retreats across Australia. The Sisters, along with the Long-Term Mission Schoolers and volunteers from their lay community, run various weekend retreats for both young people and parishes, so that people can learn more about the faith, spend time in prayer and encounter the love of God.
- Events for schools, universities and parishes, all over Australia. These have included retreat afternoons leading university students in times of Adoration; primary school youth rallies featuring games, music and Adoration; sharing about the faith and running retreat days in high schools in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland; running youth nights with testimonies, Adoration and fellowship; speaking at parishes and being a witness to the joyful hope of a Church that is full of life; Reachout events which include formation and fellowship in parishes followed by times of Adoration
Here some people share what they have experienced through the mission of the Sisters:
Weekend retreats
“I came to a weekend retreat that the Sisters ran and it changed my life because I was able to encounter God in a tangible way which I never would have thought possible. Because of this experience I was pulled back from the verge of leaving my faith and from the emptiness that was consuming me.” Samuel, aged 25
The ten day Immaculata Mission School
"Immaculata Mission School was one of the best things that's ever happened to me. The speakers were real and they touched me on a personal level. I absolutely loved Adoration every day, and I've made some new forever friends. Best of all I fell in love with Jesus again! Those 10 days are just the push I needed to strive for sainthood everyday." Nick, aged 20
“During the 10 days we spent understanding and loving our faith at the Immaculata Mission School the highlight for me was definitely the friendships that were formed. To me being sociable is something that I have struggled with but the love and kindness people had for each other was amazing and I have made some wonderful friends. Immaculata Mission School has given me hope.” Sophie, aged 17
The five month Long-Term Mission School
“My time on the Long-Term Mission School has been life-changing. It what has felt like a very short amount of time I have learnt so much about myself, about God our Father and about what being a Catholic, being a follower of God, really means. It has helped me to really love prayer and has started a fire in my soul that I hope, with the grace of God, will stay alight forever.” Chloe, aged 20
“The Long-Term Mission School has been one of the best times of my life thus far. Taking five months away from home and work made God’s work of healing and growth possible. I wish everyone could do a Long-Term Mission School!” Luke, aged 27
See more of the Sisters and hear from the young people they work with:
We have been touched and encouraged by the support and we are going to continue trying to raise funds as others want to help. The land behind the Sisters' current home is no longer available but that doesn't alter the fact that there is still an urgent need for accommodation for the Sisters.
The Sisters of the Immaculata currently live in St Joseph’s House (in Franklin near Hobart in Tasmania, Australia) which the Sisters were miraculously able to purchase through the generous initiative of others, who helped us to step out and get a loan. It is currently being used as a convent for the Sisters but it is at capacity and more girls are wishing to join! While it is a wonderful building the St Joseph’s House is not suited to religious life - for example, the chapel is currently a make-shift one using the lounge room. It is so important that the Sisters can live in an appropriate building, as this fosters their vocations and life of prayer - in other words, it will help religious life flourish.
The Sisters' mission is so needed in our world and they need a home to enable them to continue their work and make a difference in so many lives. A convent for the Sisters will also make the St Joseph’s House available to be used for the Long-Term Mission School and other retreats - the current building housing the Long-Term Mission School (a few doors down from the St Joseph's House) is at capacity and more room is greatly needed.
The cost of the land we were originally seeking was $295,000. Hopefully we can raise even more than this amount so that it can go towards the building of the convent. The Sisters don’t earn a wage and live on Divine Providence so thank you for even considering this and please pray for it. Your generosity will bless this mission and you will be in the prayers of the Sisters, who pray daily for their benefactors. The Sisters can be contacted at [email redacted] or on 0406 372 608.
There is more information below about how people's lives are being transformed by the love of God. Please pass this on to anyone you think would want to support this work and may God bless you abundantly.
Background
The Sisters of the Immaculata were founded on the 8th December 2008 and in the past ten years God has touched the lives of countless people through their community. The centre of everything is prayer - to love Him first - and they pray for the Church and the world. They seek to live as witnesses to the love of God, which is worth leaving everything to serve. Secondly, their apostolate is parish renewal, and seeking to help people, especially young people, fall in love with their faith, and bring hope and joy to a broken world. Some of these works include:
- The ten day Immaculata Mission School, held each January since 2008. For ten years, the Mission School has brought hope to hundreds of young people, as they have discovered God’s love for them and the purpose to their lives: to become the saints of the new millennium. Each day begins with an hour and a half of Eucharistic Adoration, which includes the Rosary and times of silence, followed by daily Mass, talks on the faith from speakers from around Australia and overseas, praise and worship, share groups, recreation, shared meals and lots of fun. The most recent Mission School had 150 young people in attendance for the ten days, growing deeper in faith and set on fire to share the love of God with the world.
- The five month Long-Term Mission School, held in 2016 and 2017 and running again in August this year. 22 young people have now completed this school, which aims to be a “training school for saints”. Prayer is at the centre of the school, with daily Adoration, Mass, the Rosary, prayer and praise, growing in the discipline of a daily prayer life and learning how to hear God’s voice and respond. The school includes three months of classes on the faith and two months of mission, including service in youth groups, schools, parishes and a mission trip all across Australia. The young people live in community, learning how to grow in love and receiving support in their faith journey.
- Youth groups and prayer groups, held in both Sydney and in various locations in Tasmania, helping young people to grow in the love of God and to be strengthened in prayer and in formation.
- Retreats across Australia. The Sisters, along with the Long-Term Mission Schoolers and volunteers from their lay community, run various weekend retreats for both young people and parishes, so that people can learn more about the faith, spend time in prayer and encounter the love of God.
- Events for schools, universities and parishes, all over Australia. These have included retreat afternoons leading university students in times of Adoration; primary school youth rallies featuring games, music and Adoration; sharing about the faith and running retreat days in high schools in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland; running youth nights with testimonies, Adoration and fellowship; speaking at parishes and being a witness to the joyful hope of a Church that is full of life; Reachout events which include formation and fellowship in parishes followed by times of Adoration
Here some people share what they have experienced through the mission of the Sisters:
Weekend retreats
“I came to a weekend retreat that the Sisters ran and it changed my life because I was able to encounter God in a tangible way which I never would have thought possible. Because of this experience I was pulled back from the verge of leaving my faith and from the emptiness that was consuming me.” Samuel, aged 25
The ten day Immaculata Mission School
"Immaculata Mission School was one of the best things that's ever happened to me. The speakers were real and they touched me on a personal level. I absolutely loved Adoration every day, and I've made some new forever friends. Best of all I fell in love with Jesus again! Those 10 days are just the push I needed to strive for sainthood everyday." Nick, aged 20
“During the 10 days we spent understanding and loving our faith at the Immaculata Mission School the highlight for me was definitely the friendships that were formed. To me being sociable is something that I have struggled with but the love and kindness people had for each other was amazing and I have made some wonderful friends. Immaculata Mission School has given me hope.” Sophie, aged 17
The five month Long-Term Mission School
“My time on the Long-Term Mission School has been life-changing. It what has felt like a very short amount of time I have learnt so much about myself, about God our Father and about what being a Catholic, being a follower of God, really means. It has helped me to really love prayer and has started a fire in my soul that I hope, with the grace of God, will stay alight forever.” Chloe, aged 20
“The Long-Term Mission School has been one of the best times of my life thus far. Taking five months away from home and work made God’s work of healing and growth possible. I wish everyone could do a Long-Term Mission School!” Luke, aged 27
See more of the Sisters and hear from the young people they work with:
Organizer
Jess Leach
Organizer
Franklin TAS
