Sister Jose Mary, 27, made her first profession of religious vows with the Order of the Most Holy Savior of St. Bridget, known as the Bridgettine Sisters, on Sunday, Sept. 8 at Columbus Holy Family Church.
The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Earl Fernandes, who was joined by several diocesan priests and deacons as well as priests and a brother of the Mercedarian Order serving at Holy Family. Also present were Sister Jose Mary’s parents.
During the Mass, Sister Jose Mary received the black veil and “Bridgettine crown” – a circular strip of white cloth bisected by a cross, also white, worn atop a black veil. Five red cloth spots are featured on the joints of the cross representing the five wounds of Jesus.
Sister Jose Mary professed the evangelical councils of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Sept. 8, the date marking Sister Jose Mary’s first profession of vows, has special meaning for the Bridgettine community. The order was refounded on Sept. 8, 1911 by St. Maria Elisabeth Hesselblad, a Swedish Lutheran who converted to Catholicism less than a decade before.
St. Elisabeth restored the order that was originally founded by St. Bridget of Sweden in the 1300s. The order, which follows the Rule of St. Augustine, came to a halt during the Reformation and then declined.
St. Elisabeth restored traditions set by St. Bridget, including contemplation, solemn celebration of the liturgy and commitment to working and praying for unity among Christians. The motherhouse, located on the Piazza Farnese in Rome, the house where St. Bridget lived and died, also offers a place for worship and service to Lutherans in Rome and non-Catholic tourists.
Bridgettine communities are known for their hospitality and attention to guests in their homes, the centrality of Eucharistic adoration, and a sense of beauty and sacredness that characterizes their convents.
Sister Jose Mary is the order’s first vocation from America in decades. She spent the last few years at the Bridgettine motherhouse in Rome for her novitiate, which prepares an individual for a vowed life.
She first entered the Bridgettine community as an aspirant in February 2021. Aspirancy was followed by postulancy and then the novitiate stage.
Born Laura Ruffner, Sister Jose Mary came to Columbus from New Jersey nine years ago to attend Ohio State University. She earned a degree in business with a minor in history.
During her time at Ohio State, she began exploring religious life. Sister Jose Mary said she was attracted to the Bridgettine order primarily because Eucharistic Adoration is a central part of the community’s daily life. She also reported a draw to the Bridgettine charisms of hospitality and unity.
Sister Jose Mary lives in Columbus with five Bridgettine Sisters at the convent located adjacent to Holy Family Church in the city’s Franklinton neighborhood.
The Bridgettines are in the process of renovating their Columbus convent. A three-phase construction project has been put in place. The first stage, currently underway at a cost of $1.9 million, includes improvements and enhancements to the existing building.
The planning stage, estimated at $5 million, foresees construction of a permanent Adoration chapel, a library and community room, two parking areas for guests and visitors, completion of an outdoor courtyard and a “House of Peace” with eight guest suites. The Bridgettines hope to offer overnight housing to visitors in the area whose loved ones are receiving medical care at one of the local hospitals.
The project also includes a tentative phase, which would include expanding the guest wing from eight to 20-26 suites should the need arise.