What they cannot see is the picturesque 53 acres of ...

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FRANKFORT -- Most people drive by the motherhouse off of St. Francis Road thinking the convent appears to be a nice place for nuns to live.

What they cannot see is the picturesque 53 acres of fields and forest bordered by Hickory Creek that surround the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart Motherhouse. The property, also known as St. Francis Woods, also houses the Portiuncula Center for Prayer; the Poverello Holistic Center; retreat homes known as hermitages; a reconstructed historical chapel; and a labyrinth. Licensed massage therapist Mary Ann O'Donnell massages Valerie Weilmuenster, also a licensed massage therapist, at The Poverello Holistic Center on the grounds of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart on St. Francis Road in Frankfort.

(Liz Wilkinson Allen/Staff Photographer)



"We have had people who say they can feel the spirit of this place as soon as they get out of their cars," said Mary Lou Nugent, director of the Portiuncula Center for Prayer. "Our problem is not too many people know what we do back here."

And what is it exactly that the sisters are doing back there? Well, massages, healing facials and other services you don't normally associate with a convent.

The nuns are dedicated to helping people's minds and bodies. The focus on the spiritual doesn't ignore the physical.

Yes, there is a convent complete with a chapel and an infirmary on the property. That doesn't mean the prayer center, the holistic center and the grounds are not open to men.

"The grounds are always open," Nugent said. "Anyone can come out and take a walk and enjoy the serenity."

Nestled within the landscaping are several monuments to St. Francis, the saint who always felt drawn to remote places. But visitors don't have to be Catholic to take advantage of all the activities offered.

"We have been offering retreats here for about 30 years." Nugent said. "We have had church groups from all over and high school retreats."

Nugent said some people like to drive through and sneak peaks of the woods. Others stroll the peaceful trails to relieve stress and reconnect with their spirits.

"We believe that it is a sacred space of welcome for those seeking peace of body, mind and spirit," Nugent said. "We all need a place like this more than ever now during the recession." Portiuncula is an Italian word that means "little portion." "The Port," as it is called, offers private or shared rooms with centrally located bathrooms on two upper floors with elevator service. The rooms are air conditioned, clean, quiet and homelike. There are also five hermitage houses complete with kitchens equipped for long or short visits in the woods. Costs to stay on the property range from $30 to $55 depending on the room.

A hermitage is a space to withdraw in prayer for the soul's nourishment and discernment before returning to everyday life. A spiritual director is alerted whenever one retires to a hermitage, and hermits should make arrangements for spiritual direction before staying there.

Practiced in most religions, spiritual direction is a ministry with its roots in the early church. Spiritual direction is about a person's relationship with God, according to literature provided by Nugent. It is never about counseling or solving problems. Spiritual companions listen to you with respect and keep confidential a person's sacred story. The sisters believe that there is a connection between the body and the spirit. The Poverello Holistic Center, or "Pov," offers bodywork for healing and harmony. Poverello translates into "little, poor man."

The center operates out of an old carriage house and offers therapeutic massages, pregnancy massages, healing touch therapy, reflexology, healing facials and Ortho-Bionomy, a unique system of painless body therapy designed to ease pain and create physical and emotional balance.

Sister Norma Janssen is in charge of the Pov. She is a certified massage therapist and a spiritual director. She believes the body work done at the center reduces anxiety, improves circulation, eases emotional strain and improves muscle tone. Other benefits include promoting general relaxation, improving range of motion, lowering the blood pressure, decreasing inflammation and swelling around the joints, easing chronic illnesses, promoting good digestion, alleviating tension headaches and enhancing the healing process on all levels, she said.

"Coming here is like opening a treasure chest for the first time," Janssen said.

"You never know what jewels you will find inside."

Costs start at about $45 per half hour, and run $65 for an hour and $75 for facials. There also is a labyrinth in the woods. Usually, a labyrinth is a maze designed to keep people guessing. But this one has no tricks or dead ends. Walking the labyrinth is an ancient spiritual act that dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries.

"It takes us in and out of the center like life sometimes does," Janssen said. "It is to reflect on where you are in life."

The sisters also have a gift shop in the Port stocked with many hard-to-find religious items and gift certificates for the shop and services. The shop is open to the public. Will a chain of nun-offered massage centers be springing up across the nation soon to fund convents?

No, Nugent and Janssen said. They didn't create their special haven for their benefit, and it's not part of a national trend.

"We really feel it is our mission to offer these services," Nugent said. "This is something we feel a need to offer because there is such a need."

Additional information:

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