First Pillar

Awareness

“This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church…”

Ephesians 5:32

Friends of the Bridegroom continually grow in awareness of who the Church is as a Bride- the very family of God. “I miss the Sisters… it’s too bad they’re gone.” The shift from nostalgia to action requires a deep awareness of the role of women religious in life of the Church, of their place within the Church’s renewal, and of the fact that God still calls. He calls many women - today - in our families and our communities. 

Before all else, as you allow yourself to be moved by this movement, invite the Holy Spirt to teach you about His vision for the Church.

As you gather renewal-minded Friends to join your cohort, foster every opportunity to grow in an awareness of this paradigm- where the Church is once more viewed as the family of God. This comes through reading, listening to podcasts, watching videos, supporting local religious communities, and simply inviting the Holy Spirit into cohort conversations.

Consider beginning by going through the resources found on this page together and letting it guide your conversations and continued research.

Understanding the Friends of the Bridegroom Paradigm

These resources are all helpful in understanding the paradigm guiding the movement of Friends of the Bridegroom. We recommend beginning with Fr. John Burns’ video “A Problem and a Paradigm.”

Supporting Local Communities

Upholding the beauty of women’s religious life helps all of us remember who we are as the Bride of Christ and deepens our awareness of the great gift of consecrated life in the Church.

Consider how your cohort can uphold the beauty of women’s religious life in your area through your particular gifts and talents. Here’s some ideas to get you started:

Ways to Serve Local Communities of Women Religious:

  • Begin a local network of prayer for vocations from your community.

  • Volunteer at a local convent

  • Invite local religious sisters to your home for dinner.

  • Share content about women religious on social media, where many sisters don’t have their own accounts.

  • Ask sisters what groceries or household items they may need and drop them off.

  • Offer to help with seasonal cleaning, house maintenance, etc.

  • Ask sisters if they need any volunteers supporting work in their apostolate.

Explore Communities Through Video Content

  • Videos for Priests

    If you are a priest looking to learn more about supporting women religious, there is a collection of videos you can explore.

    Videos Here

  • Explore Communities

    There are many beautiful video resources that provide a closer look into what religious life is actually like. View them below!

    View the Videos

Take the next step.