|
|
|
Published by
Dormition of the Mother of God Monastery,
August 8, 2005
Schema Nun
Benedicta Falls Asleep in the Lord |
 |
 |
It is with great sorrow that we announce the
falling asleep in the Lord of Schema Nun
Benedicta Braga at her home, the Dormition of
the Mother of God Orthodox Monastery in Rives
Junction, Michigan, after a long illness.
Reverend Mother Benedicta was born in 1919, in
the village of Condrita in Bessarabia. She
entered Varatec Monastery which is located in
northern Romania at ten years of age, and took
the monastic vows at the age of 38.
She graduated from Iasi University with a degree
in Natural Sciences and Education, and served as
a school teacher at middle and high school
levels, for the sisters and nuns of Varatec. She
taught music at the monastery, as well as
setting up a museum and serving as a museum
guide there for many
years.
In 1978 she left Varatec and came to join the
nuns of the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in
Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. Mother Benedicta's
lifelong experience of monastic life brought a
wealth of knowledge based on the tradition of
Romanian monasticism to the community at Ellwood
City, where she became abbess in 1984. Her years
in Ellwood City gave her the opportunity to
become familiar with American culture in general
and Orthodox culture in particular. The time
spent there prepared her for the years to come.
The impetus to form another missionary monastery
in the United States was Mother Benedicta's
vision and understanding of the need to spread
the Orthodox faith further into America. With
the blessing of His Grace, Archbishop NATHANIEL,
Mother Benedicta, Mother Gabriella, and Mother
Apolinaria left Ellwood City in 1987 and went to
Terre Haute, Indiana. There they set the
foundation for what was to become the Dormition
of the Mother of God Monastery. The
incorporation papers were made final on March
27, 1987, and were approved by the Episcopate
Council in September of that same year.
The time in Terre Haute was transitory as they
sought a more permanent place to establish the
new community. After a long and tedious search,
they found the Rives Junction property. In the
second issue of "The Burning Bush," Mother
Benedicta remarked: "...through God's will and
the donations of the
faithful, we purchased a beautiful and quiet
piece of property in Michigan. It includes
beautiful woodlands, clearings, and a house at
the entrance; ... we moved in on January 16,
1988." From 1988, the tiny community was slowly
but surely established. The church was named in
honor of one of the Church's great Feast Days,
the Dormition of the Mother of God, celebrated
August 15.
In the spring of 1989, Mother Benedicta's
younger brother, Father Roman Braga, who was the
spiritual father of the Ellwood City community
when they departed in 1987, joined her and
Mothers Gabriella and Apolinaria in Rives
Junction. Mother Benedicta assumed the position
of Abbess, and Father Roman became the Spiritual
Father of the community. In 1992, Mother
Benedicta decided to retire from public
leadership of the monastery, and passed the
responsibility on to Mother Gabriella. Mother
Benedicta took the stricter vows of a Great
Schema Nun. Her final years were spent in
prayer, reading, and the contemplative life of a
Schema Nun.
Mother Benedicta's legacy will remain. The
tradition she brought with her from Romania and
established here will continue through the life
she led and the continued leadership of Mother
Gabriella. She is survived by her brother,
Archimandrite Roman Braga. May her memory be
eternal!
Mother Benedicta's body will be in the chapel at
the monastery for visitation between 5:00 a.m.
and 7:00 p.m. Monday, August 8th, and from 5:00
a.m. on Tuesday, August 9th.
The funeral service will take place on Tuesday,
August 9th at 1:00 p.m. followed by burial in
the monastery cemetery.
DORMITION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD ORTHODOX
MONASTERY
3389 Rives Eaton Road
Rives Junction, Michigan 49277
|
