Divine Encounter
AN UNEXPECTED VISIT CONNECTs SISTERS WITH ‘PRESENT-DAY DISCIPLES’
On the evening of July 7, 2026, Sisters Rosemarie Bartnicki and Pat Brennan received an unexpected knock upon their door at St. Ignatius Loyola Convent in Reading, Pa. With it came “an awesome and truly spiritual experience.”
As they settle in at Monocacy Manor in Bethlehem, Pa., after 30 years in West Lawn, Sisters Rosemarie and Pat still carry with them the spiritual inspiration of their special summer visitors.
Outside stood three visitors — Ana (23), Ariana (35) and Evelyn (40s) — who introduced themselves as sisters of the Neocatechumenal Way, an adult Catholic formation program that emphasizes humility, simplicity and praise. They were in the midst of a week-long journey — on foot, without phones or funds, and sleeping outdoors — to spread the word of God and give witness with their lives.
Sisters Rosemarie and Pat memorialized their special encounter by snapping this photo of their three visitors before they departed St. Ignatius Loyola Convent in Reading, Pa.
In this Jubilee Year of Francis, the group had accepted Pope Leo’s call to emulate the patron saint by reaching those in need, bringing hope to the suffering, and trusting in God’s providence.
Sisters Rosemarie and Pat listened to the travelers’ story of why and how they showed up on the convent doorstep at 6:30 p.m., after walking about 10 miles from the other side of Reading that day. Each carried only a small knapsack with a single change of clothes and a plastic bag to hold whatever food they’d received along the way (mostly bread and rolls).
“We were privileged to give them a hot supper, shower, washer and dryer, and beds,” Sister Rosemarie says. “This was a truly spiritual occasion for us.”
After prayer, Mass and breakfast the next morning, the Sisters’ new-found friends left to walk to St. John Baptist de la Salle Church in Shillington, Pa., willing to accept whatever God sent them that day.
Sisters Rosemarie and Pat remain in awe at their brief, but powerful, encounter.
“How does one explain the experience of meeting present-day disciples, spending a week of their lives literally walking to spread the Good News and accepting whatever comes their way?” ponders Sister Rosemarie. “There was presence of serenity in each that is difficult to describe and is still a part of our conversations.”
“How does one explain the experience of meeting present-day disciples?”