Catholic Transcript Online

ENFIELD – An empty building that had been a convent for Felician Sisters, a high school and a town day care center now is filling up with adults with independent lifestyles.

About half of the 21 new apartments for adults at St. Francis Residence, a three-story brick building on the Felician Sisters’ 27-acre campus, were filled when the residence was blessed and dedicated on Oct. 2.

"It’s a marvelous exercise in good stewardship," Auxiliary Bishop Christie A. Macaluso told Felician Sisters, new residents of the building and invited guests after presiding at the blessing and dedication ceremony.

Rather than have a building with no purpose or an empty building – we see plenty of them around our cities these days – you’ve used a lot of imagination, a lot of prayer and a lot of effort to put up something so beautiful here that will serve so many people," he said.

Sister Mary Laureann Alexandrowicz, who managed the project, thanked "anyone who had any part in this whole project," naming Archbishop Henry J. Mansell and the Archdiocese of Hartford; Msgr. John McCarthy, chancellor, and others. Saying that "nine or 10" of the studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments were occupied, she invited guests to tour the residence.

The building was renovated to provide affordable apartments for people age 55 and older, a need that the sisters had identified several years ago.

The apartments have higher-than-usual ceilings and oak cabinetry in their modern kitchens. The building has a laundry room and community room, an elevator and a medical alert system, with which residents can press a button in an emergency to call for help.

The building is handicapped-accessible, and several apartments were built with wide doorways and large bathrooms with railings.

The prices for the apartments start at $870 for a studio, $990 for a one-bedroom and $1,175 for a two-bedroom. The rent includes heat, water and general maintenance and repair.

The residence is open to people of all faiths, but those who live there are welcome to join the sisters in the chapel for services.

"The people who are here are very pleased and happy," said Sister Laureann as she led a group through the building. "They have access to our chapel if they want it, and they have access to our grounds," which many of the apartments overlook.

Residents also are welcome to the sisters’ dining room in the nearby convent for their midday meals when they don’t feel like cooking for themselves, she added.

The Felician Sisters, who are Franciscans, work in 12 countries in many educational and outreach ministries, pastoral care, social services and in health-related fields.

Sister Laureann said that as a Felician-sponsored ministry, the venture aims to contribute to the lives of the building’s residents and to the community at large.