Sister Briege McKenna, OSC, recently brought her healing ministry to the Church of St. Benedict, touching many lives with her spiritual gifts and faith.

Sponsored by the Marian Servants of the Blessed Trinity, Sister Briege visited St. Benedict on Saturday, Nov. 5.

Father Paul Flood gave a rousing homily at the Mass, as he stepped in for Father Kevin Scallon, CM, who unexpectedly had to cancel his plans. Sister Briege, having been healed herself of crippling rheumatoid arthritis through the Eucharist, and Father Scallon have been ministering to priests and the laity since 1985.

During her talk, Sister Briege kept repeating to the audience “if you only knew what we have here in the Eucharist” and gave repeated stories of God’s loving kindness that she has witnessed firsthand in her travels around the world.

She stressed to the audience that they must have a childlike faith.

“The trouble with people today is they think too much with their heads, not their hearts,” Sister Briege said.

She then told the story of a little boy who had approached her and told her that he already lost one kidney to surgery and had cancer in his second kidney. The sister told him to wait until Jesus was present in the monstrance and then talk to him as he would a real person. The little boy took her seriously and unabashedly went to the aisle and stopped the priest from processing any further. He then spoke directly to the Eucharist and told Jesus that he needed his kidney healed. When he went back to the doctors, the cancer was completely gone.

Sister Briege also stressed over and over that God is truly present in the consecrated Host even though some people have a hard time believing, and she encouraged all present to form a close relationship with God. Though many people are too busy to hear God’s voice, Sister Briege suggested that people go spend some time in quiet—at Mass, in quiet adoration or just in front of the tabernacle in order to better hear Him.

Many hearts were touched when Father Flood processed with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament around the church while Sister Briege prayed at the ambo. Anointed praise and worship music, under Elyse O’Kane’s direction, set the mood for the encounter. As Sister Briege encouraged people to be open and honest with Jesus, healing tears streamed down many faces.