BY KATHI STEARNS

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--Sisters Loretta McCarthy and Nancy Auster, SBS, view their work at the Maisha House of Prayer as that of itinerant gardeners. Planting seeds of faith throughout the city of Atlanta, they move on to new fields, often unaware if seeds have taken root, let alone flourished.

But as the urban house of prayer begins its seventh year of ministry, people from diverse faiths and walks of life attest to the fruits of the sisters' labor of love which continues to touch the lives of many.

"When you are homeless no one thinks of you as having spiritual needs," said Joy Scott, a resident of a women's shelter in Atlanta. "That's not true with the sisters. They see the whole you and reach out toward the entire person. I didn't have any place to go to develop my prayer life or anyone to talk to about it. The house has been a place I can go to enhance these positive things as well as a spot where I can dispel some of the feelings of anger that I have had toward God. These nuns have been sisters to me in the truest sense of the word."

Scott says she has been homeless for the past year because of a broken wrist which prevents her from working. "I'm not an alcoholic, I'm not a drug addict or a drug dealer. I became homeless because of a set of circumstances which were out of my control," she said. "Before I was homeless I had always been a very spiritual person. When I became homeless I got so angry with God that I turned away from Him. The sisters helped me turn back to Him."

Scott, who is taking computer classes at Clark University and plans to start her own business, says she has seen firsthand the fruits of the sisters' prayers.

"I have seen some miracles on the streets of Atlanta that I have no other way to explain except to credit the prayers of these sisters," Scott said. "Just last week when it was so cold there was this rather large homeless woman who has some mental problems waiting at the bus stop with me. All she had on was a summer dress. A couple driving by in their car stopped and gave this homeless lady a coat which fit her perfectly. That was a miracle because no matter how anybody else felt about that woman, God saw to it that she was clothed and warm. It brought tears to my eyes because I saw God at work."

"The sisters have brought a sense of concern and compassion to a transient neighborhood," said Utamu Onaje, a neighbor of Maisha House for the past six years. "Initially I thought it was a novel idea for two white nuns to start a house of prayer in a black neighborhood, but I wasn't sure how much their spiritual identities as nuns would affect their reception in the community. I didn't know to what extent people around here would respond to or trust them."

"Maisha has developed a holistic identity, evolving in part from its willingness to become a part of the community instead of just attempting to service the community. Personally knowing that they are next door is for me a sign of God's grace to me, my family and my community."

Onaje said that over the years she has been impressed with the nuns' ministry to the homeless, prostitutes and those with addiction problems. "The sisters welcome people into their home that most people in our neighborhood would not open their door to," she said. "They listen to people's problems, pray for them and try to assist them in whatever way possible. There are times when I am concerned that people try to take advantage of the sisters by begging them for odd work around the house or yard or for clothes or food. If possible, the sisters try to accommodate them and encourage them to improve their situation. At Maisha, they live their spirituality. It is so uplifting to know people whose entire lives are devoted to serving God through serving others."

Sister Auster, who came to the house in May, 1995 after 13 years at a prayer house in Arizona, is known throughout the neighborhood for her work with prostitutes and the homeless who have lost their way and self-dignity.

"She gives them the gift of hospitality," said Carol Hamill, who provides spiritual direction at Maisha House. "She helps them see the light and invites them in to get their own glimpse of it. She provides them with an opportunity to see themselves and the Lord in a way they have never experienced before. She reaches out to people of all races, economic circumstances, creeds and cultures and makes them feel welcome; she breathes life into them."

Sister Mary Kay Finneran, SC, campus minister at St. Pius X High School, says she is attracted to the contemplative aspect of worship at Maisha House and has found it to be a personal place of respite after she ministers to those in need. "There is always a limit on what can be done (for those in need)," she said. "Then it is comforting to go and put it in God's hands."

Sister Finneran said that liturgy with a small group of people is a very intimate experience. She said the sisters take time to proclaim the Scriptures and then dialogue and share personal reflections on the readings. "First they break open the Word, and then participate as a community in breaking the bread of Eucharist together," she said.

Maisha, pronounced Mah-ee-shah, is a Swahili word meaning life. The sisters selected the name both because it is African in origin and because Christ himself spoke often of life, for example, "I have come that you may have life," "I am the bread of life," "You must lose your life for the sake of the kingdom," and "You must eat of me or you shall not have life in you." The sisters' gentle directive is, "Choose life, only that and always," explained Sister McCarthy.

The house located at 392 Glen Iris Drive is the only one of its kind in the archdiocese. It is described by the sisters as "a fertile island in the midst of steel surroundings" providing guests with an opportunity to "journey together to the heart of God while finding shade and shelter from the dust storms of life."

"I think of Maisha House as a place that I personally go for renewal," said Nancy Jamison, a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Atlanta, who also serves on the board of directors for Maisha House. "A lot of times when I go there I feel very troubled and when I leave I come out feeling comforted, renewed and hopeful. I believe in the power of prayer."

Jamison says she will often bring her 19-year-old daughter, Martina Fishback, or her non-Catholic husband, Thomas, to prayer at Maisha House.

"It is a safe haven for people of all denominations and ages to go and pray," she said. "As a Catholic I really only knew structured prayers like the Our Father and the Hail Mary. The sisters have taught me a free flowing form of prayer where you really just talk to God on a personal level and speak from the heart."

Mass is celebrated every Monday at 7 p.m. and every Thursday at noon by Father Bob Cushing, a priest of the Savannah Diocese. Morning prayers are offered daily, except on Wednesday when the sisters observe a Sabbath, at 8 a.m. and on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Thirty minute periods of meditation are held at 11 a.m. every weekday, except for Wednesday. Every Monday and Friday at 5:30 p.m. the sisters pray especially for the city of Atlanta.

Father Cushing, who is working on his doctorate in spirituality at the Columbia Theological Seminary and Emory University, found at the Maisha House a prayer community that had a similar world view to his linking First and Third World countries.

"Early on when we visited an African-American family and celebrated Mass in their home, I realized what an awesome gift it is to have contemplative Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in the middle of the city of Atlanta," Father Cushing said. "The sisters' major charism is to pray that we are living the Paschal Mystery right now. These sisters are constantly recognizing that the Body of Christ is here. They celebrate the living and dying and resurrection of Christ all around us."

Father Cushing said the sisters minister to those who otherwise would fall through the cracks. "They serve the poor and befriend many who would otherwise be missed," he said. "They become friends with people who aren't Catholic as well as people who have fallen away from the Catholic faith. They invite all these people to sit around the table of Christ. Whoever walks through that door leaves with an understanding of Eucharist even though he may not be able to receive it because he is not Catholic. We celebrate Eucharist in such a way that those who attend Mass at the Maisha House are a part of the eucharistic celebration despite their background or faith."

Blessed Katharine Drexel, beatified by Pope John Paul II in November, 1988, was a Philadelphia heiress who founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a congregation dedicated to sharing the Gospel message and life centered in the Eucharist with poor and oppressed Native Americans and African-Americans. Their mission statement reads, "We believe God calls us to be a sign in the world of the power of the Eucharistic Christ to affect unity and community among all peoples."

The sisters put their reason for being into practice when the world came to Atlanta for the 1996 Olympic Games. Each week the sisters prayed for various countries of the world, believing that through prayer and awareness of needs they could touch and be touched by people of the world.

This year, in addition to praying for the city of Atlanta, the sisters have decided to pray for each parish in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Already the sisters and those who frequent the Maisha House have prayed for Our Lady of Lourdes, the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Sacred Heart and the Cathedral of Christ the King. The sisters notify each pastor or campus minister of their prayer outreach with a detailed letter.

In February, when Black History Month is celebrated, the sisters will be praying for the predominantly African-American Atlanta Catholic communities of Atlanta University, St. Paul of the Cross, St. Anthony, Most Blessed Sacrament and Sts. Peter and Paul, Decatur.

"We will be praying for the people of these parishes while simultaneously celebrating the richness and the unique contributions of the African-American Catholic, " Sister McCarthy said.

In addition to their yearly prayer outreach, the sisters keep a "Book of Life" which allows visitors to place the names of relatives as well as their birth dates, anniversaries and dates of eternal rest.

"People often ask us to pray for them on their birthday or to remember the day their father or mother died," Sister McCarthy said. "It is a simple way we can creatively respond to the needs of those who call and seek our prayers."

The sisters, who call Our Lady of Lourdes their parish, still have goals for their ministry. In the near future they hope to purchase a house near their current location at which they can expand their ministry.

"When I look into the future I see a continuation unfolding," Sister McCarthy said. "There is much about the house that is already rooted in the community, but I see a deepening of what is already here. Hopefully our work will have a ripple effect throughout the city. We continue to pray for new ways to touch the city through prayer."

"Our dream is to have a house that is larger and permanent so that we can expand our ministry," Sister McCarthy said. "We would like to have one guest room available where a woman could come for a retreat or refuge in an emergency situation."

Both Sister McCarthy and Sister Auster work outside of Maisha House to support their ministry. Sister Auster works part time at Georgia Baptist Child Care Center and Sister McCarthy offers spiritual direction, days of reflection and retreats to generate money for Maisha House.

"We are expected by our congregation and the archdiocese to be self-supporting," Sister McCarthy said. "We hope that one day both of us will be able to be here full time. Our desire is to stay in touch with people by walking and working with them, but because of our financial obligations we haven't had the freedom to work side by side with the very poor."

The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament staffed Our Lady of Lourdes School from 1913 to 1974. In October, 1913, a few weeks after the opening of Our Lady of Lourdes School, Mother Katharine Drexel visited the school. Sister McCarthy served as the school principal for two years in the 1970s. Her connection with Our Lady of Lourdes, the fact that the archdiocese did not have a house of prayer and the order's attraction to a diocese with an African-American leader in 1990 all led to the establishment of Maisha House. Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM, blessed the House of Prayer Nov. 4, 1990.