By Mary Stadnyk | Associate Editor

Located near the village of Rancocas, Francis House of Prayer, or as Sister of St. Joseph Marcella Springer, director, affectionately refers to it as a “meeting place with God,” marked its fourth decade of ministry with staff members, friends and supporters gathering for a Mass celebrated by Msgr. Richard D. LaVerghetta, pastor of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton, and social June 14.

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Francis House was established by the Diocese as a house of prayer in June 1974. It is located on the border between Willingboro and Westampton, near Mount Holly. The retreat house is a spacious and graceful 200-year-old farmhouse that is surrounded by tall trees and 72 acres of farmland, which enhances the notion of being away in the country, even though it is located right off exit 45B of Route I-295.

While Francis House has been served by a number of directors, since 1992 it has been under the capable charge of Sister Marcy – as she prefers to be called – and the assistance of many devoted volunteers, who help with office work, maintaining the grounds, shrubbery and flowers and other responsibilities.

Francis House can accommodate 30 people during the day and six overnight. Daily programs and extended retreats are offered as well as days and evenings of recollection and educational programs.

An important function of Francis House of Prayer is spiritual direction in which Sister Marcy meets with many individuals on a one-to-one basis to help deepen their spiritual and prayer life. Francis House also offers spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius on a monthly and weekly basis, many opportunities to learn and practice contemplative prayer, reading programs on St. John of the Cross and other Carmelite saints, and contemporary writers Thomas Merton and Teilhard de Chardin.

As Francis House of Prayer celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, it’s a milestone that was a cause for many to reflect on its rich history and their personal experiences of the place that has been fondly regarded as a “sacred meeting place with God” and a “hidden treasure in a field – literally a soybean field.”

Ann Connolly of Corpus Christi Parish, Willingboro, who has been coming to Francis House for nearly 40 years, reflected on how grateful she is “to God for providing such a gem right in my own back yard.”

“The simple, quiet beauty of Francis House draws me and many others to find the peace that our souls are longing for in this world with its many distractions.”

After 40 years, Connolly added how she appreciates the many offerings that are made available. “Really, there is something for everyone,” she said.

Four years ago, Lisa Welsh of St. Katharine Drexel Parish, Burlington, began attending offerings such as the Living Contemplatively series because she wanted to find ways to “participate in my faith in a more spiritual way.”

Smiling as she spoke of her long-time acquaintance with Sister Marcy who was “my first grade teacher in Our Lady of Good Counsel School, Moorestown, in 1967,” Welsh echoed Connolly when she cited how “it is an awesome gift to have Francis House in our community in that it gives people who love Jesus the opportunity to get to know him better and to develop a more personal relationship with him.”