God’s timing is impeccable! Today May 2, 2013, Pope Emeritus Benedict moved into the former Monastery of Mater Ecclesiae, in the Vatican.
And this same day the Visitandines, the last monastic Order to live in that Monastery from 2009-2012, sent their final remembrances from that time!
One of the interesting tidbits of information is how Mater Ecclesiae received its name.
We share the story from the Visitandines’ letter, here, from French, in translation:
“We took the opportunity to ask him (Cardinal Re)this question: “Why was the name of Mater Ecclesiae chosen for the monastery?
He told us at the beginning Pope John Paul II had thought to build a Carmel, because he knew their lives. But he was told that it would be better to entrust a turn to several orders and he agreed.
He then suggested to invite the Poor Clares as they celebrated that year the centenary of St. Clare. Bishop Re with one of his secretaries, went to Assisi to seek the future Prioress and the Community, Mother Chiara Christina (“We call her only Christina, because all the sisters were called Chiara” said the Cardinal.) She came several times to see the development work, and with good common sense, she did change some, in a spirit of poverty. It’s also she who had the idea to make a small terrace on the roof looking toward the sky, that’s where we put the window of the Virgin Mary, Mater Ecclesiae.
For the name of the monastery, they chose Mater Ecclesiae, because the old chapel of Mathilde in the Apostolic Palace already bore the name of Redemptoris Mater, a name the Holy Father loved, so the name proposed was Mater Ecclesiae, a very significant name for the Pope.
From there, he told us the story of the title given to Mary, proclaimed by Pope Paul VI. During Vatican II, there were two schools of thought between the Council Fathers, some wanted there to be a document exclusively dedicated to the Virgin, the other taking into account the ecumenical aspect, thought differently. So we decided to devote a chapter to Mary in the Constitution Lumen Gentium. The question was put to a vote and the current ecumenical spirit prevailed. Pope Paul VI decided to proclaim the Virgin “Mother of the Church”, giving her the title of ” Mater Ecclesiae. “