The former convent of the Cistercian nuns of Boadilla del Monte has begun a new chapter as a monastery of contemplative life. The Bishop of Getafe, Ginés García Beltrán, blessed the facilities on 28 June; from now on they will be the home of the Monastery of Bethlehem of the Most Blessed Sacrament, entrusted to the Daughters of the Holy Family.
With this foundation, the Diocese of Getafe recovers a building historically linked to religious life and ensures the continuity of contemplative presence in this location, which also expands its pastoral service with new spaces dedicated to prayer and spiritual formation.
Among the new features is the opening of a chapel of perpetual adoration, the seventh of its kind in the diocese, which will remain open for the continuous prayer of the faithful. The complex also includes the Santísimo Sacramento House of Spirituality, intended for spiritual exercises, retreats and Christian formation gatherings.
A recent foundation with international presence
The community now residing in Boadilla del Monte belongs to the Daughters of the Holy Family, a religious institute founded in 2011 in Barranquilla (Colombia) by Mother María Jesús Morales.
Although it is a recently established congregation, in recent years it has extended its presence to various countries and already has several communities in Spain, including Menorca, Baza (Granada), Valencia and a house of formation in Navarra.
Its spirituality revolves around perpetual adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Marian life and consecration to Jesus Christ according to the teaching of St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort. While the contemplative branch leads a cloistered life centered on prayer and eucharistic adoration, the active branch is dedicated to evangelization and various apostolic tasks.
The opening of the Monastery of Bethlehem of the Most Blessed Sacrament represents a new foundation of the congregation in Spain and strengthens the presence of contemplative life in the Diocese of Getafe.