Eudist sisters face possible eviction with prayer, trust in God — and an attorney

(OSV News) — A group of women religious serving the imprisoned and impoverished are calling for prayer and assistance, as one of their members faces eviction from a San Diego residence the community has rented for years.

In a May 8 email to supporters, the Eudist Servants of the 11th Hour said Sister Mary Francis had been informed by a mobile home park management company that she was an “unlawful occupant” at a property in the Ocean Bluffs Mobile Home Estates community.

The eviction notice had been sent along with the sister’s returned May 1 rent check, said the email.

At issue is the fact that Sister Mary Francis, as the property management letter stated, is “not on the title of the mobile home,” the email noted.

“The Sisters have never been late on any of their rent space checks to the property managers,” said the email, which was sent by the “Eudist Servants & Associate Volunteers” from the community’s main email account.

The email explained that “for many years, the property was passed from Sister to Sister without the title ever being formally updated.”

The park management had “requested documentation that we currently do not have” after the home’s previous occupant, Sister Viola Ramirez, retired and moved to Colorado, said the email.

Speaking to OSV News, Sister Anne Marie Maxfield, the community’s secretary, explained that the residence had been owned by the family of two of the community’s sisters, both of whom had since died.

“Everybody’s trying to find the title,” she said, while the email noted the sisters are “actively working to resolve this matter so that our tenancy and occupancy may continue.”

Sister Anne Marie told OSV News, “We’ve got an attorney that’s willing to work with us also.”

The email invited supporters to participate in “a short but powerful 9-hour Novena to the Infant Jesus of Prague,” providing a link to the prayers. It also asked for supporters to pray to the community’s founder, Mother Antonia Brenner, whose cause for canonization has been launched.

OSV News reached out to a representative of Ocean Bluffs Mobile Home Estates for comment, but did not receive an immediate response although the request was acknowledged.

The Eudist sisters’ email said Sister Mary Francis had been given five days to vacate the premises, which — given that the letter was dated May 6 — indicated “she must be off the property by the end of the day on May 11.”

However, Sister Anne Marie clarified to OSV News on May 13 that “they can’t put you out after five days,” and that eviction is “a process.”

She said the sisters have asked for more time, and noted that Sister Mary Francis is sleeping at the community’s convent in Tijuana at the convent, while checking in daily at the San Diego home.

“She’s a strong person,” said Sister Anne Marie. “At first, she was pretty rattled, because, as she said, ‘I’ve never had an eviction notice.'”

Sister Anne Marie described the property managers as “very sympathetic,” and specified that the property owner had initiated the concern over the title.

As they navigate the issue over the mobile home, the sisters continue their ministry, following in the footsteps of their foundress.

Born into a life of wealth and privilege, Mary Clarke — the future Mother Antonia — was a twice-divorced mother of seven from Beverly Hills. She left Southern California to live and minister in a prison cell in Tijuana, Mexico, becoming a nun at the age of 50.

The religious community she founded, named after the French-born St. John Eudes, accepts older, self-supporting women who have their own health insurance. The sisters, accepted as a private association of the faithful in 2003 by Tijuana’s bishop, renew their vows annually.

The community’s current members, who total 11, range in age from 56 to 85, with five ministering in Tijuana and the rest at various locations in the U.S.

Asked by OSV News how Mother Antonia might react to the eviction notice if she were still on earth, Sister Anne Marie said, “Oh, she never worried about anything. She would say, ‘The Lord is going to take care of us. It’s up to us to do our job, and he’ll take care of everything else.'”

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