5. Brooklyn Visitation Monastery is home to the Sisters of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
Along with the Saint Emphrem Catholic Church, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church, and Bay Ridge Baptist Church, Bay Ridge hosts an active monastery. Called the Brooklyn Visitation Monastery, this home for the religious devout houses the Sisters of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary. St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal founded this religious order in Annecy, France in 1610. The sisters of the Baltimore Monastery founded this monastery in Bay Ridge in 1855.
Those who want to experience monastic life can spend a weekend on retreat with the sisters. Those who venture on retreat or are part of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary will see several multi-level buildings, beautiful sculptures throughout the property, a pond known as St. Mary’s Lake, and forested open space within the monastery. Students of the Brooklyn Visitation Academy can visit as well. One must undergo a six-year process in order to take final vows if they feel called to the life of the sisterhood.
