Four years after the sisters of the Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC) moved out of the Ruma Center, they have sold the property buildings and 33 acres of land to Books for All, a nonprofit organization establishing community libraries with free resources.
ASC will retain ownership of the surrounding farmland, as well as the cemetery, where sisters will continue to be buried.
The Ruma property has been vacant since April 2022 when the sisters relocated to the Benedictine Living Community at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville.
During that time, the sisters patiently and prayerfully sought a buyer committed to the continuation of the ASC’s 150-year legacy of community and mission, as well as responsible stewardship of the buildings and land. The sisters rely on the Providence of God and believe that God has guided the sale of the property to Books for All.
Books for All will utilize the property as a retreat and conference center. The center will also house the nonprofit’s library of over 30,000 books. In a statement, Books for All said: “While we are not a religious organization, we carry forward the spirit of what (the sisters) built — a place dedicated to community, care for the people who pass through it and respect for the earth it sits on.”
For the sisters and all who have been a part of the history of the Ruma Center, the sale of the property brings a mix of joy and sorrow; joy that Books for All will continue the mission, sorrow in that the sisters are not living there anymore.
Sr. Barbara Hudock, regional leader of the U.S. Region of the Adorers, noted to the sisters in a 2025 Easter message that still applies today: “The Paschal Mystery is at the core of our ASC spirituality. If we truly find ways to live this spirituality in our lives, what a gift we can be for those around us, for our world. We know that death does not have the last word. We know that part of the process is waiting for life to spring forth from death. We know that God lives in each one of us. We know that the celebration of Easter is not a one-time or one-season experience. It’s a daily resurrection, waiting to break through.”
Over the next two years, Books for All plans to make renovations to prepare the property for its new usage.
“We are doing this carefully — the place we inherited was loved and well-maintained, and that legacy is worth preserving. The goal is not to remake it but to bring it fully into its next chapter, so that it can serve the communities who need it for a long time to come.”
The Adorers are an international congregation founded by St. Maria De Mattias in Italy in 1834 and have been a vital part of the Catholic Church in southern Illinois and beyond since arriving in Piopolis in 1870. They have served in a variety of ministries, including education, healthcare, pastoral services and justice advocacy.
In addition to southern Illinois, the United States Region of Adorers has centers of presence in Wichita, Kan., and Columbia, Pa., and supporting ASC presence in Korea and Vietnam. For more information about Ruma and the Adorers, visit www.adorers.org.
