Jan 29, 2023 | NEWS
Yes, good luck and many blessings we have wished on January 26th
we wished our Sister Judith on her 90th birthday.
Sister Judith has been living here in Cochem for 62 years – first in the old hospital on the Klosterberg , then in the new hospital in the Avollonstraße and since a few years again here on the Klosterberg.
Cochem is a small town where the Sisters of Mary simply belong.
This is because many Cochem residents were born on the Klosterberg and thus had and still have very early contact with the Sisters of Mary.
Sister Judith was active in nursing education for 35 years. So Provincial Superior and Superior – not unknown. Yes, and when one is known – congratulations are also sent. The District Administrator sent his congratulations along with the Mayor of the Association, Mr. Lambertz (a dear friend of our convent) – because Mr. Lambertz did not miss the opportunity to come in person to congratulate Sister Judith, to tell her story and to have a cup of coffee.
The mayor of the city, Mr. Schmitz, also personally brought his congratulations and many other people of Cochem congratulated Sister Judith.
In a small circle, Father Andreas Pohl, a Sacred Heart priest from the Maria Martental Monastery, celebrated Holy Mass with us in thanksgiving for Sister Judith`s life.
It was a special joy for Sister Judith that our former managing director Mr. Mohr and his wife came to the service and then drank coffee together with us Sisters.
Good Agathe – who has been connected with the Sisters of Cochem for over fifty years and is still loyal to us as a pensioner – was also present and as always… she baked the best cake there is and brought it with her.
A day full of joy and gratitude has come to an end.
We wish
SisterJudith
God’s blessing,
much courage and strength for her everyday life
and the certainty.
“The best is yet to come” !
Sr. Felicitas
Jan 29, 2023 | NEWS
It has been a while since we celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of our Sister Augustina here in Cochem on the Klosterberg….but I think 60 years of being a Sister of Mary – is worth sharing the memories even now.
Because of the Corona time our way of celebrating has changed – nevertheless we did it on the last Feast of Christ the King and it was a beautiful celebration with many surprises. The Provincial Superior came from Berlin and brought Sister Carla and Sister Ursula with her – because they were on retreat.
The Benedictines from Maria Laach are very close to us and because Father Basil is our special friend – he also celebrated a wonderful festive service with us.
Sister Augustina had secretly wished it, but she did not expect him to come and it remained a secret until he entered the chapel for Holy Mass.
Also the organist, who is seriously ill, did not miss the opportunity to embellish the service with his special way of playing the organ. Jana, a young woman from Sister Augustina’s circle of acquaintances, also arrived and delighted everyone with her wonderful voice.
Sister Augustina could not believe what was possible that day.
Even today she is full of gratitude and always talks about her jubilee.
She told me…. the memory of this beautiful day give her strength in her old age – for her everyday life
Sr. Felicitas
Jan 29, 2023 | NEWS
Such a greeting is now often heard in Ukraine. But even those who were forced to leave their country need a sense of belonging, of mutual support and help.
This is also the case with those who came to Berlin as refugees soon after the war against Ukraine began in the spring of 2022, and who have found refuge, among other places, on the grounds of the Marienkrankenhaus in Berlin-Lankwitz, which is under the sponsorship of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary v.d.U.E.. These are mainly women with their children. They also try to be together and share their pain, but also their joy.
The Orthodox Christmas, for example, was such an occasion. This time our guests wanted to express their gratitude for the help received and not only spent this special day together with the Sisters of Mary, but also prepared a wonderful feast of traditional Ukrainian dishes.
In order for the benefit received to continue to bear fruit, they do not leave it at gratitude, but organize further help to the best of their ability. As they say, it is also a kind of therapy for them.
May peace reign in our hearts and in the world!
Sr. Natanaela
Jan 28, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
First reading – Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13
70ᵗʰ World Leprosy Day
“In your midst I will leave a humble and lowly people, and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord”. In these words of the Prophet, Lord associates Himself with a group of people who are humble and lowly. He identifies Himself with that people. Because they seek refuse in the name of the Lord. They have only Lord as their refuge. They have nothing else other than the Lord. Those who have nothing else other than the Lord, they are special before the Lord. The Lord assumes them as His own. Our challenge is to be part of that group which the Lord assumes as His own. For that what we should do? The prophet answers: “seek integrity, seek humility”. Seeking the integrity is seeking the truth of the love of God. The truth of the love of God is that it’s all encompassing, it’s integral. And to assimilate that love of God, I must seek humility. In order to get the love of God, I must be humble. I must take out my pride so that the love of God can be take the place of my ego. Let’s reflect: Do I belong to those who seek refuge in the name of the Lord or not?
Jan 27, 2023 | DAILY BREAD
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest, Doctor
on Saturday of week 3 in Ordinary Time
First reading – Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19
Faith is depicted as the motor of the life of Abraham and Sarah. Each aspect of their life is guided by faith beginning from their departure from their own country and living in the tents. They believed in the promises because of faith. “All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised”. Here we see also an important element of faith. They believed in the promises, and they died without seeing the fulfilment of promises. Moreover, they were even put on test due to faith. “It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac”. We see these two elements of faith: they did not see the fulfilment of the promises and they were tested. So why do you believe? They believed because they identified themselves with the promises of God. Faith is identifying oneself with the plan of God. It is not something we have but it’s something we become. “They lived there in tents while he looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God”. While living in the tents they identified themselves with the city founded, designed and built by God. While having only one son, they identified themselves with descendants as many as the stars of heaven or grains of sand. Abraham offered his son because he saw his son living. So, faith is not having something but leaving everything so that you have only the plan of God, you become the plan of God. Let’s reflect: Is my faith just a confidence or is it me becoming the plan of God?
