Nov 28, 2020 | NEWS
On the 21st of this month ( November) we have celebrated the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In unity we came together in a special way to thank God. This day touched me in a special way, I was able to thank God for the gift of calling, as well as for the various talents of my fellow sisters. These talents are really the enrichment of the Church and the congregation. Through our talents we can offer a variety of services happily.
I would like to share with you about the mission I serve as a Catechist. Some years ago I did this mission in various parishes in my country Tanzania, now I am doing this mission in the parish of St.Francis of Assis here in Rome, Italy. I am preparing children to receive various sacraments including first communion and confirmation . For the first time here in this general house community of Rome, the leaders have seen it worthy to be close to the society around us for the testimony of our mission. So I happily started my mission this year. At the beginning I faced some challenges in terms of language, culture and even the manner of teaching which is quite different from Tanzania. Since I have a passion to this mission I rejoice and now I no longer find it difficult . On 21/11/2020 ten children received the first communion. And despite this Covid 19 epindemic , these children received Jesus with great joy in their hearts. And although their lips were covered with masks, their smiles of joy appeared in their bright eyes.
Let us be proud of our talents and use them in the benefit of others instead of hiding them . Our first mission is prayer, then in every other mission that each one of us is entrusted, we should offer the very best of ourselves for the praise and glory of God. We will be more blessed wherever we are.
Sr. M. Clementina
Nov 23, 2020 | FORUM
A gift out of this world.
A wonderful medal that we receive when making our first religious vows is not only a sign of belonging to the Congregation of Mary Immaculate, but it is also an expression of our dedication to God in imitation of Mary. Can it therefore be concluded that the miraculous medal is a spiritual gift from Mary, offered to the brave women who want to express their ‘fiat mihi secundum verbum Tuum’ in their lives (Luke 1:38)? Certainly! The guarantee is the assurance that the Mother of God has given st. Catherine Labouré, revealing to her this sign of its strange presence: All who wear this medal will enjoy great favors, especially if they wear it around their necks. For those who trust in me I will grant many graces. The power of calling Helena Joanna Hoffmann, a real Silesian, boldly crosses our thresholds Congregation with a living desire to imitate Mary and be like her. Helena, as a novice, was given the name Maria Dulcissima, and when she made the first vows, as a sister of Mary Immaculate, she received a miraculous medal of her image. The desire to “be like Mary” is nurtured in prayer, where she asks, that Mary would mold her soul like the joyful song of thanksgiving “Magnificat” (Luke 1: 46-55). Miraculous medal of Sister Maria Dulcisisma has established herself as the one who carries Jesus, who – how Mary – quietly serves the gift of prayer. Her prayer changes a lot, it becomes a source of joy, it smells of the greatness of God’s Mercy and contributes to many changes in life attitudes, but also healings. In Brzezie nad Odrą, in the place where she spent her last years of service, she is called the “Angel of Goodness”. By visiting Brzezie families with their guardian, Sister Maria Lazaria Stefania, the superior, it brought faith and kindled hope where the experience of illness weakened love and trust in God. Today I still see how Sister Dulcissima came to us with Sister Lazaria. she was leaning with one hand on Sister Lazaria and with the other hand under her arm “Wooden scepter” Sister Dulcissima made signs of crosses on our foreheads and she blessed – remembers Kazimierz. ‘In the sixteenth week of pregnancy, I was diagnosed that I would give birth to a boy with a big severe heart defect. The doctors’ prognosis was not favorable. Then my grandmother gave me a wonderful medal from Sister Maria Dulcissima, which I wore until the day of delivery. At that time, I only asked my sister for strength in this difficult trial, and the suffering I experienced, I offered for the intention of my son – confesses Grażyna’. Medals and many other memorable belongings to Sister Maria Dulcissima, people brought and still bring to the Memorial Chamber of the community in Brzezie. One of the oldest female residents of Brzezie, Mrs. Lucy Bugdol (95), tells about Fr. The “extraordinary visit” of God’s handmaid in their home: Dulcissima used to visit her mother and little sister Teresa. She said that she would be a spiritual mother for her and she gave Teresa a medal. I have this precious medal. It’s a relic. ABOUT! As in many families, even in hospitals, I always borrow as soon as someone asks, but I have to be sure that she will come back to me when it fulfills its purpose. I already told my [relatives] to give it to the monastery when I die. In this way, the miraculous medal, a precious family heirloom, travels through the families of Brzezie on the Oder. Passed from hand to hand, it enlivens and strengthens her love for Mary’s presence in so many homes. And the prayer of Sister Maria Dulcissima continues:
Dear Mother of God, You must lead souls to the Savior. You know the best you can get started and how you can get it. I am sure that it is also thanks to the conviction in the effectiveness of intercessory prayer of Sister Maria Dulcissima, the promise of the Immaculate is fulfilled, which pours graces on all people who ask her for it. Let the cry bear its fruit:
O Mary, conceived without original sin, pray for us who have recourse to You, which rises in our hearts to Heaven and is repeated at the request of the Mother of God countless times by Christians around the world! May the request of Sister Maria Dulcissima be granted: Mary, You are our Advocate and Comforter, do everything well and lead us through the darkness to the eternal light!
Sister Maria Małgorzata Cur SMI
Nov 22, 2020 | SPIRITUALITY
It happened when I was 15.
The days of my teenage life passed fast and intense, they were filled with science, with fun, meetings with peers and help at home.
Like every teenager, I also wanted to replace my wardrobe from time to time, unfortunately due to the fact that in my family we did not have much money, clothes purchases were rare and really for great events. And such a circumstance happened to me. One day I went shopping for pants. Going from shop to shop, I could find anything suitable. I knew I had to buy what would be suitable for various occasions. Weary of the long search, I decided to enter the last shop with the thought that “if I find nothing here, I will return home”.
I even liked one pair of pants, so I took them off the hanger and went to the fitting room. Unfortunately, the pants turned out to be too small. Worried that nothing I managed to find and I go home with nothing, I started getting dressed, and suddenly leaving the fitting room, I noticed that there was “something” on the ground. I bent down and I picked it up. It was a medal with the figure of Mary.
The medal was large, not as tiny as is usually worn around the neck. Surprised by what I found, I began to look around anxiously if someone might have been around has lost it. I didn’t see anybody. After a while I asked the saleswoman whether maybe she lost such a medal, but she replied “no” and since it was me who found it, it’s mine and I can take it. Returning home, I looked at it for a long time, wondering who was carrying such a big medallion? and how did he get there? ”. After returning home, I did not show anyone what I found. At that time I also thought that “no one normal wears such a big medallion around her neck, and when it is, it’s a devotee, ”which is why I didn’t want it either hanging around my neck, I just removed it away, and every now and then took it out and I watched, sometimes wondering how it happened that when I entered the fitting room I didn’t see it and what does it all mean. Over time, I forgot completely about the medal I found and the whole story.
Years passed. When I was 20, I decided to enter the Congregation and then a thought appeared “but of what?”. For this intention, I went on a walking pilgrimage to Częstochowa. There from the Vocation Center, I took several flyers, including our Congregation. In my heart I felt that it should be the so-called Marian Congregation, but also as a young girl, I paid attention to the dress of the sisters “by no chance it was not built up too much”. Looking at the flyer, it caught my attention. It said that the Sisters wear the Miraculous Medal, its photo was also posted. I made this story because it reminds me of something. After returning home, I found the “treasure” of previous years and compared with the photo I saw in the flyer were different. The one which I had, had “holes” and the one the sisters were wearing was “full”. Despite that I noticed this difference as a sign of where I should go. After joining the congregation I got to know the symbolism and meaning of this medal. I also found out to my surprise and joy that the sisters in Africa and Germany wear the same medal as I found years ago. Since then, the Miraculous Medal accompanies me every day, as does each of us.
I admit that I often forget about it, and feel guilty that I don’t wear it perhaps with the honor that is due to it, but I always make a novena before its memory, everyday I try to kiss it reverently, offering my life to Mary and looking at her, as I did when I was 15 and then not knowing that finding pants on that day wasn’t as important as finding a Wonderful mental. This medal was one of the signs that the Congregation I am in is my true place, and the once “great” medal that maybe someone “died” was supposed to wear, I wear it on my breast with pride and without fear.
Sr.M. Noemi Stanilewicz SMI
Nov 21, 2020 | POSITIVE IMPULSES
Positive experiences of the past are treasures, and they are sources to keep you in light. Not to live in the past but as sources of energy. The positive experiences both small and big should be like a river flowing near we are planted. Whereas negative experiences are like burning heat that arrests our growth. The way to put out that is our capacity to forgive ourselves and others. Let’s learn to live with scars but in the light. Whenever the negativity comes up, turn to the bright side with forgiveness and trust. Those small positive experiences are life savers. Live by the side of the river of positive experiences, however small the stream is!
Don Giorgio
Nov 21, 2020 | NEWS
Due to the Covid 19 epidemic, I waited a long time for permission from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Philippines to issue a visa for me. And finally, I managed to get it, and then buying a ticket and the visa itself, went through without a problem. The journey was long, first, from Warsaw to Amsterdam, where I waited almost 6 hours for a flight to Manila, and this flight took about 15 hours. In Manila, at the airport, all passengers had to undergo testing on Covid 19. Which I did as required, then, after taking my luggage, I went for two days to a previously booked hotel designated by the government of the Philippines to wait for the test result. When I got to the hotel it was already 21.
The hotel also had Covid 19 regulations that had to be followed. Meals were brought to everyone’s door and the doorbell announced them. On the second day in the morning at 9 I got an email with my result, which was negative. I called Sister Klaudia so that she could pick me up because my result was negative, I also informed the hotel about it.
And thank God Sr. Klaudia picked me up from the hotel at 2 pm. So far I am getting to know work and surroundings.
Sr. M. Agata
