Aug 31, 2020 | POSITIVE IMPULSES
Seeing the good in others without conditions and acknowledging it is important to guard your mind from negativity which drags you down. Empower your optimism by participating in the joy and goodness of others. Admit the downside but focus on the bright side of life. Frame what you say to other and about others positively and share your optimism. It should come from your faith in the love of God operating in the world and not just empty words. Optimism is energizing and it is affirming the presence of God in our midst.
Don Giorgio
Aug 25, 2020 | NEWS
The pandemic has been prevailing in the world for a long time, but I was hoping that it would not come to us to Piszkowice, this quiet village of the Kłodzko Valley, and yet it did not forget about us, experiencing us with its existence.
It all started with the deterioration of the health of our Sister Superior Lucy. I thought this condition was related to chronic cancer and metastasis that we had known about for a long time. We knew that this transition time would come one day, but none of us expected it to come so quickly and with covid infection. The sisters also began to fall ill, but after the doctor’s visit, we calmed down a bit.
Due to the lack of improvement in the health of the sisters, despite the treatment, we decided to test all the sisters. We were waiting for the results to know about our health. The next day we heard that we were all infected except for one eldest sister. A quick decision – isolation so as not to infect children and other workers was taken. Fear gave strength to move the sisters and place them in other rooms of the house. The condition of Sister Superior Lucia was deteriorating all the time. From Tuesday, she received respiratory and pharmacological support. After receiving a positive result, Sr. Mother Superior immediately launched all contacts to help our children and employees. You could notice all the time concern about the children, us and the employees.
The disease continued to progress, her condition worsened by the hour. We watched helplessly, counting only on God’s Mercy. I did not care that I was also infected as I did not have typical symptoms, it was important for me to be with our sister. The night of August 1-2 was the worst. I was with my sister until 1:15 am, then sister Paula changed me and then the transition to the other side began. Our powerlessness, how to alleviate suffering and enormous shortness of breath … When I came in the morning around 6:05 am sister Lucy was conscious all the time, she was breathing with difficulty, she asked how long will it take, because it’s already four hours? The last spurt: “I want to go to bed” (my sister was sitting in the armchair all the time, because she had great shortness of breath due to lung metastases). At around 6:55 am, knowing the time to walk was near, I went to get the rest of the sisters. Sr. Superior Lucy was looking for us, we started the prayer, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which she prayed so often. After the prayer, at 7:40 am, she went to the Father’s House full of peace, on the feast of the Mother of God.
Then came impotence, a moment of breakdown, what will happen to the children, how many children and workers are infected. Who will take care of who will help? We cannot, we are isolated! All that remained was a silent prayer with all of ourselves, as the disease began to give more and more symptoms. The answer came in no time. Sr. Alma from Świnoujście will come to you, she will help you. I immediately shared this message from the Provincial Sr. with the Sisters, I hope that she will be able to cope with the situation. On Saturday, after positive covid results, I only made calls to my friends asking for prayers for our intention. All the time I turned to Saint Joseph, the Founder and the late sister Lucy for help in our difficult situation. There were people who responded quickly to our request for help. Soon Sister Vianey from Branice also came to help. God, thanks to You, the situation is slowly stabilizing, but there are still no people to look after the children. I was only able to ask St. Joseph for help. As always, I was not disappointed at his intercession.
Then came the next days when we tried to pray together but we were physically unable to do so. The disease progressed from day to day in individual sisters to a different degree, they had sometimes better and sometimes worse days.
The only thing we had in common was being together for a while, or having meals together, or sitting next to each other for a while, helping, supporting each other.
Sister Lucy was a mobilization for us, her attitude of struggle, service until the end of her days, despite my impotence, I went to my sisters to be with them. Here I understood how important it is, apart from prayer, to be together with the sisters. Prayer is a very important link, but being, understanding and mutual concern of the sisters added the willingness to overcome difficulties related to the disease. There were very difficult moments, I did not know how to pray, somehow the prayer did not stick together. The Lord made me quickly understand that He was with me again. One text message I received and here a reply to my current condition, then a phone call from a friend, a clergyman and another tip: “Praise the Lord in every situation …”! And here the Lord entered again with His grace, like a father who loves his children very much, from that moment I started reading my favorite Psalms again and again and every day He gave me the answer to my given situation (Ps 38: 2-4 Ps. 46 1-4 Ps 23, 13 Ps. 28: 1-2 Ps 66, 9-11 Ps 119, 25-27 Ps 134 Ps 111 7: 9). Thanks to His word, more was coming every day.
Sr .M. Klara
Aug 25, 2020 | NEWS
Religious vows express what is invisible to the eyes. It becomes mystical engagement with Christ to fulfill your vocation in the service of God and the Church and in striving for personal holiness.
It is a tradition that each year in August and September are joyful months for sisters from the Tanzania Region doing religious celebrations.
After proper preparations and formation, successive groups of sisters make temporary or perpetual vows.
There is also great joy in the candidate community, because subsequent girls start the postulate whereby others join novitiate.
For two years there has been joy in the Silver Religious Jubilees.
Also this year, we are preparing for these events that will take place on August 28 the day of the feast of St. Augustine. However, due to the still existing pandemic threat, there will be celebrations that have a changed congregational character. All celebrations will be held in Chikukwe in one group. Unfortunately, sisters’ parents, family and friends will not be able to attend.
This year, five candidates will start their postulates.
Four postulants will go to the novitiate.
The temporary profession will be made by three novices: Sr. Emilia, Sr. Stephania, Sr. Marcelina
Four junior sisters will make their profession: Sr. Regina, Sr. Clelia, Sr. Inocencia and Sr. Teodora.
On this long-awaited day, we wish our sisters a beautiful wedding with Jesus Christ. Some will receive wedding rings, others a medal, others a habit with a white veil, and the candidates, postulants’ dress. Let these signs be to them daily from that day on, a reminder about God’s call and vows.
Our vow of chastity allows us to love God freely and serve all people.
By pledging to live in poverty, we express our desire to participate in poverty to
the Savior who became poor for us to enrich us with His poverty.
Finally, through the vow of obedience, we freely dedicate our will to God, and thereby we go deeper into the mystery of Christ and His plan of salvation.
By humbling himself in obedience, Christ shows us a more perfect way to love and worship the Father.
Let this day be a new beginning, a decision to never look back again.
Let our Immaculate Mother surround our sisters with her mantle of constant help.
Asking for prayer for our sisters,
Sr. Monika Kowarsz
Aug 23, 2020 | NEWS
Most of us are familiar with the custom of consecrating herbs on the feast of the Assumption of Mary (August 15). It is still common today, especially in rural areas. This custom has developed from several legends about the Mother of God. One of these legends tells that the apostles did not find her corpse after Mary’s death, but rather fragrant flowers and herbs that gave off an intense scent grew at the place of the grave. Perhaps this legend wants to remind us that the fragrance of the knowledge of Chisti should be spread through the life of Christians (2 Cor. 2:14). Just as Mary brought Christ through her life and thus salvation, the “being saved” in body and soul, so it should also happen through our life. The medicinal herbs are a symbol for this “healing”.
The sisters of our convent in the nursing center St. Hedwig in Cochem also celebrated a festive service on the day of Mary’s Assumption, during which herbs were also consecrated.
Because only a few residents were allowed to come to Holy Mass due to the corona regulations – the consecrated herbs were then distributed in the living areas.
Sr. Felicitas
Aug 19, 2020 | SPIRITUALITY
Every year in the August 23, we celebrate the Day of Remembrance of St. Rosa of Lima, which is one of our patron saints. She is one of the saints most of whom most of us do not know much about and thus have no special relationship with her. Some of us may have wondered why our founder so revered her and gave us as our patroness.
A few years ago, this led us in the German Province to deal with it a little more intensively on one sister’s afternoon.
In conversation with the sisters, we first gathered, what we knew about her:
- She lived from the end of 1586 to 1617 and was the first Saint of South America
- She belonged to the 3rd Order of St. Dominic
- She had mystical experiences
- She tried to convert people, especially young people, to a truly Christian life.
- She cared about the poor, the sick and the marginalized
- She fasted and forned a lot.
As we continued to study her CV, we came across some notable details that made us better understand her actions.
She was a child of Spanish colonists and saw how inhuman the Spanish conquerors were with the native Indians. She suffered from this and she was looking for ways to do something about it. As a woman, she was forbidden to preach, but she tried, “with heavenly eloquent, to win over all the people with whom she dealt, that she loved the virtues, but loathed the vices.” “This quote is from St. Antonio Maria Claret, who also honored St. Rosa.
In a contribution by Dr. Markus Büning I also found the following text on these thoughts:
“Blessed Pope Innocent XI (1611-1689) said of her (St. Rosa) the following remarkable sentences: ‘There was probably no missionary in America who would have achieved more conversions with his sermons than Rosa of Lima through her prayers and penitential exercises. ‘This is perhaps the key to understanding their self-castrations. Rosa was outraged by the lives of her Spanish compatriots in the colonies. Sexual debauchery, greed for gold and money, the contempt for the native Indians and the implausible way of life of many clerics were a thorn in her side. She intuitively sensed that with such a way of life, one cannot convince an Indian of the love of the Crucified One. On the contrary, the lives of the invaders were deterred and blocked the eyes of the locals on faith in the Redeemer. She wanted to demonstrate the program of contrast with her example: in poverty and in the mystical union with the Crucified One, she wanted to show the people of Peru who this Jesus really was.”
Here we can clearly see what St. Rosa has leaved us. There is still a great deal of inhumanity and injustice in our society today. Often, we can do something about this through our actions. But often our hands are tied and we are “only” left with the prayer and witness of our lives. Above all, we are called to mission with our lives, to be salt of the earth.
Antonia Maria Claret says: “Where has our missionary spirit remained? … Rosa expresses her displeasure at not being allowed to be apostolate herself. She would like to be allowed to move from country to country and proclaim the faith to convert all unbelievers. She would prefer to walk through the streets, the cross in her hand, clothed with a belt of penance, to awaken sinners with loud shouting and to make them repent.”
St. Rosa of Lima has become the patroness of Latin America, not through great works, but through her penitentness, her intimate relationship with Christ and her self-evident devotion to the poor. For me, and I think also for a large part of the sisters who took part in these meetings in Germany, she has become a model for our spiritual life and a true patron of our Congregation. She can teach us that we can only lead people to Christ’s love and follow through our lived example and the commitment of our own lives. Each of us, where we live and work, can become apostolate of everyday life and make it fruitful through works of love.
Sr. Petra Ladig
