Dec 14, 2024 | NEWS
At St. Marienkrankenhaus Berlin, as in other Catholic hospitals, it has been a long-standing tradition to organize a pre-Christmas celebration for the patients.
This was also the case on 12 December 2024, when a representative of the Archbishop of Berlin, Dr. Heiner Koch, always attends this Christmas party. This year, it was Cathedral Provost Prelate Tobias Przytarski who, together with the hospital's Catholic and Protestant chaplains, brought the bishop's greetings to the patients.
The Christmas celebration began in the hospital chapel with a short prayer service. Hospital staff, nursing staff, doctors, student nurses and also many nuns took part, before going to the individual wards together with the cathedral provost and the chaplains and performing Christmas carols for the patients.
The cathedral provost and the chaplains went to each individual patient and the surprise and joy of the patients was written all over their faces. Some cried, others sang along and this was a rich reward for all those involved in the organization, in the profound experience that he who gives receives it back a thousandfold.
In this joy, a dinner was then held for all those involved in the St. Augustine monastery and it was a happy conclusion to this successful celebration.
Dec 12, 2024 | NEWS
The day of the Jubilee of our Congregation is also a time to celebrate the Groups of the Children of Mary. In the parish of St. Matthew and St. Matthias in Brzezie, 11 new children made their vows to Our Lady, were added to the Group and received Miraculous Medals.
There was a joint photo with the priests and Sisters, also they had breakfast. There was plenty of conversation and fun together.
We wish the Sisters and the Children of Mary the love for Mary that the Lord Jesus had and fidelity to the pledge they made.
Dec 12, 2024 | NEWS
On Saturday, December 7, we celebrated 170 years of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate. The solemn thanksgiving Mass was presided over by Archbishop Joseph Kupny, Metropolitan of Wroclaw. The Eucharist, attended by seven bishops, many priests, sisters from various religious congregations and numerous friends of our religious family, was celebrated in the Parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Sand in Wroclaw . It is here that the tomb of the congregation's founder, the Servant of God Fr. Jan Schneider, an extraordinary defender and protector of women, is located.
Nov 22, 2024 | NEWS
On November 21, the liturgical commemoration of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we made a pilgrimage to Our Lady Guardian of Faith in Bardo.
The 98th Thanksgiving pilgrimage of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate gathered sisters from many Polish missions; sisters from Rome and Germany were also present. We prayed together with the sisters of the general and provincial boards, and were spiritually united with us by the elderly and sick sisters, including those who stayed at home. At the Sanctuary of Our Lady Guardian of the Holy Faith at 10:30 a.m., we began praying the rosary, which spiritually introduced us to the Eucharist.
The Mass, celebrated under the presidency of parish priest Father Piotr Wisniewski CSsR and the co-celebrating priests, was a heartfelt thanksgiving offering for each of us.
During his homily, Father Pastor encouraged everyone to have good memories of the past years, when each of us wanted to offer our lives to God, to offer so seriously and without reservation.
Provincial Superior Sr. M. Magdalena Zablotna, in the Act of Entrustment, placed the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate under the protection of the Guardian of the Holy Faith The Sister Choir, under the watchful eye of Sr. Barbara Mroziak, made. That the liturgy had a beautiful solemn character.
The Magnificat, sung from the heart, opened our souls to praise God here and now, for great things the Almighty has done for us, and holy is His Name.
S.Małgorzata Cur SMI
Nov 16, 2024 | NEWS
At the Brzezie convent, on Saturday noon, together with a group of Maria's Children under her care, we planned to decorate gingerbread. The day before, together with the girls' mothers, we baked a large number of gingerbread cookies. Our girls did a great job. Beautifully iced, painted, sprinkled with chocolate and colorful stars gingerbread Christmas trees, stars, hearts will be distributed during the Advent fair. We are already preparing for Joy Sunday to bring joy to our parishioners and guests through sweet gingerbread cookies.
Sr. Joanna Marcińska SMI
Nov 14, 2024 | NEWS
The year 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of bringing the mortal remains of Bishop Joseph Martin Nathan from Opava in the Czech Republic to the Holy Family Church in Branice, Poland. This year also marks the 120th anniversary of the opening of the hospital founded by God's servant Msgr. Martin Joseph Nathan.
Bishop Nathan invited the Sisters of Mary Immaculate to serve at the Branice hospital, who established a facility here on October 23, 1898, responding to his invitation with heartfelt prayer and diligent work. Bishop Martin Joseph Nathan leaned on the mentally ill, creating a hospital that became a home for them.
“Do mercy” this request and encouragement of Fr. Jan Schneider, the founder of our congregation, here in Branice, under the guidance of Bishop Nathan gave the sisters serving in Branice a new and fresh quality of mercy rendered. On Saturday, November 9, in the City of Mercy, during the Eucharist, we gave thanks for the person and work of Bishop Nathan. A prayer for the beatification of God's servant Bishop Nathan, a concert by the FLOW Band, as well as the promotion of a book written by Sister Alodia Lelek dedicated to Bishop Nathan completed the solemn thanksgiving of the day.
In 1974, Sister Alodia Lelek SMI undertook to write her master's thesis on Bishop Nathan at the Theological Faculty of the Catholic University of Lublin. This year, on the occasion of Bp. Nathan's anniversary, Sister Alodia's thesis was published in book form through the efforts of the Caritas Christi Association. The publication is titled: THE FATHER OF THE POOR. The life and work of Father Bishop Joseph Martin Nathan (in the years 1867-1947).
Sister Alodia assiduously, for three years, collected the necessary materials on the person of Bishop Nathan, she also obtained information from the sisters who knew the Bishop personally. The sisters also assisted Sr. Alodia in translating the acquired writings and documents in Polish and Czechoslovak archives.
In the introduction to her work, the author admits:
It is hard to believe that already fifty years have passed since I wrote my master's thesis on Bishop Joseph Martin Nathan, the book edition of which has just reached readers interested in the life and work of this great man. The topic of my thesis actually arose partly by accident. I was studying with a sister of the Wroclaw Province and to her I gave priority to choosing the topic. She chose the topic of the history of our congregation, and I chose one about Bishop Nathan. Only after time did I realize that it was a blessed coincidence Discovering more and more documents about Fr. Bishop Nathan, I was able to learn more and more about the uniqueness of his person. Today, I am happy that this work can also bring the figure of the Bishop closer to others who will be reached. In all the work of the City of Mercy, it is worth emphasizing the great care for every detail of the medical care, the farmyard and the church. Inviting the Sisterhood to help was an important aspect of the Bishop's care for the sick. He counted on the generosity and spirit that the Sisters would bring to the place, and he was not disappointed. Everything was to bring relief to the suffering and anguish of the mentally ill. Today it gives hope that the current director Krzysztof Nazimek has understood the thought of Fr. Bishop Nathan and continues his mission It only remains for me to wish everyone an enjoyable and spiritually enriching reading experience.
Endowed with many charisms, Bishop Martin Joseph Nathan inspires great respect and the phenomenon of the City of Mercy he founded continues to delight, arouse admiration and generate gratitude. Undoubtedly, Sr. Alodia's work presents Bishop Joseph Martin Nathan as a man, a priest, a bishop with a fascinating imagination of mercy.
s. Małgorzata Cur SMI
