Nov 29, 2021 | NEWS
Praise the Supreme Lord forever.
This refrain of today’s responsorial psalm could be sung by the Servant of God, Father John Schneider, looking at how the work he started was developing.
After the appeal was printed in the Catholic press, Wołanie for help, several dozen families, who financially support the activities of the Association to help serving girls, applied to the foundation. The sale of shares issued by the Marian Foundation was also effective. This made it possible to rent more rooms in the tenement house belonging to the parish of Our Lady on the Sand, which was located at today’s Jumping Star Square. The desire of those involved in the work was to buy a house in Ostrów Tumski at the then Krupniczy Zaułek at number 10 (Gräupnergasse 10). At the request of the Elizabethan Sisters, at the beginning of the 20th century, Zaułek Krupniczy changed its name to ul. St. Joseph.
This desire became a reality in late 1858. On December 9, a shelter for girls was consecrated. Successively, the Foundation bought neighboring plots of land, and as a result, a support center for girls and women in difficult life situations was established in one place. During the life of the Servant of God, over 60,000 girls found support here for a good start in adult life. The Marian Foundation created a household school with a boarding school for them, the foundation’s employees were looking for jobs for graduates of the school, temporarily unemployed girls and women could live in the shelter, the sick could stay for treatment and convalescence, and elderly women found a seniors’ house where they stayed until death.
Father John Schneider and the members of the Board employed teachers, tutors and nurses. The female employees performed their duties very well, but returned to their families after working hours. Teenage girls who left their family homes due to poverty still needed the warmth of a home. According to our Founder, such a family atmosphere could be created by nuns as spiritual mothers for the girls under their care. He was looking for a religious congregation in Wrocław that would undertake such a service. Unfortunately, each had its own creations.
It was then that he drew attention to the teachers employed by the Marian Foundation who had not yet started their own families. Four of them offered to devote themselves to poor girls standing on the chasm of moral evil. Father John Schneider explained to them the meaning of a life devoted to God and people through weekly spiritual conferences. After such a three-year formation, the Sisters Agnes, Matilda, Jadwiga and Rosina, on May 26, 1863, at the oratory of the Foundation House, made private vows to the Servant of God and received from him uniform robes: blue dresses and white bonnets. This outfit was supposed to remind them of the person of Our Lady, but at the same time it was very similar to the outfit of Protestant deaconesses. At the request of the bishop ordinary, the sisters changed the color of their habits to black and assumed black veils. The most talented of the first sisters was Sister Agnes and Founder saw her as the future superior of the new religious community. Unfortunately, after a year, and on Father John’s name day, she left the Foundation. God sent new vocations and each year several girls joined the nascent religious community of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate.
We learn about the spiritual profile of our spiritual daughters from the notes of Sister Matilda, which she noted on May 26, 1863. Father Founder said this:
You came from far away. You left the quiet family home, the world of childhood and all that belonged to your fatherhood and joined the poor Foundation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is really poor according to the concepts of the world. For poverty founded this foundation and built it at the cost of the sweat and labor of the poor. Poverty lives here. You have found out about it during your long candidacy.
What can you count on in this connection? If you are looking for a comfortable and pleasant life, know that the Sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not resting on the roses. Strenuous work awaits you. You are to be the handmaids of the servants.
Where poverty comes to the table, comfort does not feel right there. Moreover, you even have the duty to go and ask good people for the poor whom you feed and take in for what they need. The world has enough funds to build theaters, but it cannot offer itself sacrifices to alleviate the poor and save those who live in poverty.
Or maybe you want respect in this world? And you have to give up on that too! Certainly, there will be also those who will ridicule your plans and call you stupid for devoting your life to such classes. You will be unknown. People will insult you. What I can offer you in this world is nothing more than this poor robe and a quiet tomb, known and visited only by a few souls. But a Christian does not work for the world, because he climbs for higher purposes. His award smiles at him from the other side.
Remember that by placing yourselves at the service of poverty, you are placing yourselves at the service of the Divine Bridegroom, who has left us his representatives in the poor and the little ones. After all, he tells us about the sacrifices we make for the love of the poor and the abandoned: “I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a guest, and you welcomed me, and what you did to my brother, you did to me. “(J. Schweter, History of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate, Wrocław 2000 rt1.
The Kulturkampf period was the test of fire for my Congregation at the very beginning of its existence. All the sisters went on a week-long pilgrimage to the Marian Sanctuary in Filipów (today it is located in the Czech Republic near the border triangle of Poland, Czech Republic and Germany) to plead for the miracle of saving the Congregation from liquidation. And the Mother of God saved her Marian Sisters.
What is my trust in the Mother of God in times of trial of faith?
Sr.M. Elżbieta Cińcio
Nov 28, 2021 | NEWS
On November 26, Sister Rosa celebrated her 60th religious anniversary in Berlin Kreuzberg. Due to pandemic restrictions, there weren’t many guests, but the ceremony itself was very deep and solemn.
Sr. Rosa spent most of her religious life serving the deaf and organizing pastoral care for them. This activity was interrupted by coronavirus; therefore Sr. Rosa’s greatest jubilee wishes, is to return to meeting people who need her as soon as possible.
Sr. Rosa herself recalls her work as follows:
“In early1988, deaf people began to officially come to our chapel and the Hall, where they could pray and meet people who understand them. Initially, only Sister Christiana, who was also deaf, was offered such a service from the president of the deaf in our diocese. Two years later, in 1990, I joined Sr. Christiana and her community of deaf people. At first, I didn’t understand them, I didn’t know sign language, I had to learn it from scratch. However, I noticed during this work that it is not the knowledge of the language that is the most important here, but the heart and willingness to understand their situation. We understood each other well on this level. Maybe because I am not deaf, but I am also disabled. I lost my leg when I was a child and have been using a prosthesis ever since. I think this experience helps me better understand the problems of others. Despite the fact that they have their own families and their lives, they feel lonely and somewhat excluded from the normal world. Even before the pandemic, we organized a Holy Mass once a month. In sign language, and after the Mass there was a meeting for coffee and common conversations. Everyone came to these meetings very willingly, because they felt completely accepted and understood here. Also, outside of the Mass. We kept in touch with each other. They came to me whenever they needed help, when I had to call somewhere, or when they did not understand something, e.g., on official matters. I was happy to help them and dealt with their various affairs with them. Now, for the second year, I have not been able to meet them. In our home, where I live, there is an old people’s home, where there are two of my pupils. I meet them regularly. We talk, pray and play together. I also have health problems recently, but I still hope that I will be able to serve my people”.
SMI
Nov 28, 2021 | NEWS
On Sunday, November 21, another pilgrimage of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate took place to Our Lady, the Keeper of Faith in Bardo.
The tradition of this pilgrimage goes back to the beginnings of the Congregation. At a time when a young, small community began to form, a government decree to liquidate orders (Kulturkampf) was issued. The sisters realized that this was a hopeless situation, so they made the effort to make a pilgrimage to Our Lady to ask for a miracle of salvation. After several days of intense prayer, they returned to the monastery and at the same time received a state decision that they could stay in the monastery and not be secularized. After this event, the sisters made a promise that each year they would go on pilgrimage to the throne of Mary to give thanks for saving the Congregation. It is now an opportunity for us to thank for all the favors the Congregation has received in its history and for the favors that each sister receives.
Despite the still developing pandemic, the sisters came in large numbers to the Sanctuary of Mary, Keeper of the Faith in Bardo. During the solemn Mass and in praying the rosary they thanked for the protection of Mary and asked for strong faith for the future. Sanitary restrictions did not allow kissing the statue of the Mother of God, but the Priest presented it in front of the altar so that we could worship before Mary through prayer and gestures of respect. After a long time, we could be together again and Mary was among us and with us.
SMI
Nov 26, 2021 | NEWS
I would like to share my travel experience during epidemic season!
After this huge crisis of Covid-19 each and everything has been affected in the world; socially, economically and in religion has totally changed in terms of worshiping God. So in the middle of this hard time, I got a chance to travel to Europe for Congregation matters and also holiday. Un expectedly I travelled in three countries simultaneously due to the problem of my Visa for Italy which delayed due to the new travelling system.
I started my journey from Tanzania on 15th October 2021 and first, I arrived in Poland, then Berlin and lastly in Rome/Italy.
I can admit that, language, unity and love are the values which contributed to good communication with the Sisters I met in Europe, it was very fun and interesting, I did not know the Polish even German language but when I was there; I didn’t feel the countries difference, it was like; I was in Tanzania. I communicated with the Sisters through gestures especially when there was no one near to translate and we understood well each other and both were so happy.
The Sisters were so interested to ask me many different questions concerning our Region and the life in general in Tanzania. I tried to answer and explaining all things they were interested to know about our Congregation life in our Region and they were so happy. One thing was so amazing for me is that; For example I used to communicate with Sister Luka in German by using Google translate in my phone to pass my gratitude message to the Sisters, then after sending the message was read and the feedback was good. In general, I enjoyed my time in Europe by learning many things from my fellow sisters in Poland, German and Rome.
For me I can say that; every day is a day of learning and growing. Love and unity goes together and have a lot of power because through them we are always connected together regardless of our traditions, language and color.
Sr. M. Agnes Mwanajimba
Region – Tanzania
Nov 25, 2021 | NEWS
The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.
These words of the Good News were taken over by the clerk of the Wrocław police, Mr. Uhden, a zealous Catholic. When Bishop Henry Förster was the parish priest in Kamienna Góra, a police employee served as the mayor. He cooperated fruitfully with the parish priest. The friendly relations with Kamienna Góra remained when they were both promoted to Wrocław.
On January 19, 1854 the former mayor reported to the bishop about the tragic moral situation among the servants. He proposed that one of the Catholic clergies should organize a shelter for servants of the Catholic faith so that they would not have to go to suspicious places for the night. He also proposed to organize an association of Catholic women who, knowing well the needs of the girls, would support the minister of servants.
Bishop Förster passed this report to the dean of Wrocław, Fr. Thiel, the parish priest of the Corpus Christi parish in Wrocław. The dean, after consulting Wrocław parish priests, replied to the Ordinary that he saw the benefits of establishing an association for servants
Bishop Förster instructed the Dean to convene a dean’s conference to discuss the creation of a new pastoral ministry and to appoint a suitable priest from among the priests to organize a shelter for servants and to care for them. All priests unanimously chose Fr. John Schneider, to organize a shelter for the Moral Elevation of Servant Girls. Father John Schneider replied “yes” to the priests’ proposal. At that time, he was only 30 years old, including 5 years as a priest.
Fr. John Schneider acquainted his parishioners with the problem of serving girls and asked for help from his parishioners who knew the working conditions of girls and young women in Wrocław from their autopsy. Seven brave members of the parish of St. Matthias established the board of the new Marian Foundation with Father John Schneider as a leader. To begin with, the foundation rented two rooms for girls in a tenement house near the church of St. Cross, the same one where our Founder lived during his university studies. Each of the members of the Board was commissioned by Father Schneider to look after one of the city’s districts. Women paid special attention to railway stations, because this was where girls looking for work in a big city came and were exposed to pimping. Girls from Upper Silesia and the Opole region came to the Upper Silesian Railway Station (today Wrocław Główny), to the Świebodzki Railway Station from the Sudetes, and to the Marchijski Railway Station from the direction of Zgorzelec.
In mid-October 1854. The Servant of God gave Bishop Förster an approval of the statutes drawn up by the Foundation’s Management Board, which the Wrocław bishop approved without hesitation. Then, Father John handed over the statutes to the police office for an opinion. The document was approved by the police at St. Elizabeth of Hungary, great apostle of works of mercy.
On November 14, 1854 The founder published an appeal to the clergy and lay people in the Silesian Gazette Kościelna under the title ‘A Call for Help. The article showed the main goal of the Foundation: to prepare for life and educate poor girls who have faced the abyss of moral corruption. It was a tragedy that many village girls, due to the lack of proper care, lack of work, accommodation, ignorance of city life, became victims of prostitution. Difficult living conditions were the cause of their crimes, which ended in imprisonment. In this appeal, the author revealed a plan to buy a house so that servants who seek employment can live in it until they find a suitable job. This house would be able to save them from demoralization. He had a chance to buy such a house for 10,000 thalers. Many people with a good and sensitive heart, regardless of religion, responded positively to his appeal. Father John Schneider suggested that Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and St. Rose of Lima, a tertiary of the Dominican Order, were to be the patrons, on December 8 – was the Solemnity feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On December 8, 1854, the members of the Association, families supporting the work and the girls serving themselves at the Church of the Holy Name of Jesus received the sacrament of penance and general Holy Communion, and then consecrated themselves to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as their patron, entrusting themselves and the work of their future to the Mother of God.
What is the place of Our Lady in my life?
Sr.M. Elżbieta Cińcio
Nov 18, 2021 | FORUM, NEWS
It was on 12/06/2017 at 10 pm, when a truck carrying sand for the construction of our Johanne Schneider English Medium Primary School-Mwanga was involved In the accident, inside the truck was a Driver and a young man named Maiko who suddenly lost consciousness because he hit his head. After receiving the information, Mr. Sakaya who was the ” Contractor ” of the school took responsibility for treating him at KCMC-Moshi Hospital in Tanzania; where he was in a special care room. He remained in a state of unconsciousness for a whole month, a situation that caused fear among us and also for Mr. Sakaya because the medical bills were so high. We shared more through prayer and small donations to Maiko. Maiko has a wife but they still din’t have children; his wife had to work every day to check on her husband’s condition, as he was not allowed to stay in the hospital, so in order to stay close to the hospital he found shelter at Mr. Sakaya’s house.
FEAR OVERWHELMED
It was on the morning of 24/07/2017 when I received a disappointing message, that I should go and pick up the Patient and return home, without any explanation because he was still in a state of unconsciousness. I broke down in tears and I was afraid of the patient’s condition. I had no choice but to leave the hospital with his wife and his mother to return home. On the way we were all silent no one said anything to each other and with tears streaming down our cheeks. At home we had to ask for help to take him from the car, the work I always asked his colleagues to help us with and they volunteered so much that they were always ready.
After I took him home not far from us, I went back to the convent and fear gripped me and I did not even know I would tell my fellow sisters. The evening after dinner I informed them that Maiko was back with me, they were all very surprised and everyone was afraid that Maiko would now be gone, and if Maiko dies what will people say about us and this school we are building?
MIRACLE! MIRACLE! MIRACLE !!!!
After talking to my fellow sisters we agreed to start asking Sr. M. Dulcissima to help us in this. Also because we took responsibility for helping him we started making juice and spinach which we used to boil and grind in a blender because the patient was not able to eat anything, he was fed through a pipe, so we were preparing juice and spinach and sprinkling soft soil from the grave of Sr. M. Dulcissima as we prayed to God through intercession of his Servant Sr. M. Dulcissima. We did this for three days and on the fourth day his wife told me that she had seen a patient trying to lift one finger of the hand, REALLY it was a great pleasure for me, for his wife and for my fellow Sisters, we all cheered and said MIRACLE !!! SR. M. DULCISSIMA HAS DONE. It was a joy that brought tears to our eyes. After that memorable event, we continued with our novena and regained some strength until nine days later, Maiko’s wife told me that we had to take him to the hospital. So we left at nine in the morning to get a number in the hospital, when we got there everyone was surprised to see Maiko just looking but un able to raise his hand. They asked what have you done Sisters? I replied “God is good”. So we were asked for a week to return him for further treatment, it was very tiresome because we had to leave at 9 am and there we stayed all day without any treatment, but we knew that treatment was done because every day Maiko continued to get some improvement through God’s servant Sr. M. Dulcissima as the next week he started to lift his leg, itching, looking, feeling pain and finally in the 10th month he started to cry when he felt pain. GOD IS REALLY GOOD.
A HISTORY THAT WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN
For us in the Region of Tanzania and especially the members of the Mwanga community we are absolutely sure that Maiko has recovered with the help of Sr. M. Dulcissima. So we kept asking her until Maiko could speak completely and his memories returned back and even started walking exercises which is what was left. The first thing he said was thanks to God, to the Sisters of Mary Immaculate also to Mr. Sakaya. “Through these Sisters I have received healing now these are my mothers” says Maiko.
Before coming to Mwanga Maiko, was a protestant Christian (Pentecostal church) but when he came Mwanga, he and his wife were Lutherans. After the accident, many were following him even with cars or motorcycles to go to their denomination and be prayed for, he went but he told them “I am now a Catholic no matter what you do”. He always told me, “Mother, I have now decided to become a Catholic and ask you to help me get baptized and get married.” At first I was hesitant, but later I asked the catechist sisters to speak to the parish priest and eventually he and his wife began catechism. On 12/09/2019 he was baptized with his wife and confessed their faith and on 14/09/2019 at 3 am Maiko celebrated a Holy Marriage in the Parish of Jesus of Mercy – Mwanga. Three days before the wedding we posted a Photo of Sr. M. Dulcissima in our church and we asked for prayer and thanksgiving for all that God has done for us through the intercession of His Servant Sr. M. Dulcissima. It had indeed been a day full of joy and everyone who witnessed the event thanked God for the mission performed by the Sisters of Mary Immaculate here in Mwanga.
I am very grateful to my fellow Sisters of the Mwanga community for their dedication, the various offerings they made and more to the unity of the prayers we directed to the Servant of God sr. M. Dulcissima for Maiko, we even witnessed this great miracle for us. We as a community believe and trust that anyone who prays through Dulcissima’s intercession will receive a response very soon. When Maiko was healed, it was as if he had died and is now alive through the intercession of our sister. What can we say to God? We are currently witnessing Young Maiko walking slowly and already having one baby girl named Gabriela. Congratulations to his wife who decided to go to her husband and take care of him all the time even in the worst and most difficult situation of his illness until he found treatment.
Let us continue to pray through the intercession of God’s servant Sr. M. Dulcissima to help us in our mission and save the souls of those who need our help.
Prepared by Sr. Anna Mwamlima
