Sisters who care for souls
For me and many people, the sisters from the Train Station Mission do a lot, so much that it is impossible to write about everything, so I want to tell you about some important things for me, because if it were not for the sisters from the Mission, my life would be completely different and certainly different girl also. Nobody has done as much for me as the sisters and I know that if it weren't for them, my life and the lives of many of us who live at the center would be terrible. Before I got to the Train Station Mission, my life was very hard for me. My parents died when I was 13 in 2002. For a week, after my parents died, I and my sisters were completely alone. Once a day our brother would come and bring food. Unfortunately, he lost his job and moved to our family home with his wife and daughter. My brother was taking alcohol and started beating us. I was treated for epilepsy. My sister tried to kill herself by taking my epilepsy medication. Since then, I have stopped taking them. Then my godfather took us to his place for a week. He did not want me because I was sick, so I ended up with my aunt in Jedlina Zdrój, where my cousin and her daughter also lived. I spent a few years there, but my cousin didn't want me to live with them because she was jealous of her mother. I moved to my sister in Wrocław. There were terrible moments. One day, when my sister's husband was holding an axe over me, I dared to change something in my life and asked a colleague from work to help me find a room for rent. At that time, I only had PLN 800, so I asked her to find me a room for PLN 600. One day my friend came to me and said that they rent only to students for this price. I wanted to give up, but my friend said that "there is only one more way out", I asked "what?" she replied: "to live with the sisters in the center". I agreed. A friend told me that I had to call there myself. So I called and talked to Sister Goretti then, and that same day, after work, I went to talk in person, and the next day I was supposed to come with my things. Before work, I started taking my things out of my apartment. My sister noticed it and she took all my things, including my purse. I was beaten again by her. My friend called the police and they helped me recover my documents. I went with my friend to the sisters. I was horrified. I remember standing against the wall and I didn't want to talk to anyone. The sisters helped me out of the room because I was afraid to leave alone. Since then, my life has changed 180 °. I was surprised that there is a life where you are not beaten every day. The fact that I joined the sisters was something wonderful for me. The sisters were the first people I trusted. Thanks to them, I started smiling. They showed me that the world is not only bad, that there is also good in the world and there are good people. Before, I thought there were no such people. I regained my faith in man again. A colleague from my work managed to recover my correspondence. It turned out that we have debts and that I could go to jail if I don't pay them back. My sisters from another house helped me to pay off this debt. They refused something for Christmas and donated money for my debt. At the center, we try to live like a family. Sisters are like mothers to us and we (girls) like siblings. Sometimes there are disputes between us, but if one needs help, we help each other. The sisters give us birthdays and gifts, and we give them to them. The sisters teach that I am "something" valuable and loved by God. I did not know it before. All I knew was the feeling of fear and the pain of beating. Many girls from the center do not know that it is worth "something", think very badly of themselves. The sisters help us change this thinking. At home, each of the girls has a duty, we learn to clean thoroughly and keep order around us. The sisters taught me that a good housekeeper can be recognized by clean windows. The sisters teach us to share with others who are more in need of help, especially Sr Edyta, who helps the homeless on the street. The sisters help us deal with matters in offices, e.g. with checking out, in arranging an apartment. They understand us and convince girls who have children to breastfeed their children for their health. They help in taking care of children. Sister Edyta helps me dress nicely because I have a problem with it. We receive clothes and other things, and the sisters joke and say that we come with one bag and we have to leave by buses. This already speaks of the help we get from the sisters. Sisters save human life. One of my colleagues told me about a girl who is studying and is pregnant. Her father wanted her to do abortion. She did not want to, but did not have money for things for the child. Then I told the sisters about this girl. The sisters immediately collected things for the child. The baby was born even though it might have been killed. Many children were born thanks to the sisters. The sisters care for human souls. When my sister was seriously ill with cirrhosis of the liver, the sisters helped me to come to her by the priest who confessed her, gave the anointing of the sick and communion. Thanks to Sister Goretti, my sister went to Purgatory, not Hell. Sister Goretti saved her soul. The sisters supported me when my sister died and were at the funeral. It was the same as my uncle passed away. It is the sisters (sister Goretti, Edyta and Helena) who change our lives for the better, they teach us many very useful things. We can always count on sisters in any situation. If it weren't for the house the sisters run, my life would be terrible. One of the girls from the " Train Station Mission".
The beauty of living together
August 23 is the day that changed my perception of living as one. This is the day when I left for a new home without knowing exactly this place or the sisters who were there. But in my heart, I had a lot of peace. I remember when I was supposed to leave right after breakfast, but God's plans were different and we left at 3:00 PM at the Hour of Mercy, which was very significant to me. Strzybnica is a small town where I came across the mantle of Mary and the Heart of Jesus. When I entered the house to which I was directed by the Provincial Sister, I felt a great warmth, the love of the sisters who had been waiting for me since the morning. I felt safe and welcomed with love, joy, openness and such cordiality, and yet they didn't know me and I didn't know them. The atmosphere in this house was unique because you could feel God's Love in the first place. The image of parish life that I saw contributed to the unity in our home community - it was a "living church" in which we formed a great family of God. when welcoming me to Holy Mass, he told me to feel at home ... and it was like that during my two years there. The community in which, by the Divine Will, I was given to be, was only a community of three and one generation, but the sisters who accompanied me were deeply prayerful people, from whom I could learn the life of prayer myself. They really loved and allowed themselves to be loved by Jesus and myself. Each of us looked for good in the other and for the other. I remember how long we sat at meals and it didn't bother us because we wanted to spend time together. We shared the day lived and Jesus' experience in our lives. We enjoyed ourselves in freedom, because Jesus and Mary were among us, they united us. I knew that I could always count on them, even when it was hard and I had a difficult day - my sisters supported me with prayer ... and it was beautiful. Despite the fact that each of us has a different story, different experiences, we were connected by LOVE. I thank God and the Sisters (Sr. Róża and Sr. Albina) for the time spent in Strzybnica, which showed me that creating unity is possible, as long as we are open to one another and accept ourselves as we are in the spirit of God's love . S.M. Sabina Adamowska
Charism in practice
This year, it will be thirty years since I entered our Motherhouse in Wrocław for the first time. One could say that "thirty years have passed as one day ..." It was then that I heard for the first time about our Father John, the charismatic Founder of the Congregation. I wrote about the fact that I "fell in love" with him at first sight. Now I want to share what it resulted for many years ... Discovering the charism of the Founder, Congregation, community was for me like looking for an answer to the question about my own identity. During the first holiday meeting, I heard my friends' admiration for the very current message we have as a Congregation .... The way of transforming the 19th century reality into modern language and the needs that I saw around led me to the conclusion that this "contemporary and timeless ”For me, the charismatic message is CARE FOR THE DIGNITY OF A WOMAN. The form in which it will be possible and to whom it is addressed is a secondary matter. For me, this is a message that is ALWAYS AND ANYWHERE UP-TO-DATE and possible. And if so, there is no excuse that it is impossible, that you cannot take action ... The Founder wrote to us that "we are to be handmaids of servants and serve those whom the world despises." And if the world despises, it is the DIGNITY of those who are weak, dependent, not self-sufficient, that is under threat and underestimated. That is why concern for DIGNITY and appreciation of the person next to me became the center of my attention, care, prayer and work. "I cannot thank you, Lord, because my words are small Please accept my silence and teach me to thank you with my life. " It's a chorus of a famous song that I made many years ago into my personal prayer ... and I try to implement it in everyday life. I am really sincerely grateful to God for allowing me to experience the possibilities of work and care for the Dignity of a woman for many years. Because that's what I have been doing for many years at Bardo. "I was looking for a man" ready with me to give his heart to those whom the world despises, who are helpless, lonely, hurt, despised or only helpless and humble ... I believe that help "before it is too late" can save life, hope, joy ... and when one man is saved, the whole world is saved! To create one safe and friendly place for those in need, you don't need much, but at the same time you need so much - WHOLE HEART! The search for enthusiasts ready to come out against poverty with an attempt to break the chain of helplessness, ready to face the maze of confusing regulations and changing rules, beyond which the most important is MAN and his DIGNITY resulted in the establishment of the Association to help women in crisis, which in honor of the Founder was called: " Marian Union ". We are here to help in a crisis (difficult situation) and to care for the dignity of every human being, to help "before it is too late". A crisis means a time of breakthrough, a turning point, a decisive turn, and a period of collapse. Whenever a person experiences a crisis, they feel lonely, different, defective or maladjusted. And that's why he should seek help from other people to reverse the downward spiral ... and that before it's too late! And one must always hope, because hope is the basis of human existence, "which cannot fail, because it is poured into hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Rom 5: 5). In order to help people in difficult and breakthrough situations, restore their self-confidence and their own dignity, the Association undertakes specific actions:- Runs the "Hope" Crisis Intervention Center, which over time expanded its activities to include Crisis Intervention Points in the area.
- Runs a 24-hour Hostel for people experiencing violence in four counties
- Runs the "ASLAN" Psychological Help Room for Children and Families.
Perpetual Profession in Tanzania
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, or the Feast of Our Lady of the Candlemas, Sisters in Tanzania gathered in Nanjota to accompany Sr. Dorotea making her Perpetual Profession on that day. Perpetual profession, i.e. eternal vows of chastity, obedience and poverty, our sister placed in the hands of our Regional Superior, Sr. Agnes. The liturgy was presided over by Fr.Bishop Filbert Felician Mhasi. He prayed during the Holy Mass for the help of the Holy Spirit in strengthening the Sister in fidelity to her vows. In his homily, Bishop Filbert emphasized that perpetual vows are a humble and sincere dedication to God forever, they are the entrustment of their entire future to Him and the desire to live faithfully in the spirit of the evangelical counsels and the religious constitution. Sr. Dorotea discovered the secret of her vocation in her hometown of Chikukwe. She came to our house many times for the meetings of the Children of Mary group. Now she has given her life to God in our religious family forever. May Mary support her with her grace in fulfilling her vocation. S.M. Monika Kowarsz