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
Nov 5, 2024 | NEWS
The last day of praying the rosary at the Parish of St. Apostles Matthew and Matthias in Brzezie is an assault of saints. Children who have regularly prayed the rosary as a reward dress up as a saint or blessed given to them, whose relics are in the possession of the parish. This year there were more children who love Our Lady of the Rosary than the parish has relics of, so the others were also able to dress up as a saint they particularly love. Among the saints was also our Servant of God S. Maria Dulcissima. Can you find her?
God be thanked for the Saints who pray for us and for those children and their families who seek strength and support in praying the Rosary.
s. Janina
Nov 5, 2024 | NEWS
On the Solemnity of All Saints, we turn our thoughts to our patron saints. With gratitude in our hearts, we turn to the saints and blessed of the Church, who care for the glory of God in the Trinity of One, who intercede in our needs.
Our servant of God Sister Dulcissima, who died in the reputation of holiness, asked in prayer: “Jesus , let us all become saints.”
In the first days of November, the resting place of the handmaid of God is exceptionally dressed in flowers and full of light . Many people come to the sister to thank her for her intercession and ask for her intercession before God.
And she subtly reminds them: “You too, must strive for holiness. For it is our duty.”
s.Małgorzata Cur SMI
Oct 13, 2024 | NEWS
On Saturday, 12.10.2024, in a sisterly group, we set out on a pilgrimage in the footsteps of our Fr. Founder in Wroclaw, to pray and ask for the gift of his beatification, to ask for the grace of perseverance for all sisters and to ask for the gift of numerous new vocations. Each of us also carried our own intentions and requests in our hearts. We prayed for all those who ask God for help through the intercession of God’s servant. We began our pilgrimage route at the Motherhouse of our Congregation, the former hostel. Here we rediscovered the remarkable history of the first 40 years of this home and the great work of mercy of protection over the girls, which was accomplished thanks to the heroic faith of Rev. John Schneider and his first sisters. Then, in the chapel of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Wroclaw, we recited the chaplet to the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculately Conceived – the prayer of our Father Founder – to ask by the Heart of the Mother for new vocations to our religious family. We also visited the exhibition dedicated to Fr. Schneider-“Defender of Women.” Then, walking through Ostrow Tumski, at the Church of the Holy Cross we remembered the ordination of our Apostle of Mercy and the beginnings of his priesthood. At the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Sand, at the tomb of our servant of God, we prayed, participating in Mass, for the beatification of Fr. John Schneider. Our next place of pilgrimage was the Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, where Fr. John so zealously pastored for 22 years and where he was parish priest. We recited, before the image of Our Lady Help of Christians of Wroclaw, the act of entrustment to Mary with the words of our founder’s prayer. And then, already in cars, we drove to Our Lady in Osobowice. We wanted, as Fr. Jan once did with the first sisters, to pray there and entrust our lives to the Mother of God. In the chapel at Osobowice we prayed the rosary for our deceased sisters and for the sisters who had left the congregation. After praying and pilgrimage together, it was time for a little sisterly picnic and a few moments together. I thank God in the Trinity, Mary our Mother and our beloved Father Founder for our presence, unforgettable moments, praying together for our Congregation, for the act of entrustment, time and wonderful weather😊.
S.M. Barbara
Oct 5, 2024 | NEWS
On October 3, S.M. Sybilla, Superior General of our Congregation, began a visit of communities in Tanzania. The visit will last until October 28, during which time the Mother General intends to visit all 10 communities spread throughout the country. In addition to meetings and talks, lectures and seminars are planned for the sisters on the themes and resolutions of the General Chapter that ended last year.
