www.livestrong.com September WE ARE DIFFERENT YET ONE The way of Jesus to walk united with our differences. -Pope Francis Volume VII Issue No. 1 January-February 2019 Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing, Casa Santo Spirito, Via dei Bevilacqua 60, 00165, Rome Italy M. MAORO SYE INSTALLED PRIORESS GENERAL JANUARY 20, 2019 BY SR. MARIA IGNATIUS GLASER, OSB M. Maoro M. Angela Strobel passing on the PAX, pectoral cross, to M. Maoro Heaven showered tears of joy and thanksgiving over Rome and our Generalate House Chapel, when the CASA community together with our Students and O b l a t e s g a t h e r e d o n t h i s memorable Sunday morning for the Installation of M. Maoro Sye as our new Prioress General, integrated in the sung Noon Prayer. The Veni Creator Spiritus with the following Psalm 89 brought us into the right spiritual disposition for the following ceremony; the words of the Psalm: I will keep my love for her always, my hand will be constantly with her, she will be able to rely on my arm, shed the light of God s everlasting Misericordia as a firm promise on this beginning of a new era in the life of our Congregation. The Generalate and the Casa Community, Rome After a reading from 1 Pet 5, 2-3, M. Angela recalled in a short exhortation the role of the Prioress New Generalate General who represents Christ in From l-r: Sr. Regina Tesch, Sr. Lumen Gloria Dungca, M. Maoro, Sr. Rosann Sr. Vania Maria Toscano, Sr. Katharina Mtitu M. MAORO, page 2
Congregation Lifestream 2 M. MAORO from page 1 M. Maoro and M. Angela scaling the steps of Subiaco our Congregation. Thereafter, while M. Maoro knelt in front of thealtar, M. Angela placing the PAX,, as the visible sign for passing on the authority and burden of leading the Congregation onto her, saying: With the PAX that you have just received, we find unity under the one good shepherd, Jesus Christ. In His cross were shown God s wisdom and power. May he give you the strength to imitate his example of faithful love and share patiently in his suffering. May you lead our Congregation to a deeper appreciation of intercultural living and follow the way of Jesus by walking with our differences And M. Maoro responded in firm voice: O Lord, our God of unity in diversity, you have called me to serve you in our congregation. Mindful of my responsibility and the burden which you make light and aware of my weaknesses, I ask you to give me wisdom and understanding and a listening heart so that I may fulfill the task you have marked out for me. With confidence in God s assistance, we all integrated our prayers into this humble petition. The new Councilors joined then M. Maoro at the center in front of the altar. M. Angela presented them the Rule of St. Benedict, our Constitutions and the XIII General Chapter Message as their guides in working together for the good of our congregation. The new Generalate pleaded in one voice God to grant them the zeal to work together for the good of the Congregation so that in fulfilling our task we may remain faithful to our charism and thus serve you unreservedly through Jesus Christ your Son, our Lord. The ceremony finally included the whole community in assuring the new Generalate loyalty and prayerful support. Representing all Sisters of our Congregation, we asked God s help to be united in our differences and serve our Congregation in creative fidelity. With them may we respond to the signs of the times without departing from F. Amrhein s initial inspiration of monastic life of prayer and work, community and mission. Finally, the rite gave way to the whole community to show M. Maoro and her Councilors love and loyalty through the old Benedictine gesture of the PAX. Of course, the many warm and pious words that were whispered into their ears cannot be repeated in this place; they were secrets coming and going from heart to heart. But the whole ceremony respired the warm feelings and joy that were hovering over us. The superb choir of our Junior group accompanied us with the old antiphon ubi caritas et amor, ibi Deus est. The ceremony ended with a prayer. For the first time, the whole Generalate Mother General and her Councilors was installed together, three months after the General Chapter has ended. Standing there together in front of the Altar they portrayed our Different yet One Logo alive, representing the continents where we are sent as missionaries and being bound together by the center of our life, JESUS CHRIST, whose way to walk they now set out with all of us, with all our differences and in all our richness. In festive mood we moved then to the refectory and continued the feast with a delicious meal.
Congregation Lifestream 3 BULGARIA BY SR. LETICIA SARAZA, OSB An ancient and precious tradition is still very much honored and expected yearly by the parishioners of the St. Michael Parish in Sekirovo. It was Epiphany Sunday when we started visiting and blessing the houses. Since the Sekirovo district is the biggest among the districts of Rakovski, this activity usually lasts two to three weeks including Saturdays and Sundays. Every evening, our parish priest, Fr. Rumen Stanev assigned us to different streets. Accompanied by our dedicated young men and women, we trudged the streets of Sekirovo. Upon entrance and the usual exchange of greetings, we say the prayer, followed by the kissing of the Cross and the sprinkling of holy water inside the room where we are gathered. Sometimes, families would request to bless other parts of the house, or to bless their car, their backyard or their livestock. This year, we are blessed with generally cold but snowless weather. Occasionally, a bitter winter cold and wind accompany us on our journey but we are in our full winter attire. It is a joy for me to see the whole family gathered to pray and to be blessed. Sadly, due to work shifts, since four years ago, it is a rarity to see a whole family gathered. Usually, we find ourselves blessing the house with only a grandmother or a grandfather present. The rest are still at work or at school. Changes come but the enthusiasm and warmth of the people can still be felt and this serves as an inspiration for me to go on doing this timeless tradition. Sr. Ursula Worringen from the Olinda Priory celebrated her 100th birthday on February 12. She was born in K ö l n - N i p p e s, Germany. She has spent 79 years of her life in the Priory of Olinda. T h e B a l t a r community had its Sr. Ursula festivities for the 50th anniversary of the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing s presence in Baltar. The festivities which were celebrated each month started from September 2018 and ended in February 2019. Tagaytay was established on September 15, 1991 and started out as an extension of the Priory House community. In 1993 it was made a juridical community. In 1994 a three-building complex was put up and was named St. Abt. Scholastica s Guillermo Center of Spirituality. The Center celebrated its 25th jubilee of foundation on February 19. Sr. Leticia (l) and Sr. Angela Park (r) blessing the Bulgarian couple s house
Congregation Lifestream 4 The congregation applies for membership in the "Global Catholic Climate Movement." (XIII General Chapter) WHAT IS THE GLOBAL CATHOLIC CLIMATE MOVEMENT (GCCM)? BY SR. JEANNE BOTT, OSB You have probably read in the section on Care for bold public policies together with the wider for God s Creation of the Message of the XIII climate movement. Member organizations receive General Chapter 2018 that it was decided that our helpful hands-on resources to grow their work on Congregation would apply for membership in the creation care and connect with a supportive global Global Catholic Climate Movement. Catholic community. Here are a few basic facts on who they are and The GCCM promotes Key Global Moments for what their aim is, taken From l-r: from Sr. Mary their Gabrielle, website Sr. Suzana, the Sr. network Augustina, and Sr. the Gabriella, Catholic Sr. family Paula, to take action Sr. Katarina, Sr. Francine www.catholicclimatemovement.global, partly in together, maximizing the Church s collective October 2018, partly in February 2019: impact. It empowers the Catholic Grassroots The Global Catholic Climate Movement was through the Laudato Si Animators program and founded in January 2015 and is a global network decentralized tools and campaigns. And it is a of more than 650 Catholic organizations working Sharing Platform for Catholic organizations and to care for creation by responding to climate individuals to share information and resources change. It is guided by an international Steering across the globe. Committee and a secretariat based in Boston. The GCCM supports the Catholic Church to Among the members are Caritas agencies, bring Laudato Si to life in the following three religious orders, lay movements, youth groups, dimensions (which are all equally important to diocesan offices and Catholic-inspired NGOs. tackle this complex climate crisis): The Global Catholic Climate Movement serves 1. Spiritual Dimension: The GCCM promotes the Catholic family worldwide to turn Pope Laudato Si and encourages local communities to Francis Laudato Si encyclical into action for undergo the ecological conversion needed to climate justice, by undergoing our own ecological overcome consumerism and heal our relationship conversion, transforming our lifestyles and calling with creation and the poor. 2. Lifestyle Dimension: The GCCM encourages lifestyle changes through the Eco-Parish program to reduce the carbon footprint from Catholic parishes worldwide and the Divest-Reinvest program to shift Catholic financial assets from dirty fossil fuels to clean renewable energy. 3. Public Policy Dimension: The GCCM raises its voice in the public sphere to callfor bold climate policies, by mobilizing in the streets, supporting advocacy efforts in the halls of power and amplifying the Laudato Si Parade, World Youth Day 2019, Panama Laudato Si message in the media.
Congregation Lifestream 5 WHAT S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MULTICULTURAL, INTERCULTURAL, AND CROSS- CULTURAL COMMUNICATION? What is the difference between multicultural, crosscultural, and intercultural? While they all might be under the same roof, they describe entirely different rooms. The differences in the meanings have to do with the perspectives we take when interacting with people from other cultures. Multicultural refers to a society that contains several cultural or ethnic groups. People live alongside one another, but each cultural group does not necessarily have engaging interactions with each other. For example, in a multicultural neighborhood people may frequent ethnic grocery stores and restaurants without really interacting with their neighbors from other countries. Cross-cultural deals with the comparison of different cultures. In cross-cultural communication, differences are understood and acknowledged, and can bring about individual change, but not collective transformations. In cross-cultural societies, one culture is often considered the norm and all other cultures are compared or contrasted to the dominant culture. Intercultural describes communities in which there is a deep understanding and respect for all cultures. Intercultural communication focuses on the mutual exchange of ideas and cultural norms and the development of deep relationships. In an intercultural society, no one is left unchanged because everyone learns from one another and grows together. CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNITIES 1.Intentionality: A Common/Community Project Intentionality is considerably more than good will or good intentions. Whoever has the will must find the means, and a community must be able to identify common means and not simply individual goodwill. By religious profession, members of a religious institute embrace the common life, pledging not simply to plow a lone furrow but to work together with common dedication toward a common end. What is sometimes referred to as a common project or better, a community project and sometimes misunderstood is the focus that all must have for the common good and the good of the ministry or apostolate; it is not simply some practical task. For a faith-based religious community, that would be what really inspires, captures members attention and imagination, and stimulates and challenges the faith of all. It may be expressed in the words of the community s mission statement or identified as its founding charism or raison d être; but it needs to live, not simply in carefully crafted documents or nostalgic memories but in each person. As a plant or animal will die without water, so a community's zeal and focus will atrophy unless its common project is nurtured and tended. My own community, the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (Spiritans), articulates its community project as follows: Each (local) community plans what it wants to achieve and how it lives within the framework that the Rule provides. The planning sets down what community life asks of the members, in terms of time and occasions of prayer in common, of deeper sharing of our lives oand of periodic evaluation of th community s life and of our apostolic work. A common project might be articulated as an answer to the questions: what are you really living for and what is worth dying for? But living such a common project requires several corollary features of qualities. Source: Maria Velasco Program Manager, Intercultural Training and Consulting Spring Institute Source: Anthony J. Gittins, Living Mission Interculturally, 24-25. (to be continued in the next issue)
Congregation Lifestream 6 Sr. Caridad Sr. Marie Johann Sr. Karolina Sr. Mary Clemens Sr. Caridad Choi from Rome back to home priory, Daegu Sr. Marie Johann Heo from Daegu to Rome Sr. Karolina Pasek from Bulgaria/ Generalate District back to home priory, Ndanda Sr. Mary Clemens Hamukoto from Bulgaria/Generalate District back to home priory, Windhoek IWE SCHEDULE: 2019-2024 Six junior sisters made their final profession. Sr. Ireneo Oh, Sr. Bernadetta Choi, Sr. Yeonhee Maria Kim and Sr. Vicentia Kim from Daegu Priory had theirs on February 9 while Sr. Annet Namadi and Sr. Christine Amukule from Jinja/Generalate District on February 16. Daegu From l-r: Sr. Marie Ireneo Sr. Bernadetta, Sr. Yeonhee Maria and Sr. Vincentia Rest in Peace Sr. Norma David, 84, died in San Fernando, Philippines on January 1. Sr. Cecilia Paukner, 89, died in Recife, Brazil on January 16. Sr. Candidda Cabral, 87, died in Recife, Brazil on February 8. Jinja/Generalate District Sr. Annet (l) and Sr. Christine (r) With all our best wishes for this year s Priory Chapters, The Generalate THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED.