Wherever the stream flows, it will bring life. (Ez. 47:9c) Volume II Issue No.4 July-August 2014 Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing, Casa Santo Spirito, 00163 Via dei Bevilacqua 60, Rome Italy M. Angela, Sisters from Rome, Tutzing, Procura and the Bulgarian community beaming with the centenary smile. August 23 marked the celebration of the 100 years of Benedictine presence in Bulgaria. Sr. Leticia Saraza reports, It started with a concelebrated Mass led by Monsignor Petko Hristov, the Bishop of Russe, together with four priests and one deacon. The St. Michael Parish choir and Sisters from the Tutzing Priory enhanced the occasion with their singing. In his homily, Mons. Petko recalled that most of the Sisters who had lived these one hundred years are in heaven, but the missionary flame has not been extinguished for they were faithful to a life that has no end. A centenary gift put on the lap of the sisters was the official signing of the Agreement for Settlement of Property Relations at the Ministry of Health in Sofia on August 26. During the 40 years of communist regime all the properties of the congregation were confiscated. Mother Angela Strobel writes, This allows us to disconnect the properties of the State (Psychiatric Hospital) and the Congregation. When everything will be in place after the concluded renovation, we will have the original convent, a precious Monastery, the only one in Bulgaria. It was Sr. Rosa Maria Santana, the Superior, who signed the agree- Sr. Rosa Maria being congratulated by Dr. Tanya Adreeva as M. Angela and Sr. Kunigundis look on. ment but it was actually Sr. Kunigundis Amon who worked for it for about a year. Finally, with the help of the German Embassy in Sofia we reached the goal. On August 3, Mother Angela Strobel announced the election of Sr. Mary Thomas Prado as the new prioress of the Windhoek Priory. Sr. Mary Thomas is Sr. Mary Thomas from the Manila Priory. Shortly after her final vows, she was sent for studies in Psychology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. She also did a doctorate on ministry major in Cross-cultural Ministries at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, USA. Sr. Mary Thomas was President of St. Scholastica s College, Manila before her election as Prioress of Windhoek. Her installation as prioress will takesplace on November 15, 2014.
P a g e 2 NDANDA VISITATION Information, animation, renewal. These comprise the purpose of the visitation required by the Church in order to strengthen the sisters awareness and conviction that the Congregation is concerned about its members individually and as a whole (Supplement 6, Our Constitutions). Arrival and opening. The visitators, Vicaress General Sr. Lumen Gloria and General Councilor Sr. Maria Salete da Rocha, arrived in Ndanda on July 15. They were welcomed by the priory house community and formation house members the Tanzanian way lots of dancing, singing and drumming. Then, all proceeded to the chapel for the welcome hymn and prayer led by Prioress Sr. Terese Zemale. At the opening session Sr. Lumen Gloria read the official letter of Prioress General Mother Angela Strobel designating the two sisters as visitators for the priory of Ndanda. Then, Sr. Lumen Gloria, in her own creative way gave the opening conference. It set the theme for the entire visitation event, that of longing for God by conversation morum. Renewal sessions in groups. Following the communication from the visitators during the preparatory phase, the members of the priory were organized into profession groups. Likewise, enough time was allocated for reviewing and discussing the four directions formulated at the last General Chapter. Also there were days and half-days allocated for individual time, for those who signed up, to be with the visitators. By: Sr. Marissa Piramide, OSB Something new! The visitators led us into a new experience of renewal: appreciating, or re-appreciating, our vocation; as well as valuing, or re-valuing, our life and relationships in the monastic community. As we all know, in everyday life most of our time and energy are spent on fulfilling responsibilities, and responding to the demands of work and ministry; practically leaving no more time and space to show or express our love and appreciation for each other in the community. Again, the visitators had creative activities for us to do at the sessions. (Now, what where these novel and creative ways? This writer takes care not to describe everything in detail so as not to pre-empt what the two visitators would be doing at their forthcoming visitations in other priories.) The begining; not the end. The visitation of Ndanda Priory started on July 15 and closed on August 4. We praise and thank the Trinity God for such a rich renewal experience. Thanks to Sr. Lumen Gloria and Sr. Maria Salete for all their time and effort as well as for their sisterly and friendly presence among us. Thanks to Mother Angela and the members of the Generalate for their prayers and support. Thanks to Mother Prioress Terese and the PG members. We remember the whole event with grateful hearts, awakened zeal, and renewed hopes. The visitation event did end, yes, as all schedules do. But for the Ndanda Priory life ora et labora and mission begins anew. Sr. Teresa Zemale (center) with the Ndanda Priory House Community
V o l u m e I I, I s s u e 3 P a g e 3 SESSIONS ON THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT MAREDSOUS. Every two years at the Abbey of Maredsous we have a session sur la Regle (a session on the RB) open to interested monastics from Belgian and French monasteries. There is always a great variety among the participants who value sharing among each other and also learn new things about RB. These sessions began in 1972. In 1985 I began to animate them and continued until this year which means that I have been faithful to this seminar for 30 years which were 16 sessions all in all. We did it in Rome twice for two weeks. It was the Rule on the Spot with more or less 40 participants, linking the study with excursions to the Benedictine places. I had already asked Sr. Hannah Van Quakebeke, who did the doctorate with me at St. Anselmo, to co-facilitate in the last four sessions. Now she is prioress of her community and the first assistant of their congregations s president. So now I thought, they do not need me anymore, and I can leave it to them. Perhaps they will find new ways. I am very grateful for this experience. It was always very good to feel the friendly hospitality of the monk s commu- Sr. Aquinata (encircled face) with the participants ty, to see the place where Fr.Amrhein lived for some time and his important frescos and to pray at the tomb of blessed Fr. Columba Marmion. by: Sr. Aquinata Böckmann, OSB DAR-ES-SALAAM. Sr. Aquniata Böckmann conducted the Sub-Sahara Rule of St. Benedict Conference held at the Tanzania Episcopal Conference Center from August 18-24 in honor of the 125th year of destruction of the first Benedictine Sub- Sahara mission in Pugu where two brothers and Sr. Martha Wansing were murdered in 1889. Thanks to Sr. Rosann Ocken and her team for the good preparation and organization.
P a g e 4 LRB COURSE The second edition of the Leadership and Rule of St. Benedict course with four modules took place at the Pontifical University of Sant Anselmo in Rome from July 7-19. Sr. Adelaida Ygrubay, Sr. Adelaida Prioress of Manila, took part as a reactor for Module I which dealt with Shaping Relations Inside and Outside the Community. BENEDICTINE GATHERINGS PAN-AFRICAN MEETING by: Sr. Regina Tesch, OSB BEAO MEETING By: Sr. Adelaida Ygrubay, OSB The 10th meeting of the BENEDICTINES OF EAST ASIA AND OCEANIA (BEAO) was held at the Montserrat Center for Religious Formation in Silang, Cavite, Philippines from August 5-7 with 34 religious superiors from Korea, Japan, and the Philippines in attendance, nine of whom were our Tutzing superiors and formators. Among the guests were Fr. Abbot Primate Notker Wolf, OSB, Fr. Abbot Jean-Pierre Longeat, OSB, President of AIM, Fr. Mark Butlin, OSB of Ampleforth Abbey and AIM, and Br. Nicholas Koss, OSB from Beijing and Taiwan. Fr. Abbot Philip Lawrence, OSB of Christ in the Desert Monastery in the USA spoke on the Challenges of New Technology for Monastic Life, while Fr. Percy Bacani, MJ, gave a situationer and its Challenges for the Catholic Church. Participants of the Pan-African Meeting This year s Pan-African Meeting (PAM) of Superiors and Formators of our African Priories and Regions was held in Dar-e-Salaam, Tanzania from August 25-26.. Sr. Aquinata gave us a spiritual input about conversatio morum. An article of Sr. Karen Joseph, OSB from USA sparked our discussion about our identity as Missionary Benedictines in Africa. For initial formation we realized the importance of a solid formation in faith. We saw the need to strengthen especially the Juniorate programs and ongoing formation. We want to gain more knowledge about the rites of passage in African culture in order to see connections with our steps of formation. More practically we evaluated and discussed about the Pan- African intensifiers program. Abbot Primate Notker (center) with the BEAO Participants
V o l u m e I I, I s s u e 3 P a g e 5 WESSOBRUNN WITH NEW OWNER (from the Tutzing Priory Newsletter Number 2, 2014) MEETING WITH THE GMP L-R: Sr. Salete, Sr. Lumen Gloria, Sr. Kunigundis, M. Angela, Sr. Caridad, Sr. Eva-Maria and Sr. Martha Sr. Hildegard handing over the symbolic key to Mrs. Gebhart. Far right is M. Angela. June 12 was a memorable date for the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of the Tutzing Priory for on that day, the Prioress, Sister Hildegard Jansing, handed over in a symbolic ceremony the keys of the art-historically significant monastic complex in Wessobrunn to the new owner, Mrs. Martina Gebhardt. Present was also the Prioress General, M. Angela Strobel. Remembering gratefully the activities of our Sisters for the past 99 years, Sr. Hildegard stated in her address:...our efforts,therefore, concentrated upon the search for the meaningful use through a private investor...the original works of the Wessobrunn-stucco-school should be open to the public also in the future, and the new use should benefit the town s economy and tourism. ARRIVEDERCI Sr. Jonathan Kim (Daegu) and Sr. Mary Clemens H a m u k o t o (Windhoek) finished their two-year studies on Consecrated Life at the Institutum Vitae Consecratae Claretianum, Rome in June. Both are back now in Sr. Jonathan, Sr. M. Clemens their priories. The Generalate together with Sr. Kunigundis Amon, met with Sr. Martha Baumeister and Sr. Eva-Maria Zierl at the Generalate meeting room of the Casa Santo Spirit in Rome on July 9 to discuss the services of the Generalate Mission Prokura (GMP). Sr. Eva-Maria starts reporting for work at the GMP on September 15 of this year. Sr. Mirjam Sr. Eva-Maria Sr. Raphaela Sr. Antoinette, Sr. Angeline, Sr. Fidelis The following sisters were transferred in July: Sr. Antoinette Adelman from India to Rome Sr. Mirjam Schweiger to Tutzing Sr. Eva-Maria Zierl from Nairobi to Tutzing Sr. Fidelis Kim from Sri Lanka to Daegu Sr. Angeline Arceo from Sri Lanka to Manila while waiting for her next mission assignment. Sr. Raphaela Liu to Daegu for one year. Sri Lanka is temporarily closed until further notice.
P a g e 6 POPE FRANCIS VISITS KOREA By: Sr. Cecil Jo, OSB In a speech at Kkottongnae with the religious, Pope Francis said, "In the consecrated life, poverty is both a wall and a mother. It is a wall because it protects the consecrated life, a mother because it helps it grow and guides it along the right path. The hypocrisy of those consecrated men and women who profess vows of poverty, yet live like the rich, wounds the souls of the faithful and harms the Church." God blessed the 5-day pastoral visit of Pope Francis to Korea from August 14-18 with a good weather. Hundreds of thousands people were able to attend the celebration of the beatification of 124 Korean Martyrs in the heart of Seoul on August 16 followed by a visit to Kkottongnae, the largest Catholic Center for the poor and abandoned. A meeting of His Holiness with the religious and consecrated people in Korea was held there. Sisters of Daegu Priory House applied for the meeting with the Pope in Kkottongnae. They were in two full buses. The Missionary Benedictine Sisters involved with Youth Pastoral Ministries worked together with priests of Daegu Archdiocese and Daejeon Diocese for the 6th Asian Youth Day held on August 17 at Haemi Sanctuary in Seosan, 151 kilometers south of Seoul - where about 1,000 Korean Christians were executed for their faith from 1866 to 1882. Among the 6,000 youth was a group of 20 Austrian youth from Salburg Archdiocese who lodged at the Benedict Spirituality Center on Saturday, August 16. The following day they participated in the morning prayer at the Priory House, met with Sr. Bertwina Caesar at the parlor and had a delicious western style breakfast. In fact, Daegu and Salburg Archdioceses have held ties for 50 years. This first visit of Pope Francis to Korea marked a very deep impression not only to Catholics,but also to the whole country. His manner of reaching out to the poorest in society is worth emulating. Pope Francis with religious in Kkottongnae on August 16. INT L JUNIORS PROGRAM The one year International Junior s Program ended on August 20. The participants are now back to their home priories/regions. From left to right: Sr. Laura Gauna (Argentina), Sr. Agnes Mrosso (Ndanda), Sr. John Paul Marunga (Jinja) and Sr. Anselma Samuel (Windhoek). Sr. Modesta Pereira de Araújo,OSB 104, died in Sorocaba on July 17. Sr. Guntmara Rawald, OSB, 85, died in Tutzing on July 31. with prayerful wishes, The GENERALATE