Wherever the stream flows, it will bring life. (Ez. 47:9c) Volume IV Issue No.2 March-April 2016 Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing, Casa Santo Spirito, 00163 Via dei Bevilacqua 60, Rome Italy Sr. Rosa Maria The Nairobi Priory held its election for the new prioress on March 17 with Sr. Lumen Gloria Dungca, Vicaress General, as presider. Sr. Rosa Maria Santana is the newlyelected prioress. She will be installed by her predecessor, Sr. Michael Marie Rottinghaus on May 15. Sr. Rosa Maria was former General Councilor, Prioress of Sorocaba and Superior of Bulgaria. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Benedictine Educators Meet in Rome 3 Misericordia, Its Significance in the RB 4 Solidarity with the Destitute 5 Events 6 BY SR. RITA MARIE TOFFLEMIRE, OSB Excitement was building up at the 2016 IWE being held at the Casa Generalizia, Rome. Now the time has arrived and here we are in Rome meeting different sisters from our different priories all over the world from the time we arrived on April 2. Though we all do not speak English we are bonded by our hearts through our charis- ma of being Missionary Benedictine Sisters. The opening prayer service and living drama of our beginning IWE, PAGE 2 2016 IWE Participants with Mother Angela Strobel, OSB (center)
P a g e 2 IWE, FROM PAGE 1 Welcoming the IWE participants roots really touched us all deeply into what this time of renewal is all about. Mother Angela encouraged us all to "be open" in this time especially to take in all the great graces of the Holy Year of Mercy. Sr.Lumen Gloria Dungca, Sr. Caridad Choi, Sr. Ma. Salete Rocha and Sr. Regina Tesch led the different language groups with love and enlightenment during these weeks. It has been again a time with the Holy Rule and seeing the life of St. Benedict through different eyes and clearer understanding through the great knowledge of our sage and scholar Sr. Aquinata Böckmann. We had the joy of learning the rosary in Latin and traveling in the evening to the Vatican Radio. We prayed the rosary live with the whole world. What a wonderful pilgrimage experience....at the Vatican Radio Our first pilgrimage was to Campo Santo where our first sisters had their first profession before going to their mission assignment in East Africa. It was very touching to renew our profession in the same space as our pioneering sisters. Then it was on to St. Peter's Basilica and had the opportunity to go through the Jubilee Door of Mercy. Taking the time to touch the door and give thanks for all the many blessings. The great mercy of God was overwhelming. After our conferences with Sr. Aquinata, we had Sr. Hilda Buhay on "Misericordia in the Constitutions" and the sharing of the different sisters on the questionnaire given to each sister for reflection of the implementation of the 2012 General Chapter Themes. We were excited to go as a group to the audience of the Holy Father and had seats up close to Pope Francis and hear the name of Missionary Benedictine Sisters called out for the English speaking group....lining up for the Pope s audience Sr. Salete and Sr. Regina gave us a presentation of New Evangelization and we gathered together in our language groups to discuss about it. Our next pilgrimage was to Norcia, the birthplace of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica and St. Eutizio. We had guided tours in both places. Throughout our time we will be going to all four major basilicas in Rome, catacombs and to Subiaco and Monte Cassino. We continue to proceed in our pilgrimage, ever growing in graces and mercies God bestows on us. After having a Roman experience going to the roots of our Benedictine life, we will travel to Tutzing Germany on May 9 and also to St. Ottilien and experience the roots of our Missionary beginnings and life. We are grateful to our home priories who freed us from our responsibilities and allowed us to join this International Weeks of Encounter. That In All Thing May God Be Glorified.
V o l u m e I V, I s s u e 2 P a g e 3 BY SR. ROSARIO OBINIANA, OSB The Seventh International Meeting of the Benedictine Educators Network (BENET) was held at Casa La Salle, Rome, Italy from April 4 7 headed by Fr. Elias Lorenzo, ICBE (International Commission on Benedictine Education) President and participated in by 170 Benedictine and Cisterian monks, sisters and lay collaborators from USA, Brazil, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Rwanda, in the Rule of St. Benedict under the direction of Dr. Gunter Muller-Stewens (St. Gallen) and Fr. Luigi Gioia, OSB (S. Anselmo) and how those values can help shape and guide school communities: administrators, teachers, students and staff. Shaping relations inside and outside the school is LISTENING. That means, paying attention more closely to those being dealt with and listening Guatemala, Austria, South Africa, Tanzania, more closely to what they say,by explicit Chile, Ethiopia, Kenya, UK, Philippines, Togo, Italia, Colombia, Belgium, Uganda, Argentina and Ireland. The theme of the conference was Leadership in the Rule of Benedict: Primer for Schools. The Tutzing delegates were: Sr. Adriana Irma Ribeira, Sr. Xaveria Bang Jeong Ok, Sr. Ledia Periera Campos, Sr. Cecilia Do Camo Batista de Moraes, and Sr. Filomena Candido (Sorocaba, Brazil), Sr. Emily Wanjiko Kabaria (Nairobi), Sr. Juliet Kombe (Peramiho), Elizabeth Amedo (lay deputy head teacher Jinja), Sr. Reginalda Cortez, Sr. Ida Morin, Sr. Edna Quiambao, Sr. Rebecca Maglalang, Sr. Mary Frances Dizon, Sr. Julia requests but more often in an unspoken way. The most crucial role of the leader is how to promote this listening attitude in the whole institution so that everyone starts acting from within from leadership to a synergy. If this is done, listening progressively becomes a common responsibility, a common concern, and a common activity. The speakers gave points taken from the Rule of St. Benedict: mutual obedience (RB 68), praeveniens as invicem (RB72), details refectory: see other people s needs (RB38) and cellerary: give to the monks all they need before they even ask see what their real needs are (RB 31). Yap, Sr. Vicenta Anuran, and Sr. Rosario Obiniana (Philippines). Peaceful and solid relations are shaped through quality listening. LISTEN, O MY SON, TO THE The participants were able to explore the principles and of leadership and management in PRECEPTS OF YOUR MASTER. (RB, Prologue) the OSB Tutzing Participants Front row L-R: Sr. Mary Frances, Sr. Edna, Sr. Judith, Sr. Ledia, Back row L-R: Sr. Filomena, Sr. Adriana, Sr. Xaveria, Sr. Rebecca, Sr. Vicenta, Sr. Redginalda, Sr. Rosario, Sr. Julia, Sr. Elizabeth, Sr. Ida, Sr. Emily, Sr. Cecilia
P a g e 4 MISERICORDIA, ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN THE RB BY SR.AQUINATA BÖCKMANN, OSB PART I I 64,10; 64,9 As Christ did, also the abbot (we can apply this in a certain way to everyone of us!) should place misericordia above judgment. The highest norm is misericordia. The abbot, himself conscious of his fragility (64,13), in this way points to Christ, the merciful one, who does not crush the bruised reed (Is 42,3). 53,14 There is another text, pointing also to Christ, and this occurs in 53,14. The community of monks gives to the guests and strangers all honor, special charity, companionship in peace, humanity, zeal and care (53,1-15). The highpoint of this is the washing of the feet in V. 14. Since the beginning of this chapter, Benedict had emphasized that it is Christ who comes in the guests or strangers (53,1.7.15). HE comes in them, - whether they are worthy or unworthy, virtuous or not. Now they could thank God that they had a lot of possibilities to practice the works of mercy (misericordia). But it is the contrary: The monks are the ones who are on the receiving end: We have received, God, your misericordia. According to the Fathers Christ is the misericordia of God in person. I suspect that the monks practiced a sort of Jesus-prayer, as it was usual at this time. The invocation of the Lord (Christ) is linked to a plea for misericordia, compassion, mercy. If this is true, then we could say: God hears the petition of this prayer and grants them misericordia, when they are merciful (misericordes) towards the poor and stranger. He himself comes to visit them as the misericordia in person. - If this is so, then the vision of Benedict always again and again stimulates us, not to consider only our own misericordia towards people, but to be more conscious that in all our acting and serving, we are enriched liberally and generously by our God and His misericordia. 34,3-4 This misericordia is not only important in the relation of he Lord to us, the Abbot and the brothers, but it also marks their common life. In this little passage in v. 4 the monk who needs more necessary things for his day to day life, and apparently got them, is admonished to be humble because of his weakness and not to exalt himself because of the misericordia he received. Probably he alludes to brothers coming from poor families and others from rich ones. These first monks could more easily bear renunciations, and the others somehow pampered need more. These ones are more dependent than others on the compassion and misericordia of the brothers. They should accept this situation, their being near to the earth (humus, humiliare), that is: to be humble, humbled because of their weakness (34,4). When they recognize, that the others are merciful towards them, the elatio (pride, arrogance) has no basis, no reason to exist (34,4). 37,1 has an important statement which is rather exceptional in a monastic Rules of the Antiquity: The human nature in itself is drawn to misericordia towards elderly and children. The elders and children need compassion, misericordia, and not rigorism. The misericordia does not go only towards the good and pious elders and well educated children. Already limiting ourselves to these specific texts, it becomes evident that this misericordia of God is the basis of all ascetic endeavor (4,74). It is just in the failures that we experience the great misericordia of the Lord, which is the firm base in all human darkness and sinfulness (7,46). Especially the abbot shall embody this characteristic towards the brothers, when he filled with compassion - takes the lost sheep on his shoulders (27,7f) and when he uses towards them misericordia which he himself also needs badly (64,13.9f). Christ, the misericordia of God in person, comes to the community, if the brothers are welcoming and merciful to poor and strangers, and he fulfills the desire of all to receive misericordia (53,14). The brotherly relationships are marked by this attitude, and show a loving understanding and compassion (34,4). Also the human nature as such is inclined to misericordia (37,1) and the Rule wants to reinforce this basis.
V o l u m e I V, I s s u e 2 P a g e 5 SOLIDARITY WITH THE DESTITUTE BY SR. ANNA MARY ADIKINI, OSB Jinja Destitute Home was established in the year 1973 on a joint effort of the Busoga Joint Advisory Welfare Council and Sr. Liz, an American Sister. Prior to Uganda s independence, the town of Jinja had become an industrial center which provided employment to many people from different nationalities: U g a n - d a n s, Kenyans, Tanzanians, Burundians, Sr. Hilda R w a n - dans and Somalis. Most of these workers were unskilled and the working conditions were uncertain. This exposed the workers to the eventual risk of being laid off without any possibility of a resettlement package. This became a major problem after some time because these people lost social linkage with their families of origin. They faced a number of problems which ranged from lack of food, shelter, clothing and medical care. They became destitute and were forced to go to the streets as beggars. Wars, famine and rural and urban migration also created a class of people who could not cater for their own welfare. Hence the establishment of Jinja Destitute Home was founded to offer a home for the infirm and disadvantaged of the society. To date the home continues to receive people in such situations who are recommended by the police, church, the probation and welfare departments, and the local authorities. The residence was designed to cater to 60 persons. In the beginning the home had 40 residents who were demographically vast. Presently there are twenty-four residents. However, this number is flexible. Management of the Home The home is governed by a management committee with a chairperson, secretary, warden and other members. The objectives of the home are: To care and provide shelter without discrimination on grounds of tribe, colour, religion To provide medical care to alleviate the physical suffering of the residents To afford residents a decent burial To rehabilitate the residents; physically, morally, socially and psychologically To empower inmates who are trainable with skills for vocational employment in order to become selfsupporting. ASSISTANCE from the BENEDICTINE SISTERS The residents of Jinja Destitute Home are offered free medical services at all times in our St. Benedict Health Center. Regularly I, and sometimes a group of sisters, visit them to bring some refreshments, tea and lunch. We give thanks to Eva Haunreiter, a benefactor from Germany, for her continual financial support which makes it possible for us to offer food at times and sponsor our outreach activities. Eva was the one who initiated the idea of this outreach. Her unceasing and great love for the destitute inspired and also challenged me to love the destitute as she did. Thus, my relationship with them has become very strong and endless. It is so touching that the destitute eat only one meal in a day and the same kind of food (posho and beans) day after day, and still they are happy. Special thanks to Mr. Peter Musoke, their warden, to the benefactors and all other staff who take care of them. May the Lord bless and reward them.
P a g e 6 1 Sr. Valeriana Sr. Agnes Mary Sr. Agnes-Maria Sr. Domingas Sr. Hilde Sr. Hilda Sr. Bernadette Sr. Lynet TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT: Sr. Valeriana Matata from Nairobi to Olinda Sr. Agnes Mary Mulala from Olinda to Angola (Torres Novas) Sr. Agnes-Maria Ngailo from Peramiho to Rome Sr. Domingas Candimba from Angola (Torres Novas) to Windhoek Sr. Hilde Kim from Seoul to Rome BACK TO HOME PRIORY: Sr. Hilda Buhay Jinja (for a year and 3 months) to Manila Sr. Bernadette Asuncion from Windhoek to Manila Sr. Lynet Ohola from Manila to Nairobi Sr. Cecilia Torres, OSB, 87, died in Sorocaba on March 6. Sr. Wilfreda Schroll, OSB, 101, died in Tutzing on March 14. Sr. Aloysia Kim, OSB, 70. died in Seoul on April 13. Sr. Benedicta Hong, OSB, 82, died in Daegu on April 14. to Sr. Michael Marie Rottinghaus who served as Prioress of Nairobi Priory for the past eight years (008-2016). She returns to Norfolk, her home priory, in May. Sr. Michael Marie Sr. Karla Sr. Laura to Sr. Karla Nascimento who made her final profession at the Church of Misericordia, Olinda on March 19. to Sr. Laura Noemi Gauna who made her final profession at the Capilla de Santo Cristo, Buenos Aires, Argentina on April 16.