22 February 2012

Tri-Congregational Meeting 2012

The General Councils of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Amersfoort, and Coesfeld have been meeting every two years. This year's meeting, hosted by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at their Generalate in Rome, took place February 13th-16th. Our days together were spent in prayer and reflection, discussion on religious life, and input on inter-faith dialogue. The energy and enthusiasm we experienced reflect the conviction that the flame of goodness birthed in St. Julie's vision continues to burn brightly in all three Congregations. The Namur General Council consists of four American Sisters and one Sister from the Congo. Four Indonesian Sisters make up the General Council of the Amersfoort Sisters. Our General Council is the most International! A joint statement on the outcomes from the meeting will be published in the near future.



Snow in Rome!

Rome witnessed an unusual snowfall on Friday, February 3, 2012. Not since 1985 has Rome seen so much snowfall leaving about 12 inches snow and dropping the temperature as low as -3 C°. The wet snow fall caused a lot of chaos in Roman traffic. Several people were held back on roads and many others could not reach their destination. Sr. Gina Marie who had been returning to Rome from England after a great adventure reached Casa Madre at 10:30 p.m. 
The Casa Madre compound was blanketed with snowflakes.  Some of heavy snow dusted pine trees that then lost several of their branches. For the Sisters of the International community in Casa Madre who had not been exposed to snow, it gave them joy and excitement to be in the snow. The Italian weather forecast the weekend full of frost and snow and rain from North to South of Italy. 





Sisters of Notre Dame…Seeing the Possible…Liberating Potential


Generalate/Motherhouse 
Rome 
January 11, 2012


Dear Sisters,

Some important news came to my attention on the Feast of the Epiphany.  The Vatican Information Service released some news from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  On October, 11, 2011 the Holy Father released an Apostolic Letter, “Porta fidei,” declaring that from October 11, 2012 until November 24, 2013 the Church would celebrate a Year of Faith.  The communication further states:

“The beginning of the Year of Faith coincides with the anniversaries of two great events which have marked the life of the Church in our days:  the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council… and the twentieth of the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.”

I wanted to call this to your attention now because I know that soon provinces/delegations will be developing faith sharing materials and book study programs for sisters and Notre Dame Associates for the next year.   Sisters in ministries of education and parish work will want to be aware of this opportunity to once again delve into the study of the documents of Vatican Council II.  

As you read the recommendations from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith you will note that some are very specifically for religious, those in formation programs, schools and parishes.  There are many practical suggestions for study, reflection and sharing.



Hearty Welcome to Sr. Ethel Maria from Coesfeld

The Casa Madre Community is enjoying the presence of Sr. Ethel Maria, from the Coesfeld Province, Germany. She arrived here on December 28, 2011, and will stay with us for a month as a part of her tertiate program in preparation for her perpetual profession. Under the guidance of Sr. Maria Julindis, the General Assistant from Germany, Sr. Ethel Maria is learning much about life at the Generalate and the center of the Church. She has already had various enriching experiences being in Rome for the Christmas season and was one of the privileged ones to attend the Eucharist celebration in St. Peter’s on the Feast of the Epiphany. She found it fitting to have celebrated Christmas with her local community and continued the octave with the sisters in the motherhouse and then to experience the Universality of the Church on this feastday. We wish Sister Ethel Maria God’s blessings as she prepares for her final commitment to the Lord as a Sister of Notre Dame.


General Government in India

The general government has been in India since November 10th. They began their visit in the Visitation Province at the provincial center in Bangalore in south India. Their travels took them to all but two houses of this province. The sisters were able to visit Notre Dame schools, see village social work and view the area our sisters helped restore after the tsunami. They have been exposed to the rich culture and traditions of India through many of the welcome programs given in their honor at our schools. This visit has necessitated overnight train rides, longer jeep expeditions and a few flights. With all this travel, things have gone amazingly well. The sisters are now in the Assumption Province, Patna, learning about life in northern India. Within a few days they will be in Jamalpur where the congregation first planted the seed of Notre Dame in India. Commenting on their trip Sister Mary Kristin said, "We feel very much at home in India and feel we are on holy ground. In many ways this experience has been a pilgrimage for us. Our sisters are so welcoming and we are in awe of the wonderful work they are doing for God's people”.


SND African Conference held in Uganda
Every three years the East African Conference has been convened. The Fourth SND East African Conference was held in Uganda during the week of August 20. It was a wonderful gathering of missionaries and national sisters from Uganda, Mozambique, Kenya, and Tanzania with the general government. The Conference was held at the "Conference Center" near Lake Victoria. All were energized as each unit reviewed what is happening in East Africa in our missions and in formation as well as planning for the future. There are twenty five (25) native sisters in East Africa. Nine participated in the Conference - six sisters from Uganda, two from Tanzania/Kenya, and one from Mozambique. All the missions have candidates, postulants and novices in formation. The SND future in East Africa is looking very good in spite of all of the challenges encountered regularly. The conference participants stayed at the new formation center in Mpala, right outside of Entebbe. The participants were transported to and from the Conference Center each day by bus or in a van. The whole group took an overnight trip to the bush in Buseesa to visit St. Julie School and Notre Dame Senior Secondary, where we started in Uganda. The conference group left on Sunday to return to Mpala in the bus rented for the trip and got stuck on the mud road about 45 minutes into the trip. It had rained during the night and again that morning, making the roads very dangerous. In spite of the difficulties in travel, the Conference participants returned safely to Mpala and eventually to their respective missions. Sisters Mary Kristin, Maria Julindis, and Marie Emma stayed on in Mpala for a few extra days while Sister Maria Alcídia accompanied the sisters to Mozambique, Sister Mary Sreeja to Kenya and Tanzania, and Sister Mary Shauna stayed on in Buseesa. 

Welcome Sister Deisi Maria!
Our youngest community member, Sister Deisi Maria from Canoas Province, Brazil, arrived at Casa Madre on February 15, 2012. The arrival of this energetic and enthusiastic community member brought great joy and happiness to the Casa Madre Community. Sr. Deisi Maria is delighted to be part of the International Community and to be living at the center of the church. On Saturday, February 17, 2012, she was already fortunate enough to attend the Consistory of 22 Cardinals presided over by Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peter’s Basilica. One of these was a Cardinal from Brazil, Joao Braz de Aviz who heads the office for the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Sister Deisi Maria will join Sister Maria Moses from Korea and will attend a year of spirituality courses at the Angelicum. We wish Sister Deisi Maria blessings on her studies and many more surprises in Rome.

Arrival of Our New Community Member

On January 26th, 2012, the Casa Madre Community warmly welcomed Sr. Maria Moses Kim from the Incheon Province, Korea. For the past eleven months Sister Maria Moses had been staying with our Sisters in the Delegation of Stella Maris, Kettering, in England and learning English. She is grateful to Sr. Marion and the Sisters in Kettering for all the assistance and support she received during her stay. While a community member in Casa Madre she will continue her language studies and will participate in one year of Spirituality Courses in Rome. The Casa Madre community is already experiencing her affectionate and gentle ways of reaching out to others. We wish Sister Maria Moses all the best in her studies and a wonderful stay at Casa Madre!


Installation of Sister Maria Dominique as Delegation Superior

Congratulations to Sister Maria Dominique de Vroedt and the Regina Virginum Delegation, Tegelen, Netherlands. On January 7th  2012, the Tegelen unit changed from a Province to a General Delegation and Sister Maria Dominique became the delegation Superior. All the Sisters and many employees from the Delegation gathered in the Chapel of the Delegation Center for a 2:00 p.m. Mass marking the new beginning. Sister Maria Julindis Melis, represented the Generalate. A reception followed during which Sister Maria Dominique thanked Sister Maria Sylvia van der Aa for her 18 years of dedicated service as Provincial Superior. Sister Maria Julindis spoke in the name of the Congregation expressing gratitude to Sr. Maria Sylvia and her team for their generous service throughout the years, wishing the newly installed leadership team God’s abundant blessings as they begin their new ministries.   






General Government Experiences Korean Culture

The General Government concluded its Asian travels with two weeks in South Korea. There the Council changed light clothing for warm coats, gloves and scarves. While the weather was cold the atmosphere in each ND convent was warm and welcoming. Touring included homes for the elderly, a number of kindergartens, the Rehabilitation Center, RPP (Religious Pedagogical Practice) Center, Bakmun Elementary School, parish ministries and the unique ministries of sister artists. One highlight was visiting the newly established ecological farm. Short visits to the province's two missions were also included. As the General Government headed for the airport to travel back to Rome on December 23rd, snow began to fall. It was the perfect ending of six wonderful weeks in Asia. The general team agreed that the learning experience made each encounter invaluable. Each member of the team is most grateful to Sister Mary Sandhya, Sister Mary Beena, Sister Marie Aqunia and their teams and the sisters of their provinces for their hospitality.


General Government Concludes Visit to India

The past two weeks the general government has been in the Patna Province in the north of India. It is in Jamalpur that the seeds of Notre Dame were first planted in India in 1949, by sisters from the Chardon, Ohio, USA Province. Hearing stories of the pioneer sisters and visiting the sites of the first foundations in India has been informative and inspirational. The same spirit of missionary enthusiasm, creative fidelity and love for the poor motivates our sisters today. Seeing the variety of ministries--formal education in schools, health clinics, and women's empowerment programs has been an invaluable learning experience. During their time in Patna the general team was able to be present and support the sisters during the difficult time after the tragic death of dear Sister Mary Sabeena. With grateful hearts the sisters said goodbye to India and journeyed toward the rising Sun as they traveled to South Korea on December 9th.

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