November 2011, Vol. XXXI, No. 9
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters
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ord, I was glad to be in that number when all the provincials met in Rome and then went flying back to meet their saints in every part of the world. The message that reverberates in my heart from the experience of the Provincials Assembly is: “We are united in a global mission.” We are as one in our contribution to God’s mission in our whole world today. I’m sure our saints above look down on us with pride and blessing, and we in turn are grateful to them for their faithfulness to our SSpS call and handing on the riches of our missionary religious charism.
Oh, when our saints come looking in, O Lord, we want to be in that
The Congregational Leadership Team arranged a very enriching time of on-going formation for us and also gave plenty of time for sharing amongst ourselves and with them. It was great to meet the generous provincials who have been sending us sisters and to share with provincials who had received their professional training with us here in the USA. They are now using their love and talents in other parts of the world. Yes, we are all listening to the same Holy Spirit and trying to follow her lead in God’s mission, each in our part of the vineyard. We received valuable tools and motivation for listening to the Spirit in contemplation and discernment. So often in our mission we act as if we believe our efforts are more important than God’s grace. Our work can become more “my” mission rather than our mission and God’s mission. We all need on-going formation to realize our role (continued on page 2)
(continued from page 1) today in a changing world, a changing consciousness of the peoples and a changing understanding of mission. Deep inner conversion is always necessary: conversion from activism to contemplation and discernment, conversion from individualism to collaboration and teamwork. Mission today calls for deep listening to the Spirit and to one another. It is impossible to contemplatively follow the lead of the Spirit without listening to and collaborating with our Sisters. To form and be formed, to evangelize and to be evangelized, giving and receiving is what mission looks like today. Missionaries today need much more humility and a lot less superiority. It is a must to pay attention to and improve the credibility of our personal witness. So let us as SSpS in the USA and the Caribbean be a saintly part of God’s worldwide mission marching forward, faithful and confident that God’s Spirit is leading the way. Sr. Carol Welp
Province Events in September The Northfield City Officials, as well as members of the Police and Fire Departments, were here for dinner with us on October 25. It is always a joy to sit down with these officials who help us and the Northfield community to live in an orderly and safe environment. Several of the fire department paramedics have often been here to bring our sisters to the hospital, but never to sit down and relax with us.
Above: Sr. Maria Burke enjoys dinner and conversation with the Northfield visitors.
Sr. Elwira Dziuk participated in the Busy Person Retreat at the University of Chicago from October 16-20. She reports that it was a great experience to work with young people and help them to find time during their busy schedules for prayer, spiritual reading and conversation. She is grateful for this opportunity. Steve Jobs’ sister, Mona Simpson, shared in the eulogy she delivered at the late Apple CEO‘s memorial service that his surprising final words from his deathbed were, “Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow.” In the eulogy, which was printed in The New York Times, Simpson describes Jobs’ final days and moments in a Palo Alto hospital, which were spent surrounded by family as his breathing gradually became shorter. His breath, she said, “indicated an arduous journey, some steep path, altitude.” She concluded her eulogy by sharing Jobs’ final moments, which were spent staring lovingly at his family, and his final three monosyllabic words as he stared into the distance past their shoulders: Oh, WOW! Oh, WOW! Oh, WOW! 2
Province Events (cont.) In Techny, we celebrated Family Feast on Halloween, October 31. The theme for the day was far from Halloweenish. It was harmony and symphony in community. The dining room and chapel were decorated in rainbow colors with musical notes. The day consisted of celebration of Eucharist and community prayers on our theme, musical entertainment, a poetry writing contest, bingo, sharing on how to keep harmony and a melodious symphony alive in our communities. Every Sister possible took part in the day and was grateful to our Creator God, who is the source and origin of Harmony and Symphony all the way from the galaxies of the universe to our own hearts and communities.
The Community gathers for Mass
Harmony and symphony at Family Feast
News from Antigua Sr. Alexis Tjahjani was a member of the Holy Family Cathedral Choir that sang on October 25 with 14 other Antiguan choirs in the Independence Festival of Choirs program celebrating Antigua's 30th anniversary of independence as a nation. The Holy Family choir sang “"I Have a Dream", an inspirational song related to Rev. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream'" speech in Washington D.C. Sr. AnnIta Walsh is coordinating the ALPHA faith-sharing program that is being offered to the teens who are participating in the Confirmation preparation program at Holy Family Cathedral. Sr. Margaret Anne High Tech Comes to Maria Hall
Fun and games! Srs. Mary Agnes Fahrland, Lucille Hackenmueller and Carmella Viso
Sr. Dominic Bartsch converses with her 93 year old sister via Skype
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For Your Prayerful Remembrance Our deceased: Sr. Mary Antonio Rademacher, who died peacefully on November 3 at the age of 85. Sheila Baker, sister of Sr. Maria Burke, who died on October 17 at the age of 62 after struggling with illness. The father-in-law of Sr. Gladys Smith’s sister, who died at 93 in Argentina. Our sick: Fr. Ray Quetchenbach, SVD, who has been diagnosed with liver cancer.
Sr. Carol Welp returned from Rome on October 24 and will be visiting the various communities to echo the Assembly. We will also have some echoing at the Leadership and Ministry Assembly in December. On October 24, our Sisters in Rogers Park welcomed Sr. Ann Miller, SFCC, to live with them in their community. Sr. Ann is the sister of our Sr. Mary Miller and Fr. Joe Miller, SVD, and has requested to live with our Sisters. We respect that she is a member of the Sisters for Christian Community and wishes to have continued contact with her community. She also has family members in the area and so will be able to visit them more readily. Sr. Ann had been a member of our Province and member of our SSpS family for 33years.
Bro. Bob Zailikowski, SVD, who has been hospitalized. Rito Martinez, brother of our Sr. Therese Mary Martinez. Thuy, who was an immigration guest of Sr. Rose Therese Nolta during the summer, who is sick and whose husband has lost his job.
Comings and Goings
Sr. Ann Miller
Sr. Sara Juarez Guardado, our second year novice, arrived from Mexico on October 16. Welcome, Sara!
From December 10-16 there will be a Pan Am Assembly of Formation. Srs. Elwira Dziuk, Anita Marie Gutierrez and Rose Therese Nolta will be attending this Assembly in Paraguay. Sr. Rose Therese will give a presentation on JPIC in the various stages of formation. The theme for the Assembly is “Listening where life demands. We walk as SSpS communities in learning.” Sr. Sara Guardado
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News from New York Sr. Salud Osornio is a second year novice. She writes about her apostolic experience: First of all, I thank God for all the blessings that I have received since I came to the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters. What I want to share with all of you is the experience of living here in New York in my second year of novitiate. I am helping in various places doing different things. One of those places is a recycling center, which is administered by a Sister of Charity. This same sister is very involved working with the poor and this past October 17 was the International Day of Poverty. She invited me and all those who work with her at the recycling center to the event. She prepared a video to present to the United Nations about the life of a person living on the streets surviving only by collecting cans. I was very sad to see that also in this country there is so much poverty. That day at the United Nations was full of hope and energy. Many people are working and many people are grateful for all the help that they have received from these organizations. Many testimonies were given to share the experiences of working to eliminate poverty. There were also testimonies about the support that has been received.
Center Administrator (left) and Sr. Salud
Katrina survivors with Sr. Salud.
I am sending a picture of the sister from the recycling center. Please pray that she continues doing this great work for the poor. The other pictures are of those who lived in poverty after Katrina and the young people who also are concerned about this issue. Thank you very much. With love, Sr. Salud O.
Young peoples’ panel discussion about the issues involved in poverty.
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Peace and Justice News Cemetery of the Innocents The "Cemetery of the Innocent" on Highway 20 in front of the Divine Word College (DWC) graphically symbolized the 4,400 deaths by abortion performed daily in the USA. Sr. Philippa, Chen Jin Xiu, Sr. Rosalia Galmin, Sr. Monica, Zhang Yan Ling and Sr. Josephina Kudo took time along with other SVD students to emphasize that many innocent babies die here. Each cross represents 10 babies that will die today. October is the Right to Life Month and Fr. Bill Shea, SVD, is the moderator of the “Life� group at DWC. John and Sue Lukasi, members of the Dubuque County Right to Life organization are responsible for these crosses. They are displayed in various areas each year in the Dubuque area. Sr. Rosalia is the JPIC contact person for the Epworth Community.
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JPIC SSpS USA
November 2011
Immigrant Welcoming Congregations The Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters became an Immigrant Welcoming Congregation along with ten other congregations on Oct. 23, 2011 on Mission Sunday at Resurrection Evangelical Covenant Church in Chicago, Illinois.
The Sisters of Rogers Park, Sr. Agathe Bramkamp, Sr. Angelica Oyarzo Chavol , Sr. Genebeba da Costa Amaral, Sr. Aprilia Untarto, Sr. Uloma Akpa, Sr. Sara Guardado, Sr. Rebecca Chaan David and Sr. Rose Therese Nolta took part in the celebration. We stood behind Sr. Agathe during the reading of the pledge. Sr. Agathe who was our representative reading the following part of the pledge: “We will build relationships of solidarity and mutuality. We will work towards making not just our religious communities, but our world, a sanctuary of peace and justice for all people.” At the beginning of the celebration four different religions presented a symbol of their religion. Sr. Rose Therese gave the symbol for Christianity – a cross - and shared its meaning and the implication toward working with immigrants.
A Moslem woman explained the pilgrimage to Mecca as a symbol of Islam related to immigrants by saying “all who come from whatever place are equal.”
Sr. Agathe, Sr. Rebecca and Sr. Aprilia, et al. from Rogers Park
Some of the various congregations shared what they were doing for immigrants. Brother Michael Gosch of the Viatorian Community spoke about the needs of immigrants who are released
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after a period of detention. "When people are released they are just put out on the street by the detention center with only the clothes they had been wearing when they were picked up. We
have helped people who were released wearing shorts, tee shirts and flip flops in the middle of winter. They often need food, short term shelter and transportation, which we try to supply. It is ridiculous that the government takes no responsibility for assisting the people it is releasing after having completely disrupted their lives." Sr. Genobeba said that “the thing that touched me the most was the sharing from each group. Every group was really open… Through this experience I learned that teamwork is very important because together we can help others who are in need. The second point is to help others, because others such as immigrants are our brothers and sisters.”
There was a closing ritual in which everyone present wrote a prayer on a prayer flag. The Representatives of the Immigrant Welcoming Congregation collected the prayer flags and other representatives hung up the flags. We see Sr. Agathe hanging the flags. These flags will be taken to the Prayer Vigil on Friday Mornings to 101 Congress Street where the immigrants are being deported. Before the celebration we helped to prepare the place for the celebration, rested a bit in the Church and then ate.
Sr. Uloma, Sr. Sara, Sr. Rebecca and Sr. Angelica
Sr. Agathe, Sr. Genebeba, Sr. Sara and Sr. Uloma
During the celebration there was several times music and songs that related to the theme of immigration. We joined in singing these songs.
Thanks to Sr. Aprilia for the pictures! Sr. Rose Therese Nolta, SSpS
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