31.10.2022
180th anniversary of the foundation of our Congregation
Dear Sisters! Our congratulations and happy wishes for the celebration of the 180th anniversary of the foundation of our Congregation!
The photo of our card (art from Sr. Marly Cardoso da Silva) expresses the dream and ideals of Fr. Eduard Michelis spreading across the four continents. He realized the needs of the Church and society of his time and committed himself body and soul to defend life. At the same time, it became a missionary dream across borders.
As a young priest, with an open heart to God and with his eyes open to reality, Fr. Eduard Michelis faithfully lived his vocation. Thus, in the struggle for justice and life our Congregation was born. The "Voice of Luxembourg" wrote on June 10, 1856, a year after his death: "More indestructible than stone and bronze, more enduring than the monument in the cemetery will be his own memory, will be the memory of his name, which will survive among us."
Who knew that even today, more than 167 years after his death, Sisters and lay people could be inspired by his legacy and charism: in Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil, Indonesia, Malawi, Bolivia, Paraguay, Mozambique, Aruba and São Tomé and Príncipe!
We are grateful to God for this work!
In these places where we live and act, we seek to be signs of God's love and Christian hope, especially with the poor!
In the existential cries of today's history and in our search for answers of faith, the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:10: "Do not forget the poor" - confirm and strengthen us.
At the same time, we appreciate the solidarity already in our relationship with the poor. During our Visitation we realized the intensity with which our choice for the poor is real in all continents. “The power of the Charism drives us to care for life”.
On this special day of our anniversary, we are invited to strengthen the bond among us - Sisters and the lay people who live the congregational charism, and the people of God with whom we are on our way. This, updates the experience of Fr. Eduard Michelis said: "Working together gives us invincible strength."
We believe that prayer has a unifying force. Therefore, on 2nd November, the evening before our feast, we are all invited to a time of community adoration, in order to pray for all the realities of our world and of the Congregation.
Let us celebrate our feast in the certainty that Divine Providence, "love that contemplates us", continues to guide us and bless us!
(General Coordination)
Münster, 03.11.2022