On June 8, 2025, we commemorated the 170th anniversary of the death of our founder, Eduard Michelis. We can say that his work is like a grain of wheat that falls to the ground and bears much fruit. For almost 182 years, a community of Sisters of Divine Providence had been in the institution "Children and Youth Welfare St. Mauritz".
When the last sisters left the place where they lived in September 2024, a way had to be found to maintain the link between the Congregation and the institution. After all, the Congregation has its beginnings there, and it is a common history of 182 years; that's how long the Congregation and the children's home are directly connected. It should be remembered that this institution has always belonged to the parish of St. Mauritz, which to this day bears the responsibility as the board of directors / board of trustees, to which the pastor and parishioners belong.
It is always very important to celebrate the Eucharist in the church of St. Mauritz, where Eduard Michelis was baptized and where he experienced part of his priestly vocation. Remembering the place of our origin in this Church means nourishing the dream that has become a reality and extends to other continents, where the Sisters of Providence carry out many social projects for the care and development of children, adolescents and young people.
From now on, we will celebrate the anniversary of the death of our founder, Eduard Michelis, every year in this church.
This year, the Eucharistic celebration in the church of St. Mauritz took place on June 5, as June 8 coincided with Pentecost. The celebration was prepared by a team of employees of the ‘children and youth welfare’ and the pastor of the parish, Hans-Rudolf Gehrmann. The Mass was attended by numerous sisters from the German Province and the Generalate, parishioners and employees of the institution. In his sermon, Pastor Gehrmann emphasized Eduardo Michelis' double view: to heaven - his great trust in God - and to the needs of his time, which led him to found the Congregation and the orphanage.
The greeting of the current director of the institution, Michael Kaiser, at the beginning of the Holy Mass expresses the importance of this date well:
Together we feel rooted and supported by the vision that Eduard Michelis and with him his comrade-in-arms Franz Spiegel turned into reality at that time. We feel the same way as Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it in one of his letters from the concentration camp: "The awareness of being carried by a spiritual tradition that extends through centuries gives one a secure feeling of security in the face of all temporary afflictions." (Bonhoeffer 17.12.1943)