MISSIONARY SISTERS OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
CONGREGATIONAL NEWSLETTER
ISSUE NO. 1-2015/ March
50 YEARS PRESENCE OF MSC SISTERS IN KOREA
It was in 1961, Bishop John Choi from Busan, Korea asked
for Sisters to come and help in his young diocese. After an
informational trip to Korea by Sisters Bridget and Edelgith,
six candidates went to Hiltrup.
Inside this issue:
50 YEARS PRESENCE
IN KOREA
1
PERSONNEL
2
ADMINISTRATION
2
GENERALATE
2
INTERNATIONAL
MISSIONING
2
INTERNATIONAL
TRANSFER
3
P/D/C DEVELOPMENT
3
TRI-GENERALATE
4
UPDATE FROM ROME
6
PLANNED TRIP
6
JPIC EVENTS
6
JPIC CALENDAR
7
Sisters Edelgith and Vocata were sent
to establish a mission in Korea. They
arrived in Busan in 1965. In 1979 the
community in Korea began to train their
novices in their own country.
In 1977 Sister Theresa Kim, a Korean,
was appointed superior of the Korean
community. It was the first foundation in a
foreign country to have been started by
only two German sisters two were joined
by two other German sisters.
The community continues to grow. Today,
there are about 171 Sisters in more than
55 houses in Korea and 20 Sisters are on
mission abroad or studying in other countries: the Philippines, China, Vietnam,
Germany, the Generalate, Marshall
Islands, Paraguay, and in the USA.
In order to respond to the needs of the
times, the Sisters expanded their areas of
ministries to include: parish pastoral, social work, youth, children, elderly, prisoners, children and adults with special needs, education, migrants, retreats, Lay
Associates, etc.
There are four Chinese Sisters who belong to the Korean Province who made
their formation in Manila. We continue to get new candidates from China and
Vietnam.
Our Sisters will celebrate the 50 years’ anniversary on March 25th, 2015.
After Mass there will be the blessing of the Sacred Heart Spirituality Center
which was built for the Study and Teaching of Spirituality and Retreats.
As a Congregation we celebrate with our Korean Sisters on this most significant
occasion and hold with gratitude the history and story of the Korean Province.
Heartfelt congratulations and good wishes on this anniversary!
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PERSONNEL
GENERALATE
FIRST PROFESSION:
Members of the Congregational Leadership
Team and General Administration
Namibia: The following Sisters made their first
profession on January 05, 2015.
Sister Hilalia Enok Hangula
Sister Maria Daria Iikuyu
Sister Mechttilde Tomas Naunyango
Sister Johanna Akundungila
Sister Lydia Tileinge Jevelinus
Sister Agatha Uulumbu
USA: Sister Carolina Mendoza Serrano made her
first profession in Mexico on January 11, 2015.
Korea: The following Sisters made their first profession on January 24, 2015.
Sister Faustina, Hye-Young Choi
Sister Rosetta, Ji-Seon Lee
Sister Bona, Mi-Kyeong Park
We rejoice and thank the Lord for the gift of these
Sisters and assure them of our prayer and support.
May they experience God’s blessings as they
continue their missionary commitment in the Congregation.
ADMINISTRATION
New Province Leader in Australia
Sister Barbara recently conducted an onsite consultation with the sisters of the Australian province
for their new province leader. We congratulate and
deeply thank Sr. Mary Drum for accepting the role
of province leader in Australia. After consulting with
the sisters, she will appoint her council and the
handover of leadership will take place on April 30,
2015. Let us keep Sr. Mary and her council in prayer as they take up their role of leadership in the
province.
We extend sincere thanks and good wishes to Sr.
Maureen Smith and her councilors, Sisters
Maureen Sheehan, Carmel Slattery, Carmel Butler
and Rosalind Cairns who during these past six
years have given their best in the service of leadership in their province. God bless and guide them in
the days during this time of transition.
During meetings held in January 2015, the following roles were established for the congregational
leadership team:
Sr. Bonaventura Kim has been appointed as First
Councilor. Each councilor has taken up the following specific areas of responsibility:
Formation and Laity: Sr. Bonvaventura Kim
Sr. Nicola Sprenger
Justice and Peace: Sr. Dorothy Patiu
Sr. Juanita Valera
Sr. Blanca Modino will continue as Congregational
Treasurer and Sr. Johanna Kwon is assisting her
with the generalate finances.
Sr. Gratia Kim also is continuing in her role of General Secretary and she is responsible for congregational communications, media and the web page.
From April 27 – May 2, the members of the CLT
and Sr. Blanca will do team building and planning
with Sr. Kate DuVal. Please pray for a fruitful outcome for these meetings.
INTERNATIONAL MISSIONING
On March 1, 2015 Sr. Veronica Mary received her
mission cross from Sr. Ancy, the District Leader in
India, during a meaningful and inspiring prayer service. It was a touching moment since for the first
time an Indian sister was missioned to Papua New
Guinea.
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Sr. Veronica Mary is a trained nurse and has eight
years of working experience in two different hospitals in India. She will be working in health care with
our sisters in PNG for three years.
We hope and pray that she will adjust well in PNG,
and that her missionary service will enrich the province and the people she will work with and attend
to. At the same time, may this time contribute to
her own enrichment and growth in her vocation as
a Missionary of the Sacred Heart.
Sister Veronica Mary left India on March 4, 2015
for her new mission and reached safely.
INTERNATIONAL TRANSFER
On January 28, 2015 Sr. Francisca, Gwon-Hye
Yeom transferred from the Korean Province to the
Province Latina. Since last three years she has
joyfully given herself in service to the community
and people of Peru. At present she has her new
mission in Paraguay. We thank her for her dedication in her missionary endeavors and appreciate
her readiness to serve the people of Paraguay.
P/D/C DEVELOPMENT
KOREA: The Savior of my life whom I met
Sr. Andrea accompanied him to the
Sejong Hospital in
Bucheon city for a
medical check-up.
He was diagnosed
with
congenital
heart valve disease.
Upon hearing the
result of his health condition Alberto almost wanted
to give up but for his family in Peru he had to continue.
In order to help Alberto Sister Andrea tried to look
for the possibilities of medical treatment and to get
the help from benefactors. After two months, with
the help of the Korea Heart Foundation and the
Sejong Hospital, Alberto underwent heart surgery
on January 9, 2015.
After being discharged from the hospital, Alberto
wrote a letter to the Korea Heart Foundation and
related persons in the Incheon Diocese. He
expressed “I never knew that I could be healed
from my lifelong disease in Korea. Through Sister
Andrea my Lord gave me graces and gifts. I hope
and think that I can recover soon and start to work
for my family. I pray for all of you who helped me
to experience a miracle. May the Lord bless you
always”.
from the thousands of miles away!
“Thanks for the Sister who holds the hands of the
foreigner.”
Since last year October, after having spent 16
years of her missionary life in Peru, Sr. Andrea
Shin has been working in the Migrants Pastoral
Office in the Diocese of Incheon for the Spanish
speaking people. That is where she met Mr. Maximus Alberto who was in much need of help.
Alberto (36 years old) is a Peruvian who came to
Korea in September 2014 as a migrant worker.
After two months he felt very sick. He could not
work or even walk. His language in Korean is not
fluent. He could express only some basic greetings, such as “Ahn nyeong ha se yo!” which means
“How are you?” He has no one to ask for help.
At the community Mass for the Spanish speaking
people in the office he met Sister Andrea. Alberto
shared his situation with Andrea.
After this experience Sr. Andrea shared “I thank the
Lord who used me as his vehicle. I did not know
that 16 years of my missionary experience in Peru
helped me make a connection in this way. I wish
and pray that the people in Korea continuously help
many migrants who are facing difficulties and undergoing sufferings.”
Selected article from the “Pyeonghwa Broadcasting Corporation” in Korea, 23/01/2015
4
USA: MSC Sisters Presence among Native
Americans in Califonia
The sufferings of the Native Americans caused by
colonizers, settlers, governments and the consequences (violence, alcohol, drug abuse, diseases
such as diabetes…) are well known. The churchdid not always have a good relationship with the
Native Americans.
Soboba, in California, had been for several years
without priests to minister to the Native Americans.
In 2000, Fr. Earl Henley, MSC came to work with
them on six reservations. He invited the MSC
Sisters
to come and minister with him. In 2002
Sister Deborah started to work with the Religious
of the Sacred Heart to establish a school. It was a
difficult task. The first building was set on fire. The
people did not commit to the plan. However in
2004, St. Jude School opened and served children
from Kindergarten to 5th grade.
Sister Mary, a nurse/midwife in Papua New Guinea for many years, came as a companion to Sr.
Deborah. Sister Mary started visiting a women’s
prison about an hour away. She also accompanied
Fr. Earl on his weekly visits to the different reservations. In doing this she became acquainted with
the families and realized the need for religious education for the Indian children. She was able to
start religious education classes on four reservations. A Lay MSC supported religious education
classes and prepared children and adults for the
sacrament of Initiation and Confirmation and other
sacraments which some adults had missed out.
In 2005 Sr. Deborah gave the administration of St.
Jude School over to lay people and returned to
Pennsylvania. Sister Catherine Cellini, MSC, an
experienced teacher, joined Sister Mary. She took
the older children. This made confirmation classes
possible on more reservations. She also implemented some diocesan requirements and served
several years on the Diocesan Women’s Commission. Sister Catherine returned to Pennsylvania in
2012.
In November of 2012 Sr. Bernette Ball volunteered
to join Sr. Mary in California. Sister was an experienced teacher and was able to attend to children
of different age groups. She also held a weekly
Eucharistic Service at an assisted living center
while Sister Mary visited Indian women who were
homebound.
Over the years, as the classes increased we were
able to recruit lay people, mostly mothers, who
volunteered to teach.
In 2014 Sister Mary
overheard some of the good teachers indicating
that perhaps they were not needed anymore because the sisters were there doing the work. As
missionaries we are to “work ourselves out of a
job” and we realized it was time for us to do this.
How do we do it gracefully?
It happened in April of 2014, when Sister Dorothy
invited Sister Mary to join her in Circus Ministry.
Perhaps this was God’s way of bringing our ministry in Soboba to a graceful end. We handed the
ministry over to the generous lay people in the
various parishes. Teachers and parishioners were
very appreciative of the years the MSC Sisters had
spent with them. We left California grateful for the
years we had been there and trusting that the
people left behind will continue to “make the
Sacred Heart of Jesus loved everywhere.”
TRI-GENERALATE
MSC BROTHERS & FATHERS: New MSC
Bishop
On February 23, 2015 Pope Francis named Fr.
Rafael Rodríguez, MSC, the First Assistant General, Bishop of the Diocese of La Vega in the
Dominican Republic.
Our sincere congratulations and best wishes to
Bishop elect Rafael! This is a great honor for our
Congregation and a further confirmation (with the
5
appointment of Bishop Plinio in 2007 to be auxiliary bishop of Santiago) of the missionary zeal and
dedication of our Canadian and Dominican confreres who for eighty years have sacrificed so
much to build up the Church in the Dominican
Republic.
New Vicar General of the MSC:
Fr. Mark
McDonald appointed Fr. Franciscus Xaverius
Wahyudi, MSC, of the Indonesian Province, First
Assistant General and Vicar for the Congregation.
MEETING THE COR-AMERICA TEAM IN
EUROPE
COR AMERICA started a few years ago as a
dream of the Tri-Generalate for the region of the
America. It is formed by members of our three congregations and its mission is to guide and animate
ongoing formation in the Chevalier Family including the Lay-Chevalier.
In 2014, COR AMERICA organized in Brazil a first
course for the members of our three congregations
and our lay people promoting the Spirituality of the
Heart in the region.
This year the “COR AMERICA” team has been
invited to come to Europe: Fr. Paulo Roberto
Gomes, MSC and Sr. Marta Maria Pinto, FDNSC,
both from Brasil; Sr. Carolin Romero, MSC and Fr.
Marvín Sotelo, MSC, both from El Salvador.
From April 12 to19 they will have a week’s exposure and meeting with the COR NOVUM team in
Issoudun to learn from their experience in promoting ongoing formation in our common spirituality
and be inspired by walking in the footsteps of Jules
Chevalier. From April 20-24 they will meet in Rome
with representatives of the Tri-Generalate to share
about their experience so far and on our common
vision of formation as well as on dreams and expectations for ongoing formation in the region.
A DECREE RECOGNIZING MARTYRDOM
for Samuel Benedict Daswa Tshimangadzo
(1946 – 1990)
Catechist, Martyr, Lay Member of the Chevalier
Family
On January 22, 2015 Pope
Francis recognized the martyrdom of Benedict Dawsa
and ordered the publication of
the decree solemnly declaring
him “Blessed.”
Samuel Benedict Daswa was
born June 16, 1946 in South
Africa. He was baptized on April 21, 1963 by Fr.
Augustine O’Brien, MSC and confirmed the same
year. He married in 1974 and when his wife
became a Catholic, they were married by Fr. Patrick O’Connor, MSC who became their spiritual
guide and helped Samuel make progress on the
road of Christian fidelity. He was a highly appreciated teacher of youth and an exemplary husband
and father. He was a catechist, liturgical animator,
promotor of works of charity and a builder of peace
and justice.
The Circumstances of his martyrdom:
On January 25, 1990, lightning from a powerful
thunderstorm caused a number of houses in his
village to be destroyed by fire. For the people this
was not something natural. They had to find the
one responsible. The decision was taken to consult a sorcerer from a nearby village to find out
more about the cause. To do this, each member of
the village had to pay about 5 rands. Benedict was
absent when this decision was made. When he
arrived home, he stated that thunder and lightning
are natural phenomena but his explanation was
not accepted. The decision to consult a sorcerer
stood. For the people it was very clear that Benedict refused to pay the required contribution
because he claimed that his Catholic faith did not
permit him to take part in anything related to witchcraft. Upset by this attitude, a group of men decided to get rid of him. They organized a plot against
him and on the evening of February 2, 1990, he
was cruelly assassinated in the village of Mbahé,
not far from his home. While his executioners were
killing him, Benedict was on his knees praying. He
prayed until the last minute of his life.
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UPDATE FROM ROME:
JPIC EVENTS
Pope Francis’ Lenten Reflection 2015
International Women's Day - March 8, 2015
“Lent is a time of renewal for the whole Church, for
each community and every believer. Above all it is
a ‘time of grace’“. With this well-known sentence
Pope Francis begins his Lenten Reflection. Then
follows a beautiful paragraph confirming that we
have a place in God’s heart, who knows us by
name, cares for us and “he seeks us out whenever
we turn away from him. He is interested in each of
us; his love does not allow him to be indifferent to
what happens to us.”
Looking at our world, the Pope speaks about the
evil of indifference, locally and globally.
“Indifference to our neighbour and to God also
represents a real temptation for us Christians”, he
says. To motivate our Lenten renewal , Pope Francis proposes three biblical texts for the three levels
on which we encounter indifference today, as the
Church, a parish and community and as individuals.
The keywords are: ‘If one member suffers, all suffer together’; ‘Where is your brother?’ and ‘Make
your hearts firm!’ We join in the Pope’s desire to
“become islands of mercy in the midst of the sea of
indifference!”
Here is the link to the full text:
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/lent/
documents/papa-francesco_20141004_messaggioquaresima2015.html
PLANNED TRIP
From March 16-28, Sister Barbara is visiting the
Korean Province for the 50th Anniversary of the
MSC Sisters’ presence in Korea.
Your prayers for safety when traveling and for a
fruitful outcome of the meetings are appreciated.
“MAKE IT HAPPEN”
All around the world, International Women's Day
represents an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater equality.
Make It Happen is the 2015 theme for our internationalwomensday.com global hub, encouraging
effective action for advancing and recognizing
women. The first International Women's Day was
held in 1911. Thousands of events occur to mark
the economic, political and social achievements of
women. Organizations, governments, charities,
educational institutions, women's groups, corporations and the media celebrate the day.
World Autism Awareness Day - April 2,
2015
“World Autism Awareness Day
is about more than generating
understanding; it is a call to
action. I urge all concerned to
take part in fostering progress
by supporting education programs, employment opportunities and other measures that
help realize our shared vision of
a more inclusive world."
- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that
manifests itself during the first three years of life.
The rate of autism in all regions of the world is high
and it has a tremendous impact on children, their
families, communities and societies. Throughout
its history, the United Nations family has promoted
the rights and well-being of the disabled, including
children with developmental disabilities.
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JPIC CALENDAR
U
P
C
O
M
I
N
G
E
V
E
N
T
S
March
08
21
22
24
International Women’s Day. Day for Women’s Rights (UN)
International Year of the Forest (UN)
World Water Day (UN)
World Day of Tuberculosis (TB)
Memorial of Bishop Oscar Romeo (Church)
25 Foundation Day of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart (1900)
International Day of Solidarity for Those Detained and Disappeared
28 Earth Hours
April
04
07
22
25
28
Day Against Child Prostitution
World Health Day (UN)
Earth Day
World Malaria Day
World Day for Security and Health on the Job (WLO)
Love must urge us on…
This love must inflame and enkindle us;
it must inflame everything that comes in contact with us.
Love is stronger than death. It is creative to reach its goal…’
(H. Linckens 5th talk Retreat 1913)