Bannabiikira Sisters Celebrate a Hundred Years of Service In
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BANNABIIKIRA SISTERS CELEBRATE A HUNDRED YEARS OF SERVICE IN RELIGIOUS LIFE (A HISTORY OF THE CONGREGATION) 1910 -2010 By Sr. Tereza of Avilla, Mother Mary Vincent and Sr. Thereza Francis Namirembe Copyright - Bannabiikira Sisters 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. Introduction ........................................................................... 2. Acknowledgement ............................................................................ 3. Chapter One: The founder and foundress of the congregation of the Daughters of Mary Bwanda.............................................................. 4. Chapter Two: Bishop Streicher’s journey back to Uganda with ten white priests, one brother and six white sisters........................................... 5. Chapter Three: The shifting of the foundation house........... 6. Chapter Four: Education in the congregation .................... 7. Chapter Five: Leadership in the Congregation ................. 8. Chapter Six: The death of founders ................................ 9. Chapter Seven: Direction and guidance in the congregation ............................................... 10 Chapter Eight: A written document declaring the congregation of the Daughters of Mary 11. Chapter Nine: The rest house: Sanatorium ...................... 12. Photographs: ........................................................................ 13. Reference: ................................................................. Rooted in Christ INTRODUCTION A HUNDRED YEARS! THANKS BE TO GOD! PRAISE GOD! People celebrate Jubilees for various reasons. The Daughters of Mary – Bannabikira Sisters Bwanda see it fit and appropriate to celebrate this Jubilee when their congregation marks a hundredth Anniversary of their foundation. The Lord has worked wonders by guiding, guarding and protecting this congregation for all these years. This Jubilee is based on the Holy Word of God and His plan. We read from the book of Leviticus: (Lev. 25: I, 8-12. The Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai: “Speak to the Sons of Israel and say to them : “You will count seven weeks of seven times seven years, so that the seven cycles amount to forty- nine years. And on the tenth day of the seventh month you will sound the trumpet call; On the day of expiation you will sound the trumpet throughout the land. You will declare this fiftieth year to be sacred and proclaim the liberation of all the country’s inhabitants. You will keep this jubilee: each of you will return to his ancestral property, each to his own clan.” This fiftieth year will be a jubilee year for you, in it you will not sow; you will not harvest the grain that has come up on its own, or in it gather grapes from your untrimmed vine. The jubilee will be a holy thing for you; during it you will eat whatever the fields produce. The Israelites did as the Lord commanded them, and they celebrated the jubilees of the years that were the products of fifty; say a jubilee of a hundred years, of five hundred years, one thousand years or two thousand years. Gradually, the jubilees of twenty-five, seventy-five etc. came to be celebrated. The Church took from that practice and started celebrating jubilees for the various years. She supports and encourages her children to celebrate the jubilees of people like married people etc; of places like parishes; of major events, for example: the Arrival of the first Missionaries in Uganda; the death of our Uganda Martyrs etc. The Daughters of Mary are jubilant and over-joyed because of the marvelous things the Lord has done for them. With all determination we venture to proclaim the year 2010 a JUBILEE YEAR from every corner and especially from all the places where the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Daughters of Mary serve, let one voice be unanimously raised to praise, glorify and exalt the Almighty, the all powerful God and sing to Him songs The Committee that was entrusted with the work of writing and compiling of gratitude. notes about the history of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary is very grateful and thankful to all the people who have assisted it to put this book in There are many people who know the history of this congregation and the place. path it has trodden up to this day. However, there are many more people who still would like to know more about it. This book is intended to help First, we are grateful to our Superiors who have accompanied us in this work them know those things in brief and to take it as a memorial of this jubilee. which they entrusted to us, looking for historical facts about this congregation; Whoever reads it will surely see how Jesus’ word comes to fulfillment in this about the Founder - Archbishop Henry Streitcher and Mother Mechtilde, The congregation. The smallest of all seeds has sprouted and grown to be so big Co-foundress and Formator. and tall that even the birds of the air can come and rest among its branches (Mt. 13:31-32). We thank the Daughters of Mary Sisters whom we approached for consultation and for assistance in getting pictures that are in this book. We want to give Our prayer is that let the Daughters of Mary in a special way, guided by the very special thanks to our dear old Sisters in Sanatorium. These, because of Theme of this jubilee which says, their seniority in the congregation and the treasured experience they have, “Rooted in Christ, We venture with Hope,” were for us the treasure house of Wisdom. Everything we wanted by way of information, we turned to them. be more zealous and committed to the service of God’s people and His Church. Let this history of the Congregation be for them a lighted torch. Let We turn to all the other leaders, who have also contributed to this book. We them commit themselves daily to the following of Christ who called them to feel they have played a major role in this work. We have among them, Rev. spread His word among the people of God, both young and old. Msgr. Dominic Kateregga who so graciously accepted the work of correcting the book, and helped us in the arrangement of the material in this book. Thank you for your precious time. We are also grateful to St. Joseph’s Printery, Kitovu for the work of printing the book. To all of you our helpers, we promise prayers, that the Lord may bless and keep you safe. The Congregation of the Daughters of Mary is very happy and grateful, and with open hands welcomes all those people who have volunteered to become our Associates. The door is thrown open, come and let us together take God’s News to the people! YEAR from every corner and especially from all the places where the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Daughters of Mary serve, let one voice be unanimously raised to praise, glorify and exalt the Almighty, the all powerful God and sing to Him songs The Committee that was entrusted with the work of writing and compiling of gratitude. notes about the history of the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary is very grateful and thankful to all the people who have assisted it to put this book in There are many people who know the history of this congregation and the place. path it has trodden up to this day. However, there are many more people who still would like to know more about it. This book is intended to help First, we are grateful to our Superiors who have accompanied us in this work them know those things in brief and to take it as a memorial of this jubilee. which they entrusted to us, looking for historical facts about this congregation; Whoever reads it will surely see how Jesus’ word comes to fulfillment in this about the Founder - Archbishop Henry Streitcher and Mother Mechtilde, The congregation. The smallest of all seeds has sprouted and grown to be so big Co-foundress and Formator. and tall that even the birds of the air can come and rest among its branches (Mt. 13:31-32). We thank the Daughters of Mary Sisters whom we approached for consultation and for assistance in getting pictures that are in this book. We want to give Our prayer is that let the Daughters of Mary in a special way, guided by the very special thanks to our dear old Sisters in Sanatorium. These, because of Theme of this jubilee which says, their seniority in the congregation and the treasured experience they have, “Rooted in Christ, We venture with Hope,” were for us the treasure house of Wisdom. Everything we wanted by way of information, we turned to them. be more zealous and committed to the service of God’s people and His Church. Let this history of the Congregation be for them a lighted torch. Let We turn to all the other leaders, who have also contributed to this book. We them commit themselves daily to the following of Christ who called them to feel they have played a major role in this work. We have among them, Rev. spread His word among the people of God, both young and old. Msgr. Dominic Kateregga who so graciously accepted the work of correcting the book, and helped us in the arrangement of the material in this book. Thank you for your precious time. We are also grateful to St. Joseph’s Printery, Kitovu for the work of printing the book. To all of you our helpers, we promise prayers, that the Lord may bless and keep you safe. The Congregation of the Daughters of Mary is very happy and grateful, and with open hands welcomes all those people who have volunteered to become our Associates. The door is thrown open, come and let us together take God’s News to the people! CHAPTER ONE THE FOUNDER AND FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE DAUGHTERS OF MARY SISTERS- BWANDA This is a religious Congregation of Indigenous African Women, the first of its kind, in modern Africa south of the Sahara.