DOCSLIB.ORG

1. Historiography and Spirituality of Religious Orders and Congregations in the Chinese Context

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
1. Historiography and Spirituality of Religious Orders and Congregations in the Chinese Context Historiography and Spirituality of Religious Orders and Congregations in the Chinese Context 1. Historiography and Spirituality of Religious Orders and Congregations in the Chinese Context Roman MALEK “I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.” Numbers 11,17 Introductory Remarks The conference “History of Catholic Religious Orders and Missionary Congregations in Hong Kong” (2007) served the purpose of preparing a volume on the history of religious orders and congregations in Hong Kong in order to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the history of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong. Such an undertaking surely also needs a “meta-view,” a look from above and outside, combining several aspects and dimensions, since the history of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong is connected with the Church history in general, with the history of China, and with the specific history of the Church in China. The following chapter is therefore a reflection on the history of Catholic religious orders and missionary congregations in the broader perspective of the historiography of Christianity in China. Especially, the interdependencies between the primordial charisma of religious orders or congregations, their spirituality and the shaping of the local Church(es) in the Chinese context are discussed–juxtaposing it also to Hong Kong as a local Church.1 The question is what significance and consequences these interdependencies have for the present situation and the future. I will propose some rather general observations and conclude with remarks on the perspectives of the consecrated life. The main lines of argumentation and at the same time the main points of this chapter are the following: first of all it is important to see 1 ©2009 by Centre for Catholic Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong All Rights Reserved II.indd 1 9/11/2009 11:34:21 History of Catholic Religious Orders and Missionary Congregations in Hong Kong Vol. II: Research Papers that (1) the history of the Church is mission history and that mission history is always the history of the Church.2 (2) The religious orders and congregations with their charisma decisively shaped the founding and the specific development of the local Church(es) in China and in Hong Kong; it can thus be said that history of Christianity in China is the history of religious orders and congregations. There are many levels of interdependence here, including positive and negative elements, which are internal (Universal Church, Catholic theology) and external (state, politics, nation, society, regional culture, and many others). (3) All these fact(or)s have, of course, not only methodological consequences, but result in the historical and present responsibility of the orders and congregations, which should, however, be oriented towards the future. (4) In the light of history, the present circumstances and the future challenges, the religious orders and congregations are obliged to reflect again and again on their specific charisma and their possible contribution to further developments of the local Church in China and Chinese society in general. In this context we may recall the words of Pope Benedict XVI from his Letter to the Church in China (No. 14) that in the present context of the Church in China two dimensions of the consecrated life should be seen clearly: (1) “the witness of the charisma of total consecration to Christ through the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience,” and (2) “the response to the demand to proclaim the Gospel in the socio-historical circumstances of the country today.” 3 It is also valid for Hong Kong that the history of the Church here is indissolubly connected with the religious orders and congregations. In the introduction to the conference it was stated that from the very beginning of the Catholic mission in Hong Kong the Franciscans (O.F.M.),4 the Dominicans (O.P.),5 the Paris Foreign Missionaries (M.E.P., 1847),6 the P.I.M.E. (1858),7 the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres (S.P.C.)8 and the Canossian Daughters of Charity (F.D.C.C.) formed part of the team that started the evangelization in Hong Kong. Later on they were 2 ©2009 by Centre for Catholic Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong All Rights Reserved II.indd 2 9/11/2009 11:34:21 Historiography and Spirituality of Religious Orders and Congregations in the Chinese Context joined by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (F.S.C.),9 the Jesuits (S.J.),10 the Salesians (S.D.B.),11 the Benedictines (O.S.B.), the Cistercians (O.C.S.O.),12 the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers (M.M.),13 the Scheut Missionaries (C.I.C.M.),14 the Québec P.M.E. Fathers, the Columbans (S.S.C.), and the Divine Word Missionaries (S.V.D.). There are also several congregations and mission societies of women which shaped the history of the Church in Hong Kong: Chinese Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (C.I.C.), Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters, F.M.A.), Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (F.M.M.), Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows (O.S.F.), Little Sisters of Jesus, Little Sisters of the Poor (L.S.P.), Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic (M.M.),15 Missionaries of Charity (M.C.), Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels (M.N.D.A.), Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (M.I.C.),16 Daughters of St. Paul (F.S.P.),17 Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (I.C.M.),18 and the Missionary Sisters of St. Columban (S.S.C.).19 Many of these congregations never worked in Hong Kong before 1949 and–expelled from mainland China–had to re-interpret or re-discover their charisma in the new context. For some of them at the beginning Hong Kong was probably only a gateway to or a waiting room for China. Today there are altogether 46 orders and congregations working constantly in Hong Kong. Besides there are New Movements and other forms of religious life, like Opus Dei and Focolare. This is a unique situation in the Catholic Church. If China is a case example of the decisive role of orders and congregations in the mission history, i.e., the history of the local Church, Hong Kong is an example par excellence. We have here a conglomerate or bundle of different charismas in one place, “a whole gamut of missionary societies, male and female,” 20 so it is “a vibrant organism which should be of intrinsic interest to students of history, social science and theology.” 21 What happens, however, if the charismas come together, as in China of the 17th or 19th centuries or as in Hong Kong, in 3 ©2009 by Centre for Catholic Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong All Rights Reserved II.indd 3 9/11/2009 11:34:21 History of Catholic Religious Orders and Missionary Congregations in Hong Kong Vol. II: Research Papers particular after 1949? Do we know what was or is the benefit of such a bundle? Charisma and the Local Church: “I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them” Numbers 11, 17 The orders and congregations are without any doubt the main actors in the history of the Catholic Church in China and in Hong Kong. The Christian presence was determined from the very beginning by the religious orders and congregations, some of them–like for instance the Divine Word Missionaries–had been founded by Arnold Janssen with an explicit “Chinese” purpose (charisma). A charisma (charis–grace; the divine influence on the receiver’s heart, and its reflection in life) is a power of a spiritual nature, believed to be a freely given gift by the grace of God. In the study of Church matters, it also refers to the particular grace granted by God to religious founders and their organizations, which distinguishes them from other organizations within the same Church. The term is used in this sense especially in the ecclesiology of the Roman Catholic Church.22 Asked what the “spirit” (charisma) of the Society of Divine Word finally is, one of the first Steyler missionaries in China, Joseph Freinademetz (1852– 1908, canonized 2003), who started his missionary work 1879 in Hong Kong, answered as follows: The spirit of the Society is that what makes our Society what she is and without which she would not be what she is.23 From the beginnings of the Church the orders seemed to be “made” for missionary activities because of their spirituality (charisma), organization, a uniform management, tradition and experience. The Second Vatican Council stressed this in a special way (Ad Gentes 40; cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi 69): 4 ©2009 by Centre for Catholic Studies, the Chinese University of Hong Kong All Rights Reserved II.indd 4 9/11/2009 11:34:22 Historiography and Spirituality of Religious Orders and Congregations in the Chinese Context Religious institutes of the contemplative and of the active life have so far played, and still do play, the main role in the evangelization of the world. This sacred synod gladly acknowledges their merits and thanks God for all that they have expended for the glory of God and the service of souls while exhorting them to go on untiringly in the work which they have begun, since they know that the virtue of charity, which by reason of their vocation they are bound to practice with greater perfection, obliges and impels them to a truly catholic spirit and work. Since this volume presents very detailed contributions on the orders and congregations in Hong Kong, it is not necessary to explore the primordial charisma of a single religious order or congregation, because these contributions are already excellent illustrations and prove that–as is said about Moses in the Old Testament (Numbers 11,17)–God has taken some of the power of the Spirit that was on the orders and congregations and put it on the local Church in Hong Kong, like it has been in the whole history of the Church in China.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Case Study of Jining Religions in the Late Imperial and Republican Periods
    www.ccsenet.org/ach Asian Culture and History Vol. 4, No. 2; July 2012 Pluralism, Vitality, and Transformability: A Case Study of Jining Religions in the Late Imperial and Republican Periods Jinghao Sun1 1 History Department, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China Correspondence: Jinghao Sun, History Department, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China. Tel: 86-150-2100-6037. E-mail: [email protected] Received: March 12, 2012 Accepted: June 4, 2012 Online Published: July 1, 2012 doi:10.5539/ach.v4n2p16 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ach.v4n2p16 The final completion and publication of this article was supported by the New Century Program to Promote Excellent University Talents (no.: NECJ-10-0355). Abstract This article depicts the dynamic demonstrations of religions in late imperial and republican Jining. It argues with evidences that the open, tolerant and advanced urban circumstances and atmosphere nurtured the diversity and prosperity of formal religions in Jining in much of the Ming and Qing periods. It also argues that the same air and ethos enabled Jining to less difficultly adapt to the West-led modern epoch, with a notable result of welcoming Christianity, quite exceptional in hinterland China. Keywords: Jining, religions, urban, Grand Canal, hinterland, Christianity I. Introduction: A Special Case beyond Conventional Scholarly Images It seems a commonplace that intellectual and religious beliefs and practices in imperial Chinese inlands were conservative, which encouraged orthodoxy ideology or otherwise turned to heretic sectarianism. It is also commonplace that in the post-Opium War modern era, hinterland China, while being sluggishly appropriated into Westernized modernization, persistently resisted the penetration of Western values and institutes including Christianity.
    [Show full text]
  • SVD Lay Partners Newsletter - from Around the World
    Society of the Divine Word (SVD) SVD Lay Partners Newsletter - from Around the World Issue 10, August 2019 Friends of SVD, Ghana SVDLP-Newsletter 2 Inside this issue Editorial Editorial - Let‘s Conceive and Proclaim the Impossible Let’s Conceive and Proclaim the Impossible SPECIAL TOPIC Fearful and troubled, Mary found herself in the presence of Friends of SVD, Ghana the angel Gabriel. She could never have expected to hear . Humble Beginnings! 3 the most incredible news – that she would have a child, and her son would be the Messiah. Although she could not com- . 4 First Delegates Conference of Friends of SVD in Accra prehend how she would conceive the Saviour, she respond- . Photos of the Groups, the Conference and Activities 5 ed to God with “Yes”. That response was not a onetime reac- tion. It was the fruit borne from a life of surrendered love and REPORTS OF THE GROUPS FROM … it stretched forward to characterize her entire life. AFRAM ZONE . Ghana (GHA): Friends of SVD - Activities in the First Half As her birthday nears, we realize it’s no ordinary birthday. It’s of the Year 7 the birthday of a very simple yet courageous woman; a . Tanzania (KEN): Friends of SVD - The Gift of Laity 8 homely yet daring woman. She dared to believe in herself and her Creator, leading to a lifestyle of believing in impossi- bilities. It’s because of people like our Mother, that our sal- ASPAC ZONE vation story moves forward with their initiative, their risk- . First ASPAC SVD Lay Partners Gathering 9 taking, and their faith.
    [Show full text]
  • The Holy See
    The Holy See ADDRESS OF JOHN PAUL II TO THE PILGRIMS GATHERED IN ROME FOR THE CANONIZATION OF THREE NEW SAINTS Monday, 6 October 2003 Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate, Dear Brothers and Sisters, 1. I am pleased to meet you the day after the canonization of three shining witnesses of missionary commitment who are particularly dear to you: St Daniel Comboni, St Arnold Janssen and St Joseph Freinademetz. They are three "champions" of evangelization. I cordially greet you all and I thank you for coming. 2. I greet you all, dear Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, who are continuing the apostolic action of St Daniel Comboni. He is rightly listed among the champions of the missionary movement that had an extraordinary reawakening in the 19th century. I greet in particular your recently elected Superior General, Fr Teresino Serra, and the Religious who are taking part in the General Chapter. I hope that the reflections and guidelines that result from the Chapter Assembly will imbue your institute with new missionary enthusiasm. Next, I greet you, dear Comboni Missionary Sisters, and you, dear Secular Comboni Missionaries and dear Lay Comboni Missionaries, who are inspired by the charism of St Daniel Comboni. May God make fruitful your every project, with which you constantly aim to spread the Gospel of hope. May he also bless your efforts in the context of human promotion and especially for youth. In this regard, I warmly hope that you will reconsider and bring to completion the project of founding a Catholic University in Sudan, the country that Comboni loved.
    [Show full text]
  • SVD Lay Partners Newsletter - from Around the World
    Society of the Divine Word (SVD) SVD Lay Partners Newsletter - from Around the World Issue 12, April 2020 First ASPAC Zonal Meeting, 2019 SVDLP-Newsletter 2 Inside this issue Editorial Editorial - Table Fellowship Table Fellowship SPECIAL TOPIC It was during the Spirituality and Interculturality Workshop at First ASPAC Zonal Meeting Steyl that I found the oft-used phrase ‘Table Fellowship’ very . First ASPAC SVD Lay Partners Workshop – An Overview 3 appealing. The phrase remained with me like a sweet hango- ver when I returned to India. As I was pondering what to write . Excerpts from the Report of First Asia Pacific Workshop for this editorial, the hangover took the better of me. of SVD Lay Partners 4 . First Asia Pacific Workshop of SVD Lay Partners 6 The table is a powerful place that is mentioned frequently in . Impressions 7 Scripture. Tables are places of human connection. Sharing a meal around a table builds bridges and heals broken rela- GROUP REPORTS FROM … tionships. We are fully alive when a meal is shared with the AFRAM ZONE other. Jesus spent a lot of time at tables eating with all kinds . Zambia (ZAM): Zambia Mission Lay Partners - A Visitator from of people: those among the elite such as the pharisees, and the Generalate 8 those on the peripheries or the excluded such as the sinners . Congo (CNG): Fraternité SVD - Parish Visit by National and tax collectors. His last meal was a fellowship meal with Coordination Team 9 the disciples. Typically, even after the resurrection, he broke . Ghana (GHA): Friends of SVD - Inauguration of New bread with the disciples at Emmaus and cooked breakfast Lay Partners’ Groups 10 for Peter and his companions on the banks of the Sea of Galilee.
    [Show full text]
  • The Society for the Propagation of the Faith National Director’S Message Mission Today Message Spring 2015
    Vol. 73, No. 2 Spring 2015 The Jesuits Celebrate 400 years of service in Vietnam The Changing Face of Christianity in Latin America Two new Saints of Evangelization Church Building in the Arabian Peninsula The Society for the Propagation of the Faith National Director’s Message Mission Today Message Spring 2015 Lent: A Spring Time slavery: that millions of children, women and men throughout the world are deprived of their freedom and forced to live in con- For baseball fans like Mr. Co- ditions akin to slavery. He spoke with bluntness about the greed ady, the beginning spring train- and corruption, which prey upon the dignity of our fellow hu- ing causes the adrenaline to man beings who are trafficked from place to place and treated as pump fast, and the anticipation objects to be exploited and prostituted. Many of them, he said, of the first game to heighten. found themselves in this situation because of extreme poverty. Spring gets the blood in us These were caught up in a vicious circle and were compelled to to pump with energy. Spring accept roles and situations that were beneath their human dignity. promises renewal of life, fresh According to the Holy Father, because of selfishness and indiffer- growth, newfound warmth, ence, we can easily remain blind to, and ignorant of the plight of creative opportunities, and a new beginning. As a season of re- these people. newal and new beginning, Lent and spring belong together. In a way, therefore, the season of Lent is a spring season. We, the people of God, are called in virtue of our baptism to be torchbearers—bearers of God’s love in today’s world.
    [Show full text]
  • St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church
    January 24, 2021 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church 181 W. Dundee Road ~ Wheeling, IL 60090 ~ 847-537-2740 ~ Fax: 847-537-7914 www.stjosephworker.com ~ email: [email protected] Rev. Marcin Karwot, SVD (Society of the Divine Word-Techny, IL) ~ Pastor Rev. Jesus Mata Martinez, SVD ~ Associate Pastor Rev. Messan Kodjo Tettekpoe, SVD ~ Associate Pastor Parish Mission Statement any Faces, One Heart, Serving Christ and M One Another. Mass Intentions Calendar of Events Saturday, January 23 Sunday, January 24 St. Vincent St. Marianne Cope Blessed Virgin Mary Sunday of the Word of God 8:00 — For the repose of the soul of Joseph Wargo † 8:00 am—Spanish Mass Nenita Alingin—Rest in peace on her 40th days of death † 9:30 am—English Mass 5:00 — In memory of Adeline Winiecki † (by Elaine 11:00 am—Polish Mass Simpson) 12:30 pm—Spanish Mass 6:30 — (Polish) Special intentions 5:15 pm—Polish Mass 8:00 — (Spanish) Special intentions Monday, January 25 Sunday, January 24 8:00 am—Morning Mass Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 6:00 am—Evening Adoration 8:00 — (Spanish) Special intentions Tuesday, January 26 9:30 — In loving memory of Antonio Cardenas † (by 8:00 am—Morning Mass the Family) 5:30 pm—Polish Confessions/Holy Hour 11:00 — (Polish) Special intentions 12:30 — (Spanish) Special intentions Wednesday, January 27 5:15 — (Polish) Special intentions 8:00 am—Morning Mass Monday, January 25 6:00 pm—Evening Adoration The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle Thursday, January 28 8:00 — Joe Wargo—Rest in peace † (by Cathy Heer & 8:00 am—Morning Mass Family) 4:45 pm—Polish School Tuesday, January 26 7:00 pm—Spanish Mass Ss.
    [Show full text]
  • The Chinese Church's Response to Migration Within Mainland China
    The Chinese Church’s Response to Migration within Mainland China (Part II) John B. Zhang IV. Pastoral Services for Catholic Expatriates in China According to the Exit and Entry Administration of China’s Ministry of Public Security, 382 million people crossed China’s borders in 2010. They include 114 million mainland citizens, 215 million Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan residents, and 52.112 million for- eigners.1 Most expatriates entered China briefly, mainly through Shanghai and Beijing and mostly for tourism, leisure, meeting and business purposes. But 3.46 million others stayed longer – 2.463 million service staff, 807,000 employees, and 190,000 students. The percentage of Catholics among foreign nationals working or studying in the Mainland is unknown, but providing pastoral care to them is a common issue for the Church in China and overseas Church communities. Paying attention to and focusing on Catholic expatriates is a significant Church con- cern in China and abroad. For this reason, Faith Institute for Cultural Studies (FICS) has been cooperating with dioceses, parishes, and organizations that celebrate the Eucharist in foreign languages, especially to ascertain the number, location, language, and time of Sunday Masses for such Catholics in China. On June 15, 2011, according to a limited survey conducted by FICS, about 14,630 ex- patriates were taking part in Sunday Masses offered in a foreign language in China. About 2,600 of them attended Mass in Beijing, 4,670 in Shanghai, and 500 in Tianjin (Xikai Church, in English). Another 3,020 Catholic expatriates went to English and French This article is Part II of a public lecture delivered by John B.
    [Show full text]
  • Manuale Missionariorum: Manual for Evangelization in the Apostolic Vicariate of South Shandong
    Manuale missionariorum: Manual for Evangelization in the Apostolic Vicariate of South Shandong Karl Josef Rivinius Translated by Jacqueline Mulberge1 1. Initial Situation In 1882 the first Steyl missionaries, under the leadership of Pro-Vicar John Baptist Anzer, began their missionary service in the south of the Province of Shandong, the mission territory assigned to them, which had between nine and twelve million non-Christians. Due to the geographical, topographical, demographic situations and administrative poli- cies, but mainly in view of the missionary aspect, the beginnings proved problematic and exceedingly energy sapping. The town of Poli lay in a low plain and almost every summer suffered devastating flooding from the Huanghe (Yellow River) with the most catastrophic consequences. With its location on the outer northwest border of the Steyl mission area, the considerable distance from Poli as base and starting point for mission activity com- pounded the difficulties of communication with the remainder of the region. The -new comers, who were only rudimentarily prepared for their work, had as yet no command of the language and, in addition, had neither a tradition on which to build, nor independent experience with regard to proclamation of the faith in the given context to fall back on. On top of that, they had to learn how to respond appropriately to the different mentality and manners of the local population. They lacked everything; they had to begin from scratch. First they needed to acquire some land on which to build a house with an oratory and the possibility for meetings and then to procure the basic necessities for daily life.
    [Show full text]
  • Retreat Dedicated to St. Joseph Freinademetz Opening： Retreat Into Silence, Invocation of the H
    Retreat Dedicated to St. Joseph Freinademetz Opening： Retreat into Silence, Invocation of the H. Spirit Day 1: His Vocation/Vision (Home/Steyl) Day 2: Mission Experience (Hongkong/ Shandong) Day 3: Religious and Missionary (Mission Spirituality) Day 4: Bearing the Cross (Bishop Anzer) Day 5: A Life Given for Mission (Sacrifice) Retreat into Silence, Invocation of the Holy Spirit • In the silence listen to hear God’s call to us again, our vocation! • Meditate on Jesus as our model and Fr. Joseph as our example! • Discern and experience the working of the Spirit in our lives! • What do I expect of this retreat concretely? Day 1:His Vocation/Vision • Small farmer’s family: the 4th of 13 children; religious atmosphere: morning/evening prayers, the Angelus, Rosary, monthly Holy Communion, • Living in an international situation: familiar with 3 different languages in the multi-national Austrian Empire • In High School he was influenced by a very mission-minded teacher • Vocation: he prayed for a mission vocation, moved by a word from the Lamentations (4:4): “Little children ask for bread, no one gives them any.” • In the diocesan seminary he prepared to become a parish priest; he had capable teachers and there was a very orthodox spirit of obedience to the Pope during the time of Vatican I Assistant Parish Priest • In 1876-78 he worked as assistant parish priest in the village of St. Martin; during the winter he also taught primary school • In his preaching he was like John the Baptist: much stress on warning not to commit mortal sin, to avoid going to hell! • He prepared very seriously in writing all his sermons and even his advice during confessions • He joined the Third Order of St.
    [Show full text]
  • January 2016 TM
    in a Volume 34 No. 1 January 2016 TM A Publication of The Society of the Divine Word, Southern Province Photo by Father James Pawlicki, SVD REFLECTIONS ON LIFE THE THIN PLACES INCREASED IN NUMBER by Father Jerome LeDoux, SVD Already a venue where the thin places of Irish lore, where So the doctor started the operation even without the space between the supernatural and the natural is anesthesia. I could not feel anything because I was totally razor-thin, St. Augustine Residence, onetime Seminary, unconscious. where the first black SVD spiritual giants pursued their studies and path to the priesthood and religious “I had a big wound on the right side of my head, but the brotherhood, conventions were smashed again by visiting doctor drilled on the opposite side. He said he did not Pamela Avellanosa who had studied with our SVDs at know why he did that. Something was just guiding him. He Epworth, Iowa. immediately found and removed a blood clot three inches thick that had a volume of 350 cubic milligrams (12 ounces). Bouncy, bubbly and congenial, Philippines native Pamela I was brain-dead, because my brain was squished into a Avellanosa was born there on December 3, 1980, a special fist-size. I was also clinically dead because the brain could gift to her parents, Raymond and Marcela Avellanosa. An not send signals to the heart to beat. avid bicycle rider, livewire Pamela was barreling down a hill on January 2, 1995 when “I lost my balance,” she recounts. “When the doctor removed the clot, my heart began to beat “I was going very fast, hit the brakes and plunged headfirst again.
    [Show full text]
  • Mount Grace Newsletter
    X63234 11/19/03 5:05 PM Page 2 Bells chimed on June 7, 2003, for the Anniversary of Mount Grace “May the darkness Bells have been tolling first for Arnold Janssen’s three Chapel and Convent celebrating 75 years of uninterrupted adoration Congregations, secondly, for the Holy Spirit Adoration of the “enduring presence” of Jesus in the Eucharist. On June 7, of sin and the night Sisters, and thirdly for Mount Grace Convent. 1928, Mrs. Theresa Backer Kulage’s desire to establish Perpetual of unbelief vanish Adoration in St. Louis was finally realized. The dream she envisioned before the light of The Divine Word Missionaries, the Holy Spirit materialized into the Chapel on a “MOUNT” overlooking the Missionary Sisters and the Holy Spirit Adoration Mississippi Valley with a constant stream of “GRACE” pouring forth the Word and the Sisters have declared March 25, 2003 to March 25, from His Eucharistic throne upon Archdiocese of Saint Louis and Spirit of grace and 2004 as a Year of Grace for the Arnoldus Family. This is beyond. We praise and bless the Lord for the gift of Theresa Kulage’s inspiration and generosity. The Sisters have a may the Heart a blessed time for our Communities and a time to give unique spiritual partnership of prayer with the Legion of Adorers. Many, many visitors call upon the Lord to hear their of Jesus live in praise and thanks to the Holy Triune God. It is a time to celebrate, remember and petitions in this house of prayer. Archbishop Justin Rigali participated in our joy by concelebrating Mount Grace’s reflect on the holiness and lives of the first Saints of our Steyl Congregations.
    [Show full text]
  • Arnold Janssen and Joseph Freinademetz
    Precious is the Life Given for Mission Reflections on the Centennial of the Death of Saints Arnold Janssen and Joseph Freinademetz SVD-SSpS-SSpSAP Common Publication January 15, 2010 Precious is the Life Given for Mission Reflections on the Centennial of the Death of Saints Arnold Janssen and Joseph Freinademetz SVD-SSpS-SSpSAP Common Publication January 15, 2010 The Logo for the centennial (front cover) was designed by Sr. Augusta Lianawati Surijah, SSpS Layout and Distribution: Sebastian Mattappallil, SVD [email protected] Printed by GESP Italia, Città di Castello (PG) January 2010 2 Contents Foreword................................................................................ 5 I. General Information Joint Circular Letter of the Three Superiors General Announcing the Centennial Year of Arnold and Joseph ......................................................... 7 St. Arnold Janssen: Significant Dates ............................. 12 St. Joseph Freinademetz: Significant Dates ................... 14 II.Reflections on Arnold Janssen and Joseph Freinademetz Precious is the Life given for Mission Adeline Ayivor, SSpS...................................................... 18 Precious is the Life given for Mission Carol Welp, SSpS ............................................................ 23 A Tribute to Saints Arnold and Joseph Gracy Antony, SSpS ....................................................... 27 III. Reflections on Arnold Janssen: Bi-monthly Reflections for the Centennial Year, Arnold Janssen Spirituality Center “The Love of
    [Show full text]