Month: May 2015

“St. John in Montana” News, 05/2015

May, the month of Mary! The month of May seemed to disappear very quickly from my (Sr. Juliana’s) calender and I wondered how it was for the novices in their assigned Apostolic Experiences. After our celebration of Easter, we organized ourselves for our next commitments. Alejandra began her Apostolic Experience in Egypt. Clara and Rozeni traveled via Egypt to Tunis and began their apostolic service in working with the little babies at “La Voix de L’Enfant” (“The Voice of the Child”) in Nabeul, near Tunis. For all of the novices, living in a Muslim country is an important part of their Apostolic Experience, as an opportunity to know, to value, and to respond to the challenge of living in environments where Christians are a minority. Joey is in Ecce Homo experiencing what it means to run a guesthouse, and going twice a week to the L’Arche community in Bethlehem to help the handicapped in their workshop. Victoria and Arlyne are living in the Novitiate Community working full time, Arlyne in the Kehila and Victoria in …

Rozeni’s apostolic experience

Nabeul is a very beautiful town rich in crafts especially pottery. When we entered Nabeul we could see many kinds of handicrafts gracing the city. The experience in Nabeul is very rich for me because it means not only being in other country, it is also about knowing the people and their culture, meeting another people, another religious, social, political and cultural reality without forgetting our own, and welcoming this new reality. For me I am very grateful know Nabeul, Tunisia. Looking at the Tunisian people I can feel especially how God is good and loves diversity in his creation. I can open more my eyes and heart beyond the international novitiate which gave me the basis and where I was in contact more with Jewish people . When I saw a Muslim woman in Jerusalem I said to myself I can never talk with her, or be close to her because she appeared to me a distant reality. But now God gave me the opportunity to live for one month in a Muslim country …

Victoria’s Apostolic Experience

Working in the bilingual School „Hand in Hand” For my apostolic experience I worked in the school called “Hand in Hand” which is a school for Arabic (Moslem and Christian) and Jewish children. It is a bilingual school in the languages of Arabic and Hebrew. There are two teachers in each class, one for the Hebrew and one for Arabic language, because the children learn both languages. I am in the first class which means seven years old boys and girls. For me it is a great experience and I tried to challenge myself. Because I belong to the congregation of “Notre Dame de Sion”, this is the perfect place to practice our spirituality. In different missions trying to make peace and dialogue with others who are different and to accept them as they are. I help children who need some help in Arabic language and Mathematics. I play with them sometimes when they have sport time or are in the break. They are very happy when I am playing with them. The teachers encouraged …

Celebrating Shavuot

Shavuot is the second pilgrimage festival. It comes after Pesah and is followed by Sukkot ( cf Ex 23,14-17; Dt 16, 1-17) Those pilger festivals have in common several characteristics, mainly: Going up to Jerusalem, to  the Temple Celebrating at the same time an agricultural event and an historical moment of the History of Salvation. Expressing the joy of both events in singing the Hallel psalms ( 113-118) Those festivals were first cananean festivals, adopted by Israel and referred  to the One God Then, becoming pilgrimage festivals as soon as there has been a Temple: And In a third stage  related to an  evnt of the History of Salvation. Shavuot comes 7 weeks after Pesah,( cf Dt 16,9; Lev 23,15-16) even 5o- days, as a fulfillment of Pesah. The gift of the Tora is seen by Jewish tradition as and an inner deepening of the freedom given by the Lord in the Exodus from Egypt. Let my people go, so they can serve me ( cf Ex 4,23; 5,1,3; 7,16,26; 8,16,23; 9,13; 10,3)  The service …

Clara’s apostolic experience

Alejandra and I started our journey traveling together to Cairo and then to Berba. Sr. Darlene welcomed us at the airport with a big smile and great joy. George the sisters’ friend picked us up and brought us to our home and the community was waiting for us with a delicious lunch, (Arabic fish). I applied for my visa for Tunis from Egypt so I waited for 2 weeks. I am sure that God is the only one who is providing me this fantastic experience. I really had a deep time there. I went to Berba which is one of the places we have a community in Egypt. It is a small village and natural scenery I saw there was the most beautiful, surrounded by the desert area, the green fields, donkeys, cows, buffalos, hens and cocks and so on and the blue sky made a combination that I felt myself out of the world. Sr. Jackie, the children, teachers and some neighbors welcomed us nicely. During my time in Berba I did some activities …

Alejandra’s apostolic experience

Clara and I – Alejandra – arrived together in Cairo because she applied for her visa for Tunis from here. Three weeks living in Cairo and Berba has been a huge blessing in my life. Everything that I see everyday surprises me. I find it completely different from my country (Guatemala) for example the culture, language, food and the liturgy of the mass too. Going to different places helps me to see the whole picture of the country. Some places caught my attention very much especially going to Berba we enjoyed the view of the fields full of wheat and corn. My impression that in Egypt cows, donkeys and sheep are everywhere. In Berba every morning the people go with the animals to the fields and come back at sunset. I remember the first day when we arrived in Berba, Sister Jackie with all the children and the teachers were waiting for us in front of our house and they welcomed us with a warm greeting and a big smile saying in Spanish “Bienvenida”. Sinse that moment I felt I was at home. In the …

Arlene’s apostolic experience

For our shorter apostolic experience Victoria and I are staying in the Novitiate with Ivone and Colette while we are going to our volunteer work. We are now four in the community and so we are missing the company of the other novices as well as Juliana’s presence whose in holiday at this time. We are maintaining the beauty of our garden and the cleanliness of our house. At the same we are having some time for prayer and adoration. Trudy gave falafel and cd with five movies and so we are also having fun together, enjoying good movies and delicious falafel… written by Arlyne