Congregational Novitiate

After my first farewell in Berba in Eypt I spent time in Brazil, Guatemala and Costa Rica. Now for the final say good by I come back to Berba once more. The road to Ein Karem, in order to take up my new ministry within the congregation leads me via Rome. Today its Sunday, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This gave me the opportunity to share Sunday Mass in the church Andrea delle Fratte. It was in this church where 172 years ago, Alphonse Ratisbonne was lead to his Baptism through the intervention of Mary Mother of Jesus, Mother of God.

I prayed for God’s blessing on our new ministry the International Novitat in Jerusalem. And I asked Father Mary Alphonse and Father Theodore to pray for our Congregation “Notre Dame de Sion“ which was founded by Theodore Ratisbonne, the oldest brother of Alphonse Ratisbonne when he heard from his brother about the event of January 20th1842 in this church.

“She said nothing, but I understood all.” Alphonse Ratisbonne

“Mary’s silence, when she showed herself to Alphonse Ratisbonne on January 20, 1842, is more eloquent than a thousand words.

For it has to do with a great mystery and even, according to Paul, “the” mystery par excellence: that God reveals his love for the whole of humanity by choosing a particular people; that God is born of this people, and upholds this choice within the universality of God’s love.

This silence leaves us the space to contemplate that mystery, to scrutinize it without ever thinking we have come to its end. This is what Alphonse Ratisbonne understood and passed on to us, and it is what we celebrate ever since on every January 20th in the large family of Our Lady of Sion.” Sr. Anne-Catherine Avril NDS

Sr. Juliana Baldinger NDS

Quetzaltenango, (oder mit dem einheimischen Namen Xela) ist die Stadt, wo ich Spanisch lerne. Xela liegt auf einer Meereshöhe von 2300 m, und anfangs merkte ich das sehr stark, weil mein Blutdruck stieg. In der Region von Xela leben ungefähr 225000 Menschen. 61 % sind eingeborene Indianer, 34 % Latinos, und 5 % Europäer. Die Stadt wurde am 7. Mai 1524 gegründet.

Es gibt hier etwa neun katholische Kirchen und auch den größten Mormonentempel in Mittelamaerika. Die protestantischen und evangelikalen Kirchen zählt man gar nicht, weil es so viele sind. Auch Baptistenkirchen und freie Kirchen findet man überall. Die Kultur der Mayas ist besonders mit dem katholischen Glauben vermischt. Die Frauen haben farbenfrohe Kleider und tragen ihre Kinder eingewickelt am Rücken. Die Guatemalteken am Land sind klein: Männer nicht größer als ich, und Frauen noch viel kleiner. Die Bewohner in der Stadt sind offenbar gemischter; man nennt sie Latinos; sie sind größer und haben eine hellere Haut. Der 1. November ist ein großes Fest für die Toten, ähnlich wie Allerseelen in Österreich. An diesem Tag werden die Gräber der Verstorbenen neu bemalt und mit Blumen geschmückt. Die ganze Familie (mit Hund) kommt zu Besuch und verbringt den Tag mit den Toten.

Die erste Franziskanermissionen in Guatemala

Wir haben die Stadt Xalcaja besucht, wo die erste Kirche in Guatemala von Missionaren des heiligen Franziskus erbaut wurde. Die Kirche hat die Form eines Schiffes. An einem anderen Tag fuhren sieben von uns Studenten nach Sunbonga, wo die Menschen am 1. November jeden Jahres große schöne Drachen steigen lassen. Diese Tradition geht auf die Kultur der Mayas zurück. In früherer Zeit flogen die Drachen, um Erde und Himmel zu verbinden, und diese schönen Drachen bringen eine Botschaft von der Erde zum Himmel. In der katholischen Tradition wurde daraus der Tag, an dem die Menschen auf der Erde mit ihren verstorbenen Vorfahren, die bei Gott im Himmel sind, in Verbindung treten. Es ist ein kulturelles Fest in Guatemala, und Menschen kommen aus der ganzen Welt, um die schönen Drachen fliegen zu sehen. Unsere Gruppe besichtigte auch die alte Stadt Guatemala Antiqua, wo man die spanische Kultur an allen Gebäuden sieht, und auch an den historischen Kirchen, von denen manche Ruinen sind.

Ein Bergwandertag

Um sechs Uhr früh fuhren vier Studenten mit einem Führer zum Vulkan Chikabal. Von dort kann man die anderen fünf Vulkane von Xela (Santa Maria, Zunil, Santiaguito, La Muela…) sehen. Santiaguito ist ein aktiver Vulkan, alle die andern sind tot. Wir konnten kleine Eruptionen aus der Entfernung sehen, bevor wir etwa 520 Stufen zum Krater des Chikabal, einem heiligen Ort der Mayas, hinunter stiegen. Der Krater ist mit kristallklarem Wasser gefüllt. Wir wanderten um den See und stiegen dann wieder die Stiegen hinauf, um den Vulkan wieder hinunter steigen zu können. Ich war am Schluss erschöpft, denn der Gipfel des Vulkans ist auf 2900 Meter Seehöhe.

Alltag und Abschied

Jetzt weiß ich, warum viele Häuser in Xela höchstens zwei Stockwerke haben. Letzte Nacht hatte ich meine erste Erdbebenerfahrung in Xela, und man sagt mir, dass die Beben häufig auftreten. Täglich steigt Rauch aus dem aktiven Vulkan, und deswegen gibt es hier angeblich immer Wolken.

Am Sonntag mache ich meine Freiwilligenarbeit in einem Zentrum für hirngeschädigte Kinder. Es gibt dort 61 Personen, von Babys bis zu jungen Erwachsenen; die meisten sind in Rollstühlen. Die Franziskanerschwestern der Erscheinung kümmern sich um sie.

Ich lebe bei einer katholischen Familie mit zwei studierten erwachsenen Kindern. Die Tochter ist die alleinerziehende Mutter eines achtjährigen Buben namens Fabian (der Vater hat sie verlassen, kurz nachdem der Bub geboren wurde). Meine Erfahrung mit dieser Familie war sehr positiv; ich lernte dort einiges über die Kultur: Essgewohnheiten, Alltagsleben und die Schwierigkeiten, die infolge politischer und sozialer Unsicherheit auftreten.

Meine letzten Tage in Xela verbrachte ich damit, die spanischen Verben richtig hinzukriegen: Gegenwart, Vergangenheit und Zukunft. Alles sollte ich natürlich wissen und richtig verwenden. Ich bin dankbar für die Möglichkeit, eine kurze Zeit in einer lateinamerikanischen Kultur zu leben, besonders auch für das Leben in der Mayakultur. Der Austausch mit der Spanischlehrerin war auch sehr wertvoll für mich; durch sie konnte ich nicht nur die Sprache lernen, sondern auch vieles über die Lebensbedingungen der Menschen. Dabei habe ich gemerkt, dass manche der sozialen Probleme ähnlich sind wie in Ägypten: Gesundheitsvorsorge, Schulsystem, und Arbeitslosigkeit der jungen Menschen.

Ich habe meine Lehrerin auch in die Bibel eingeführt, denn ich habe die Bibel verwendet, die für die Kinder der Welt in 57 Sprachen übersetzt wurde (durch „Kirche in Not“). Dabei habe ich auch einige Lesefertigkeit gewonnen. Meine Lehrerin, die katholisch ist, war dankbar, dass sie zum ersten Mal Geschichten aus dem Alten Testament las. Am Schluss kaufte ich ihr ein Geschenk, und was kann das wohl gewesen sein? Natürlich eine Bibel, und die Kinderbibel für ihren achtjährigen Sohn. Wir sprachen viel über den christlichen Glauben und auch über den Glauben der Mayas.

Jetzt kann ich nach Costa Rica fahren, dort ein wenig mit den Schwestern kommunizieren und mein Leben mit ihnen teilen. Ich freue mich darauf, jetzt zwei Wochen in Costa Rica zu verbringen, mein Spanisch zu üben und mit den Schwestern Weihnachten zu feiern, bevor ich Weihnachten wieder in Ägypten mit all den Christen dort feiere.

Leb wohl, Guatemala, und danke! Ich werde dich und den Vulkan Santa Maria vermissen, der Xela schützt, und den ich täglich fünf Stunden lang vom Klassenzimmer aus sah.

Danke allen Studenten – wir haben unser Leben, unsere Fröhlichkeit geteilt. Danke all den Personen in der Verwaltung und den Lehrern, die aus dem Studium eine familiäre Erfahrung machten.

Danke der de Valerio Familie, die mich in ihr Haus und Heim aufgenommen hat, so dass mein Aufenthalt in Xela eine schöne Erfahrung wurde.

Dank auch allen meinen Schwestern für diese Lernerfahrung, so dass ich jetzt meine neue Aufgabe übernehmen kann, die Verantwortung für die Schulung im Internationalen Noviziat in Jerusalem zu übernehmen.

Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr!

Sr. Juliana nds

Quetzaltenango, usa su nombre indígena de Xela, es la ciudad donde estoy estudiando español. Xela tiene una altitud de 2.300 metros, y en los primeros días me sentí muy debil, como mi presión arterial sube. La región de Xela tiene una población de alrededor de 225.000 personas. 61 % de ellos son indígenas, 34 % ladinos y el 5% de europeos. La ciudad fue fundada el 7 de mayo de 1524.

En Xela hay nueve iglesias católicas, así como el templo más grande de los mormones en Centroamérica. Tú no puedes contar las iglesias protestantes y evangélicas, ya que hay muchas. Iglesias bautistas y libres también se pueden encontrar en todas partes. La cultura maya se mezcla en todo con la fe cristiana católica. Las mujeres se visten con ropa de colores y llevan a sus hijos puestos en su espalda. Los guatemaltecos del área rural son bajos : los hombres no son más alto que yo y las mujeres son mucho más pequeñas. La gente de la ciudad parece ser una población más heterogénea, sino que son llamados ladinos y son más altos y con un color más claro. 1 de noviembre hay una gran fiesta para los muertos, similar a Austria. Ese día, las tumbas de los difuntos están recién pintadas y decoradas con flores, toda la familia, incluyendo el perro de la familia, las visitan y pasan el día con los muertos.

Estábamos visitando Xalcaja el lugar en el que la primera iglesia en Guatemala fue construida por los misioneros franciscan. Esta iglesia tiene la forma de un barco.

Otro día, siete de nosotros, los estudiantes fuimos a Sumpango, el lugar donde el 1 de noviembre de cada año grandes, y hermosos barriletes se vuelan. Esta tradición se remonta a la cultura maya. En el pasado estos barriletes son volados para conectar la tierra con el cielo, y estos bellos barriletes llevan un mensaje de la tierra al cielo. En la tradición católica, la tradición Maya se convirtió en el día en que las personas en la tierra se conectan con sus antepasados ​​muertos que están en el cielo con Dios. Se trata de un festival cultural de Guatemala y la gente de todas partes del mundo vienen a ver los hermosos barriletes que se vuelan en el cielo. También nuestro grupo fue a visitar Antigua Guatemala, donde la cultura española es visible en todos los edificios y en las iglesias históricas, algunos de los cuales están en ruinas

Un día de excursion por la montaña

Alas 06 a.m. cuatro estudiantes y un guía nos llevó al volcán Chikabal. Desde allí se puede ver los otros 5 volcanes ( Stanta Maria, Zunil, Santiaguito, La Muela…) de Xela. El volcán Santiaguito es un volcán activo, todos los demás están muertos. Pudimos ver desde la distancia las pequeñas erupciones antes de ir hacia abajo unos 520 pasos hasta el cráter del volcán Chikabal, que es un lugar sagrado maya. El cráter se llena de agua cristalina. Dimos una vuelta por el lago antes de subir las escaleras de nuevo, cuando de nuevo se podía ir andando por el volcán. Llegué a casa agotada, como la cima del volcán tiene una altitud de 2.900 metros.

Ahora sé por qué muchas casas de Xela todas están construidas con sólo uno o como máximo dos niveles. Una noche tuve mi primera experiencia de un temblor en Xela, y me dijeron que son frecuentes. El humo se eleva diariamente desde el volcán, y me dijeron que es por eso que siempre hay nubes en Xela.

El domingo es mi día de trabajo voluntario y yo fui al centro donde cuidan a los niños con discapacidad mental. Hay 61 niños en este lugar, desde los bebés hasta los adultos jóvenes y la mayoría de ellos están en sillas de ruedas. Ellos son atendidos por las Hermanas Franciscanas de la Aparición.

Vivo con una familia católica, tienen dos hijos ya mayores estudian en la universidad. La hija es una madre soltera y tiene un niño de 8 años de edad, llamado Fabián. El padre los abandonó poco después de que naciera el niño. Mi experiencia en la familia ha sido muy positiva, y me ha mostrado algo de la cultura en los hábitos alimenticios, la vida cotidiana y las dificultades que surgen a causa de la inseguridad política y social.

Mis últimos días en Xela se han llenado con la obtención de los verbos, presente, pasado y futuro. Todo se supone que hay que memorizar y se usa correctamente. Estoy agradecida por mi experiencia de vivir en una cultura latinoamericana por un corto tiempo y sobre todo que en esta ocasión ha sido en la cultura maya. El hecho de compartir con la maestra ha sido muy valioso para mí, a través de ella no sólo podía aprender el idioma, sino también mucho de las condiciones de vida que compartimos con otros. Aquí me di cuenta de que en algunos puntos de las dificultades sociales parecen similares a las de Egipto : salud, el sistema escolar y el desempleo de los jóvenes.

También le presenté a mi maestra la Biblia, ya que yo estaba usando la Biblia para los niños que se ha traducido para los niños del mundo ( por ” Kirche in Not / Ayuda para Iglesia Necesitada ” en 57 idiomas). Al hacerlo, he adquirido algunas habilidades de lectura. Mi maestra, quien es católica, estaba agradecida ya que por primera vez leía las historias del Antiguo Testamento. Al final le compré un regalo, y qué es lo que creo que fue ? Una Biblia y La Biblia de los niños para su hijo, que tiene 8 años. Hemos hablado mucho acerca de la fe y también sobre las creencias del pueblo maya.

Ahora puedo ir a Costa Rica y podre comunicarme un poco con las hermanas allí y compartir la vida con ellos. Espero ser capaz de pasar dos semanas en Costa Rica ahora, donde puedo practicar el español que aprendí y compartir las celebraciones de Navidad de las hermanas antes de ir a celebrar la Navidad de nuevo en Egipto con todos los cristianos de allí.

Adiós Guatemala y gracias ! Te echaré de menos y el volcán Santa María, que protege Xela y ha estado en plena vista desde mi salón de clases durante 5 horas todos los días.

Gracias a todos los estudiantes – los que compartimos la vida y nos divertimos juntos. Gracias a toda la gente en la administración, en la oficina, así como a los maestros que hicieron el estudio de una experiencia familiar.

Gracias a la familia Valerio quien me acogió en su casa y el hogar e hizo que mi estancia en Xela fuerá una experiencia hermosa.

Gracias a todas mis hermanas por esta experiencia de aprendizaje para que ahora pueda ir y comenzar mi nueva misión, tomando la responsabilidad de la formación en el Noviciado Internacional en Jerusalén.

Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevos!

NDS Sor Juliana

Quetzaltenango, or to use its indigenous name Xela, is the city where I am studying Spanish. Xela is at an altitude of 2.300 meters, and in the first days I felt this quite stronge as my blood pressure incrised. The region of Xela has a population of about 225.000 people. 61% of them are indigenous people, 34% Latinos and 5% Europeans. The city was founded on May 7th, 1524.

There are about nine Catholic churches, as well as the biggest temple of the Mormons in Central America. You don’t count the Protestant and Evangelical churches as there are so many. Baptist and free churches can also be found everywhere. The Mayan culture is mixed in especially with the Catholic Christian faith. The women dress in colourful clothes and carry their children wrapped up on their back. The rural Guatemalans are short: men are no taller than I and women are much smaller. The people in the city seem to be a more mixed population; they are called Latinos and are taller and with a lighter colour. November 1st is a big feast for the dead, similar to Austria. On that day, the graves of the deceased are newly painted and decorated with flowers, the whole family, including the family dog, visits and spends the day with the dead.

We where visiting the location where the first church in Guatemala was built by Jesuit missionaries. The church has the form of a ship.The first  Franssiscan  Mission in Guatemala.

One day, seven of us, students went to Sun-bonga, the place where on November 1st every year big, beautiful kites are flown. This tradition goes back to the Mayan culture. In the past these kites where flown to connect the earth with heaven, and these beautiful kites bring a message from earth to heaven. In Catholic tradition, the Mayan tradition became the day on which the people on earth connect with their deceased ancestors who are in heaven with God. It is a cultural festival of Guatemala and people from all over the world come to see the beautiful kites that are flown in the sky. We as a group also went on to visit the old city of Guatemala Antiqua, where Spanish culture is visible in all the buildings and in the historic churches, some of which are in ruins.

A day of mountain hiking

At 6 a.m. four students and a guide drove to the volcano Chikabal. From there one can see the other 5 volcanoes (Stata Maria, Zunil, Santiaguito, La Muela…) of Xela. The volcano Santiaguito is an active volcano; all the others are dead. We could see from the distance small eruptions before we went down about 520 steps to the crater of the volcano Chikabal, which is a Mayan holy place. The crater is filled with crystal-clear water. We walked around the lake before going up the steps again, when we could again walk down the volcano. I came home exhausted, as on the top of the volcano you are at an altitude of 2.900 meters.

Now I know why many houses of Xela are all built with only one or at most two floors. Last night I had my first experience of an earthquake in Xela, and I was told they are frequent. Smoke rises daily from the volcano, and I was told that is why you always have clouds in Xela.

Sunday is my volunteer work day and I go to the care centre for mentally handicapped children. There are 61 children in this place, from babies to young adults and most of them are in wheelchairs. They are cared for by the Franciscan Sisters of the Apparition.

I live with a Catholic family; they have two grownup children at university level. The daughter is a single mother of an 8-year old boy, called Fabian. The father left them shortly after the boy was born. My experience in the family has been very positive, and it has shown me some of the culture in eating habits, everyday life and the difficulties which arise because of political and social insecurity.

My last days in Xela have been filled with getting the verbs right, present, past and future. All are supposed to be memorised and used correctly. I am thankful for my experience of living in a Latin American culture for a short time and especially that this time it has been in the Mayan culture. The sharing with the teacher has been very valuable for me; through her I could not only learn the language but also much about the living conditions which we shared with one another. Here I realised that in some points the social difficulties seem similar to those in Egypt: healthcare, the school system, and unemployment for the young.

I also introduced my teacher to the Bible, as I was using the children’s Bible that has been translated for the children of the world (by “Kirche in Not / Aid for church in need” into 57 languages). In doing so, I acquired some reading skills. My teacher, who is a Catholic, was grateful as for the first time she read stories from the Old Testament. At the end I bought her a gift, and what do you think it was? A Bible and the children’s Bible for her son, who is 8 years old. We talked a lot about faith and also about the beliefs of the Mayan people.

Now I can go to Costa Rica and be able to communicate a little with the sisters there and share life with them. I look forward being able to spend two weeks in Costa Rica now, where I can practise the Spanish I learned and share the sisters’ Christmas celebrations before I go and celebrate Christmas again in Egypt with all the Christians there.

Good-bye Guatemala and thank you! I will miss you and the volcano Santa Maria which protects Xela and has been in full view from my classroom for 5 hours every day.

Thanks to all the students – we shared life and fun together. Thanks to all the people in administration, in the office, and to the teachers who made studying a family experience.

Thanks to the de Valerio family who welcomed me into their house and home and made my stay in Xela a beautiful experience.

Thanks to all my sisters for this experience of learning so that I can now go and begin my new mission, taking up the responsibility of formation in the International Novitiate in Jerusalem.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sr. Juliana nds

Vocation leaflet in Brazil begins with “Jesus is saying: Let’s go and meet the Congregation “Our Lady of Sion”,

Sr. Jacky and Sr. Mary Carmen arrived in Berba on Wednesday, October 3, 2013. The Gospel for October 4, which is also the feast of St. Francis, was Luke 10:1-12. “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.” The disciples are sent only to places where Jesus himself wants to go. Jilvaneide and I are visiting sisters, we meet faith communities and individuals in the city of Rio de Janeiro and up in the North-East, Santo Amaro, Divina Pastora, Aracaju and Salvador. We go two by two and come to places where Jesus himself wants to go.

After arriving Monday the 7 of October in the evening around 10 pm,  the morning the next day I visited the school of Sion in Rio de Janeiro where my first impression showed me the past glory once shared in Sion when we where many, living and serving in the Mission of Theodore. The sisters in their joy and in the service of the children ashamed me when I look at the ages of this sisters who serve with all the hope and joy the Charism of Sion, either in the school, library or pastoral vocation center.

When I learn about this big country, which has 190 million inhabitants, many different kinds of fruit and a colorful population, I realize that each family reflects the reality of the country. Sr. Ivone says: “My family is very large and you will find in it every color.”

I arrived in Santo Amaro, a village of about 13,000 inhabitants, where one house is built right next to the other; it has wide streets, and the land yields its fruit in due season. I saw how much rain is a blessing.

I met some of the friends of Sion, “amigos de Sion”, who work as volunteers to help in the mission of Our Lady of Sion. They prepare young people to be baptized, they work with children who need help in school by giving them lessons in the various subjects; they pray the family rosary, by which young and older people fall in love with the Word of God as lived and shared in Sion. They teach weekly Bible classes using Jewish sources of interpretation, they explain the celebration of  Shabbat, teach the meaning of the Jewish feasts, and are attentive to homilies in which the love Jesus shares with his people is not respected.

Here in Brazil, just as in Europe, the Church has to learn to become a church where the initiative of individuals and of the faith community is required. And so a profound knowledge of the Word of God is important, which we sisters and lay people acquire by regularly reading and studying the Bible.

I have met many of the sisters’ families, visited their houses which seem small from the outside, but which are very long inside with beautiful decorations. Meeting Jilvaneide’s grandmother on the farm was a  special moment; this lady walked towards me with her parrot perched on her shoulder and on legs that are carrying many years.

In Divina Pastora, we met the contemplative sisters who welcomed us into their home. There, the Brazilian formation team and I shared our concerns for formation in Sion. In our sharing, we realized that our young people need to be formed for religious life so as to live the charism in a mission project before going on to long-term studies in theology or social work, interfaith encounter or as educators in the Sion schools.

Now, in the community of Aracaju, other adventures await me. The first afternoon, we visited Lucia’s family; I met  her brother whose eyes began to shine when he, a student of engineering, told of the many encounters during the WYD in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July 2013. There he also met Mina, a young man from Berba who served as a volunteer during the WYD.

The countryside from where Lucia, one of the future novices comes, has its own beauty. Back in the community of Aracaju, friends of Sion shared the evening with us. There I had the opportunity to share my experience of Egypt, of Berba. At the end of the day I also shared the difficulty of living the charism when churches and  private houses burn because of political opinions.

The next day, we visited the Oasis center; it is an organization of the Friends of Sion and helps young children with their studies: http://oasisamigosdesion.blogspot.com.br

It is located on the outskirts of Aracaju, where crime-related difficulties are the norm and children live in deprived and abused family situations.

In Salvador, someone who helps the sisters welcomed us, picking us up at the airport and driving us to the home of the sisters and of friends of Sion. This was the first time I met a community in which a single mother, an associate of Sion, also lives with her little daughter Cecilia, who is eight years old.  In their community, the entry into Sunday is celebrated by reading and studying the parashat (the week’s liturgical portion of the Torah) sent by the Bat Kol program.

Sr. Valdete serves in the kindergarten with 220 children in Fazenda Coutos, a very poor area on the outskirts of Salvador. PIM, the program that introduces to musical education, contributes to intellectual formation by means of music. Teaching about the people’s original culture that comes from Africa is part of this program. PIM stands for education through dance and music; about 75 children participate in this program, which takes place in the afternoon after regular classes. http://www.projetopim.com/default.aspx

All four Sion communities in the North-East are open communities, where friends of Sion or associates work and live with the Sion sisters. Our prayer was prepared by Edna, an associate of Sion who lives partly in the house and who is studying the behavior of parents with their children at the university. During the prayer, we were asked to look at the light and to see what it is telling us. I realized that light changes reality. It certainly changed my reality in visiting some of the communities in Brazil. I thank all the sisters, friends and associates of Sion who opened their communities and their family’s houses and shared their life with me.