Volume IV Issue No.3 April-May 2016

Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing, Casa Santo Spirito, 00163 Via dei Bevilacqua 60, Rome Italy

“Wherever the stream flows, it will bring life.” (Ez. 47:9c)

Mother Angela Strobel together with Sr. Re-

gina Tesch stayed in Norfolk Priory, Nebraska,

USA from May 20 to June 5 for the canonical

visitation. The visitation began with a Jubilee of

Mercy pilgrimage of the whole priory to Rae-

ville, where the roots of Norfolk Priory began

to sink and grow.

The four pioneering sisters of Raeville started on July 31, 1923 with a school to serve the settlers upon the invitation of Archbishop Jeremiah Harty of Omaha. They ministered to German immigrants. That fall the Sisters began teaching in St. John Berchman’s School, Rae-ville, Nebraska. In 1926, Raeville gained status as a priory, with Sr. Diemud Gerber, OSB, as the first prioress.

On June 13 sisters welcomed M. Angela and Sr. Lumen Gloria Dungca for the canonical visit-ation of the Manila Priory. M. Angela stays un-til August 15 while Sr. Lumen Gloria will con-tinue to visit two more communities in Minda-nao from September 7-13.

The visitation coincided with golden jubilee cele-brations. The first was on June 18 for the 50 years of exist-ence of the Holy Family High School, Sum-ag,

(see next page)

Norfolk Priory on pilgrimage to Raeville to start off the canonical visitation

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Manila Priory Update 2

UISG / BEAO 3

Misericordia in the MBS Constitutions 4

Wonders of a Farmer 5 Events 6

P a g e 2

VISITATIONS FROM PAGE 1

Sisters welcome M. Angela and Sr. Lumen Gloria at the airport

Bacolod.

The next day, June 19, four golden jubilari-ans Sr. Rosalind Tanhueco, Sr. Mary Vincent

Feliciano, Sr. Guadalupe Valdez and Sr. Gene-vieve Benares and one silver jubilarian, Sr. Rose Ann Leonardo renewed their religious profession during the Eucharistic celebration.

Marker in honor of Sr. Irmengardes

L– R: Sr. Rose Ann, Sr. Rosalind, Sr. Lydia, Sr. Ade-laida, M. Angela, Sr. Lumen Gloria, Sr. Mary Vincent and Sr. Guadalupe

the day.

She also met students who eagerly took her hand for the traditional F i l i p i n o b l e s s i n g p o p u l a r l y known as

“mano po.”

MANILA PRIORY UPDATE

Pambujan became a juridical community on May 15 upon completion of all its members.

Sr. Stella with the Kabuhima children

Sr. Stella Matutina was transferred to Ndanda Priory on May 26 for a term of four years.

The Marihatag Community celebrated its 25th year of foundation on June 4.

M. Angela

also visited T u l a y a n C e n t e r w h e r e street fam-ilies can stay during

P a g e 3 V o l u m e I V , I s s u e 3

UISG MEETS IN ROME The International Union of Superiors General (UISG) held its XX Plenary Assembly at the Cen-tro Internazionale Ergife Palace Hotel in Rome from May 9-13. M. Angela Strobel joined 870 women religious coming from all continents. The theme of the meeting revolved around “Weaving Global Solidarity for Life.” Our Common Earth-Home, Existential and Social Peripheries (migrants, trafficking, and peace) and Apostolic Response as Consecrated Women were some of the topics the participants were challenged to face with. Pope Francis had an audience with the partici-

M. Angela (left) during the table discussion

pants on the fourth day at the Pope Paul VI Hall of the Vatican. During this Assembly the participants cele-brated also the Golden Jubilee of UISG which was born on December 8, 1965. Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL), cele-brated the closing Eucharist.

BEAO PARTICIPANTS

The 11th Meeting of the Benedictines of East Asia and Oceania (BEAO) was held at Waegwan Abbey, Chilgok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Repub-lic of Korea from April 25-30. The theme of the meeting was, “A Benedictine Response to Pope Fran-cis’ Encyclical “Laudato Si.” The 36 participants from 5 countries were as follows: Japan-1; Vi-etnam -1; Taiwan-2; Philippines -9 and Korea – 23. Of the 36 participants, 7 belong to the Missio-

nary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing. The 4 Sis-ters from Daegu Priory were Mother Maoro Sye, Sister Mary Daniel Park, Sister Johann Kang and Sister Philippa Kwak; the two sisters from Seoul Priory were Sister Isaac Young and Sister Illumina Lee, the seventh sister was Sr. Ana Maria Raca from the Manila Priory. Abbot Blasio Park, OSB and the monks of the Waegwan Abbey hosted the meeting.

BENEDICTINES OF EAST ASIA AND OCEANIA MEET IN WAEGWAN BY SR. ANA MARIA RACA, OSB

P a g e 4

PART I

Jesus of Nazareth, Man of Compassion “In his gratuitous love Jesus Christ has called us to follow

him in religious life” ( Constitution II: 1) Jesus of Nazareth, whom we follow is “passion” personified . He is God’s instrument of compassion . Who is this Jesus? If we were to ask Him regarding his ID, He probably will not give the answer usually found in our catechetical class; Lord, Master, Teacher, Prophet, Fulfillment of the law, Messiah Shepherd, Preacher . What sparkles his spirituality? He would most likely point to two essential things about Himself : His passion for the God of His religion, and his pas-sion for people whom His God is compassionate about. Passion and compassion form a unity and are integral to His emotional state of being wor-shipper and evangelizer . Jesus’ passion for humanity came not only from his passion for His God’s compassion for people nor from his lectio on the Scriptures. When Jesus feeds the hungry, heals the sick and sinners, and treats them with compassion dur-ing his public ministry, it is the stance of the person whose human experience in its craziness and sublimity must have felt that ‘built-in” hu-man value already during his hidden life. He lived through and knew human life. He nur-tured his affective life, his passion for intimacy, for friendship, for camaraderie. He experienced all the mess of physical and emotional realities of being human . He felt the more difficult emo-tions too, grew agitated, wept even and became upset and exasperated at times. He got tired. The first weeks of my arrival in Uganda, I was cautioned not to get malaria . I did not. But I was invaded by mosquito bites and stud-ded over with spider rushes infesting a good part of my body. I just wanted to bump my

SEEDS OF MISERICORDIA IN THE MBS CONSTITUTIONS

CONFERENCE BY SR. HILDA BUHAY, OSB GIVEN AT

THE INTERNATIONAL WEEKS OF ENCOUNTER IN APRIL 2016

whole body and fling out with it the irritating itch gnawing over me. I thought of Jesus eaten up too by insect bites in the desert and mountain places where he went. He scratched . He grind-ed his back . He growled in discomfort. .He must have done that.! To live out our missionary Benedictine voca-tion without passion robs us of the very motives that inspire us to follow Jesus, We too could stir within us, more and more, this ministration of love, the sacred flame of Christ’s passion for hu-manity “as we get right inside people until things are seen with their eyes, understood with their minds and felt with their feelings.” (Barclay)

Sharing the Joy of Our Giftedness “… we will do so in the spirit of the Beatitudes, as an expression of our solidarity with the poor. (Cons II: 7)

What does it mean to live the beatitudes? “Rejoice and be glad”… “Be joyful!” -- that’s part of Pope Francis wake up call. But really, a good number of people see us enjoy life to the full. We have been asked time and again, “Why are you so happy? “ “You are so OK.”

People see us at ease with fun , adept at cele-brating . They marvel at how sublime we can get without losing our earthiness, making the ordi-nary sparkle with elegance and dignity. Our happy laughter is contagious, they say. We are comfortable with the poor in the gutters as well as with the big wigs conferring at Sheraton Towers. We see with wide eyes, hear with at-tuned ears and speak with the simplicity of being blessed. Indeed, the greatest gift we offer is the joy of our being. “If you knew the gift of God..”,Jesus addresses us through the Samaritan woman. We may seem to be the way others perceive us, but let me ask, do you really ever celebrate yourself? Do you affirm the goodness of your be-ing and your love for life? Do you savor the blessedness of your person? (to be continued in the next issue)

P a g e 5

From being a grade school teacher with a specialization for early childhood education, it did not dawn on me that in my old age I would be a “farmer, ” a caretak-

er, together with four lay mission partners, of this 9.5 hectares of land of St. Scholastica’s Manila

Priory in the mountains of Tanay, Rizal.

My first en-counter with this land in August 2012 , while still re-covering from a major stom-ach operation,

was one of awe. I felt humbled because of its vastness , rolling hills and the scenic beauty of the Sierra Madre Mountains just behind. I felt drowned too, afraid and at a lost. What is to be done with this valuable gift of land with clean spring water for drinking and flowing water from the creeks to water the fields by ram pump ? Can I manage it? Develop it? Deep in my heart I knew I would be properly guided by the Spirit as I began to work with what Sr. Ana Maria Raca had began and to enrich it in the way I could.

After a year of experiencing the farm, of work-

ing with our farmers and staff ,of listening to the

wisdom given by the Sisters and by the different

groups who came for quiet and learning and of

meeting the indigenous communities around us, we were able to come up with the following Vi-sion, Mission and Goal .

VISION : A place of quiet and peace for ener-gizing tired spirits, of communing with nature and with God; a place with a bountiful harvest of organic produce available to the people; a place where the refreshing balance and beauty of its environs /surroundings are restored.

MISSION: To serve as a guide to different groups who wish to deepen their relationship with God and their connection with nature; to continue greening the place by planting differ-ent indigenous varieties of trees on the 39% of the land; to continue planting vegetables and fruit trees on the 13% of the land; to continue improving the skills in organic farming and shar-ing our expertise with others; to continue providing empowering activities to the commu-nities in the vicinity of the farm .

GOAL : To relate more deeply with God who

loves us unceasingly through nature; to achieve

a bountiful harvest of organic produce of vegeta-

bles and fruits; to reforest the area by planting

more endemic trees ; to gain more knowledge in

the different aspects of organic farming; to

deepen healthy relationship with the surround-

ing communities.

Now the development of this land is not scary

anymore. Indeed to take care and develop this

land is both a grace and a privilege from our gra-

cious God. TO HIM BE THE GLORY.

THE WONDERS OF BEING A FARMER BY SR. ALICIA SOBREVIÑAS, OSB

Sr. Alicia with lay mission partners

Different groups visiting the organic farm

V o l u m e I V , I s s u e 3

P a g e 6

Sr. Elisabeth Lee, 94, died in Daegu on april 28.

Sr. Pilar Catalan, 98, died in Madrid on May 1

Sr. Canisia Bussmann, 92, died in Ettiswil, Switzer-land

on June 21.

Sr. Ludwigis Fabian, 83, died in Tutzing (Haus St. Benedict) on June 21.

Sr. Anna Maria Cheong of the Daegu Priory translated the book “Älter werden -weiterwachsen” of Abbot Fi-delis Ruppert, OSB, former Abbot of the Münster-schwarzach Abbey. The book

is now available in Daegu.

M. ANGELA INSTALLS

NEW GENERALATE SECRETARY M. Angela installed Sr. Rosalina Fajardo as Generalate secretary for a term of three years on May 16 . Sr. Carmel Simpauco, her predecessor, returned to Manila, her home priory on May 27.

Sr. Joyce Sr. Agnes Sr. Judith Sr. Pia

Sr. Matilde

Sr. Sabina

Final Profession of

Sr. Joyce Nzuyu and Sr. Ag-nes Mrosso at the Ndanda Priory House Chapel, May 7

Sr. Judith Diaz and Sr. Pia Iita (from the Windhoek Priory) at St. Scholastica’s Priory House, Tagaytay, Philippines on May 11

Sr. Matilde Shikongo and Sr. Sabina Zolonimu at St. Bene-dict Priory House Chapel, Windhoek on June 18.

BOOK TRANSLATION

L-R: Sr. Carmel, Sr. Rosalina and M. Angela

RB COURSE

Sr. Aquinata (third from let) with the Principals

Sr. Aquinata Böckmann gave a conference on the Rule of St. Benedict to principals of Australian Good Samaritans’ s Schools from April 8-9 held in Rome and to a group of managers in Fahr and Rheinfelden, Switzerland on April 15-16.