Monday, December 31, 2012

Franziska Notes January 2013

We begin a New Year by saying, “Happy Birthday” to the woman who is the inspiration for these reflections. 1833 brought great promise to the Lechner family as they welcomed the little girl who would become the Foundress of a world wide congregation. How different was the time in which she lived! It was a time of royalty, of Catholic rulers who were just beginning to experiment with legislating bodies voted into office by their citizens. Great social change was in the making. We are the inheritors of that change. Everywhere there is either a democratic style government or a great desire for something similar.

We have become familiar with the need to be critical of the members of the legislative bodies and the individuals we elect to office. We watch their actions and affirm or protest them. Laws must be evaluated. There are unjust laws which harm especially the poor and those who are otherwise powerless and voiceless. How do democracy and faith interact. I wonder if it does not require a careful balancing act. The laws of God are not a result of a ballot victory. Even if the vast majority of people agree to a practice, it does not mean that it has become morally right. It almost seems today that the obligation to be critical of authority has become a knee-jerk reaction to everything we hear. We seem to criticize so easily. We don’t “like” this or that. Then we go on to another topic. I wonder if Mother Franziska would ask us some penetrating questions about some of our criticisms. Have we studied the topic in depth from various viewpoints and facts? Have we reflected on the common good? Have we looked at the teachings of the Church into which we were baptized? Is this a place where we have an obligation and/or the expertise to comment? Let us not become a part of the destructive wind that is sweeping our sad world, the easy, uniformed criticism of just about everything.Mother Franziska would advice us with a smile to be on the lookout for the good and change the world with loving affirmation.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

FRANZISKA NOTES December 2012

Mother Franziska will forgive me surely for being jealous of her time and its celebration of Christmas. She was heir to a thousand years of beautiful traditions that had come to surround the feast. Everyone knew them and awaited the customs involving music, prayer and foods of the season. Gifts were actually a very small part of it all and focused mainly on children. The important thing was the commemoration of the coming of the Son of God to His people.

How sad that Christmas has become a season of controversy. All the beautiful things about the feast that have accumulated over the centuries have become sources of argument and protest. I think Mother Franziska would have smiled and answered with the line from a beautiful carol, “Rejoice, the Christ Child is coming soon”. Jesus has come, what is important today is not that we fight for recognition of His presence but to witness it by a joyful, calm dedication to the truth that we know. It is joy and peace that mark the season and these must also be our attitudes. We must smile often and easily to those we meet in our neighborhoods, shops and workplaces. Only by a true devotion and daily reflection on the religious aspects of the season will we have the confidence to smile at the harried, frightened, overworked whom we will meet. We know the truth. Emmanual, God is with us. How can we be anything except calm and joyful. If we have joy, the simplest arrangements will make a great celebration. Christmas must begin with Christ Mass… at midnight or during the day, perhaps prepared for by a sincere confession. When all is right in our hearts Christmas will be right also. We will be connected to the simple, beautiful, sincere celebrations of a long line of centuries past and especially, Edling in Bavaria and Vienna in Austria, where candles still shine in the night.

Monday, November 19, 2012

A THANKSGIVING SERMON

How many sermons or homilies are remembered for more than a week or even a day or hour.   There was one that I have remembered for over twenty years and I would like to share it here from memory.

It was an ecumenical Thanksgiving Service in a Catholic Church in La Costa, California.  Thanksgiving is the one holiday that Americans of all Creeds can come together to worship in unity.  On this particular day a Rabbi was chosen to give the sermon.  What follows is how I remember it.

Today we thank God for the goodness and blessings he has given us all our lives and especially during the last year.   Then we will go to our homes and enjoy a great feast of traditional foods with additions from our own cultures.  We will thank and congratulate the cook and she deserves all our praise.  Tomorrow will be the real test for the cook, however.   A new turkey from the store comes with instructions or is suited to the printed recipes.  Tomorrow, however the cook will look at  a picked over skeleton with pieces of meat and skin hanging here and there.   It is the cook who can produce a tasty and appetizing meal from these remnants who will deserve the prize.

So it is in life.  We can raise our eyes and smile as we thank God in the good days.  It is the times when we are hit with unexpected pain, fear, sadness or loss that our faith comes to a bitter test.  Can we then look at God in trust, yes, even gratitude?  These are His faithful children filled with the strength that comes only from His grace.  Happy Thanksgiving... in fair weather and foul.

Friday, November 16, 2012

WEB IMMUNIZATION

Yesterday I was on the Second Avenue Bus in Manhattan.  My fellow passengers all seemed deeply immersed in their various electronic gadgets.   Their ears were usually plugged or there was a one-way conversation much too audible for the rest of us.

I was having a far better time watching the parade of fascinating real live drama all down the street.  There were people with very funny dogs and some with very funny hairstyles... There were the loveliest of children and parents from every racial sector of the world.  There were aged people on walkers or in electric wheel chairs and children's strollers pushed by Nannies...  The array of businesses that passed before my eyes were a mini movie of the heartbeat of this great city.  The restaurants bore names from all the corners of the world, the most intrigueing to me were those called "bistro"  or "cafe".  These reminded me of the cafe on the Via Condotte in Rome where much of the 19th century escapades in Europe were planned.   Each of these vignettes could be turned into a charming short story as we wonder what is behind all of the characters I saw that day.

I had the same thought as I scrolled through an e-mail attachment showing the beautiful wonders of our world... I cannot travel to those places so I appreciated the mailing but I also went out doors and saw the thousand colored leaves ready to fall from the trees and the squirrels in their frantic preparations for winter... There was even the first time sighting of a rabbit on our property... but he was so fast maybe it was just an unfortunate squirrel that had lost its tail.

I am all for electronic devices and would be lost without the contents of my Kindle Fire, but I don't want to miss the excitement that is outside my window and door... in everything balance!!!!!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

FRANZISKA NOTES November 2012

It would seem that the temptation of our time is to fall into cynicism and despair.   There is the overwhelming technological ability to send both propaganda and bad news into devices that follow us wherever we go.   What would Mother Franziska say to us?   I think she would smile and say “give joy”… Just recently I heard that an American Bishop, talking to the students at the North American College reminded them that it is very important to smile as they walk around Rome.   In fairness, many of the religious you see in the Eternal City are there on business and have to hurry before the noon rest closes all the shops, or a strike disrupts their commute home.   Tourists who see these representatives of the Church do not know of think of this.  They only take away the impression that the Catholic Church and its “official” people are cheerless and tense.   The new evangelization calls us to have a deep faith grounded in a personal relationship with Christ.   Through this daily contact we are given a radiance that shines into the darkness like light through a window.  Mother Franziska would tell us that the joy of the Lord is available to all but only requires time and exposure, according to possibilities, to Sacred Scripture, the Sacraments and good reading and media.   We almost think that only bad news surrounds us but if we take the time we see everywhere goodness, truth, beauty and love.  These are the things we must concentrate on … Our world is thirsting for light and truth and our Church challenges us to be the apostles of good in our own time and environment.  Mother Franziska would be our biggest cheerleader in this project and will always counter our tendencies to feeling helpless with her own strength and enthusiasm.  She would remind us that it is November, the month of all Saints and all Souls, those who have gone before and still care about us.  She had a favorite Saint for every occasion, adapting her request to the experience and life story of the saint.  We are not alone.  There is loving help everywhere.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

100 YEARS FDC IN THE UNITED STATES



The Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity




Loved by the Father

Sent by the Son

to live in the Spirit



In 1833 a little girl was born in a small Bavarian village near the market town of Wasserburg/Inn. The day after she was taken across the street and Baptised with the name Franziska in the village church. She was strongly influenced by the piety of her culture and recognized that God was her loving heavenly Father. When she was old enough to attend Mass she absorbed every word of the hymns and the homilies. A born leader, she chose to “play church” and had a circle of willing companions whom she taught and questioned from the pulpit of a tree branch. She also played at religious life because she was familiar with Monks who came to beg among the farmers. Scraps of cloth became habits and odd bricks built little monasteries.


From the time she was introduced to the Eucharistic Christ, she felt a call to fashion her life according to God’s will. She made a pilgrimage to a famous Marian shrine at Altoetting where the call became more precise. She asked her parents to give her an education. The only thing available to a woman of her state was to become an instructor of needlework. She joined two religious communities but still felt that her life was for a different road. She joined a priest who wanted to provide education for poor country women and this became a hospital and school in Switzerland. Again there was disappointment and doubt along with physical weakness. After a directed retreat she found herself alone in a small apartment in Vienna. In desolation she turned once again to the Lord to lead her. Soon she received approval for the outline of a Congregation to offer help, education, security and spiritual guidance to the thousands of country girls all over Europe who were coming to the big cities to serve as maids in the houses of the wealthy. These girls were often lost for lack of advocacy and education in the ways of independent and dignified living. Through many struggles she attracted followers and soon her Congregation was known even to the Emperor who asked her to work in the cities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Famous St. Mary’s Homes were founded in the great cities and even schools in the newly acquired lands of the Balkans.





The story begins a significant new chapter when a little girl is born in Venice, Italy of a German father and Italian mother. The girl who became Mother Kostka Bauer was born in 1870 and baptized in the cathedral at Venice. Her father wanted her to be shaped by the German-Austrian culture and so sent her as a boarder to a school in St. Andre where she met the sisters of the young Congregation. The Foundress passed away in 1894, so little Olympia as she was called, had a real connection to the roots. She felt a call, but wanted to enter only if she could become the superior general. What seemed unrealistic childhood ambition was really a symptom of someone who would not live by half measures. She entered the congregation and as Sister M. Kostka, was assigned to a school in Hungary and then as directress of novices. Gradually she shared her own spirit with those she was forming and a missionary dream evolved. They would go to America. Immigrants from countries with a dominantly Catholic culture would be thrust into a diverse society and all the problems associated with poverty in the big city ghettos. They needed care for body and soul. In time this proved to be God’s will as the superiors gave their approval and a small group came to New York City in 1913, They started with the hospitality of a good Hungarian woman and gradually found a house of their own which took in servant girls and continued the original work of the sisters. As the American foundation grew pastors began to ask for sisters to come as catechists and eventually as struggles she attracted followers and soon her Congregation was known even to the Emperor who asked her to work in the cities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Famous St. Mary’s Homes were founded in the great cities and even schools in the newly acquired lands of the Balkans.

Mother Kostka was elected General Superior but became trapped by World War II. She suffered greatly because the unity of the Congregation was so important to her and she could not contact the sisters who were now in many places in Europe and even South America. In God’s plan suffering is never an obstacle to but rather a seed for good. She was here to nurture the growth and spread of the congregation to many parishes and finally to give her life and to rest here on Staten Island in St. Mary’s cemetery.


The missionary spirit continues today as new foundations are made in Africa, Bolivia, Argentina, and in the countries recently freed from Communism. The Congregation is today divided into ten provinces with convents and ministries in 15 countries.where over a thousand sisters are living to “…do good, give joy, make happy and lead to Heaven…”
The Emblem symbolizes the inner life of the Blessed Trinity, the source and model of love in community and service of the Daughters of Divine Charity.

FRANZISKA NOTES October 2012

Mother Franziska would have loved to live in our day. As I was driving to a new destination and using a gps aide for the first time I imagined her startled question in German what the voice was. I explained that I had just passed a designated exit and the gps was taking time to recalculate. As I explained the meaning of the word she noted how important a concept that was for our spiritual lives. Mother Franziska, at the very beginning of her foundation had a great disappointment with a key factor of her team. She lost the priest who had been the spiritual director of her young community. He gave talks, helped write the beginning rules, heard confessions and celebrated the Eucharist. Then a separation became urgent and she could tell no one for the reason. She confided to a close friend that she was in tears whenever she was alone. It was here that her faith taught her to “recalculate”. Accept the situation which could not be changed and continue along the road to the destination which, she was sure, was the will of God. Trust in God was the hallmark of her life and gave her the strength to go on. When we meet an obstacle, a sin, a scandal, it is not a call to give up but to find a new path. The path may be in a mist, but Jesus is there and in prayer we will find the strong hand that is reaching out to lead us on. This makes it possible to use our most important tool for the New Evangelisation: Our joyful smile grounded in boundless faith in God. Our sad world needs joy and each one of us, inspired by Mother Franziska’s goals: to do good, give joy, make happy and lead to heaven… will be bringing to our brothers and sisters the good news which will be the challenge of the current World Synod of Bishops.






Tuesday, September 4, 2012

FRANZISKA NOTES SEPTEMBER 2012

As the sacred is driven more and more from public life it becomes all the more urgent for all believers to be authentic in their faith.  We know how quickly we must update our electronic appliances and what was new a few months ago is obsolete. Why would we think that our religious education from childhood or youth does not need to be polished and adapted to our fast changing culture and life circumstances.   We have at our disposal opportunities that would make even our dear Mother Foundress envious.   Information is all around us for the taking.  We have diocesan publications, free libraries, the internet which has websites and posts by dioceses, religious congregations, Catholic publishing companies and many private individuals.  The coming year of faith is a challenge to dioceses and parishes to provide programs to help people.   The upcoming Synod of Bishops will be responding to our Holy Father and his predecessor’s requests for a New Evangelization.  In the past this meant foreign missions, now, though they are not excluded, it is the previously Catholic cultures that must be re-evangelized.  We are invited to become closer to Jesus, to have an faith that is internalized in a loving relationship with the Blessed Trinity.  How excited would Mother Franziska be with this and how she would strive to motivate her sisters to be examples of persons in love with God, radiating a charity and loving care for every person they meet.   No one is so alone that they do not come into contact with other persons.  Perhaps God lets us meet a mailman or shopkeeper because we are to be the presence of God’s love for them.  No one is exempt from this great world mission.  We are called Daughters of Divine Charity which is translated in most of our languages as (Divine Love).  Our very title is our program and the opportunities to deepen this love in our own hearts and to radiate it in our sad and lonely, lost world are endless and everywhere.  We have a glorious task and a joyous and fulfilling future.

Friday, August 17, 2012

FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION IN RUSHOOKA, UGANDA





FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION IN RUSHOOKA, UGANDA





FRANZISKA NOTES August 2012

These notes are an endeavor of love, to keep alive the great Charism that was God’s gift to our foundress and adapt its rich message to a world that has changed dramatically.  She came from a time when there was the Church founded by Christ and its enemies.   Catholics were the good people, anyone who did not accept the moral code expressed in Catholism, was lost if not evil.   When the sisters arrived in the United States they found themselves in an experiment in ethnic and religious pluralism.  The beginnings were rocky and Catholic immigrants were the object of sometimes severe and violent discrimination.  They were the first to accept the separation of Church and State because it gave them liberty to practice their faith and to educate their own children and serve the poor and sick of all races and creeds for the love of Christ.   The Catholic Church in America has been the envy of Bishops in countries that were just beginning the struggle with democracy and pluralism.  What would Mother Franziska tell us today?   I think she would say: “Love the Church, cultivate compassion and forgiveness to the members who carry all the faults and weaknesses common to our humanity.”   She would tell us to pray daily for the Holy Father and Bishops who are faced daily with difficult decisions and dilemmas.   There is often no road map.  In many ways we are on new ground with a wide variety of moral convictions and practices and technology that spreads these various ideas in rapid succession, allowing almost no time for reflection or dialogue.   She would counsel her sisters to cling to Christ, to allow ample time for meditation and intimate prayer to the Holy Spirit.  She would ask all those in her charge to be devoted to Sacred Scripture and to good sources of information.  In her time she had “Sunday Schools” for the housemaids working for wealthy families because she understood that even a maid or kitchen worker who loved Christ would be a blessing to the entire family of their employer.  The secret of Mother Franziska and all saints lies in  prayer, especially quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Franziska Notes July 2012

Trying to situate the special charism of Franziska Lechner in a time very different from hers is a feat that requires much thought and prayer. It seems from her writings that she was convinced that the Church and her congregation would only thrive under a Catholic civil authority. We live in a very different kind of world. We are struggling with the place of religious life and moral standards in a time of democracy and pluralism. One of her lessons to her sisters gives us a little light on how we should proceed. While they were sheltering country girls who had come to the cities to work in the houses of the wealthy she reminded the sisters how important it was to give these girls a firm human and spiritual foundation. A servant who was secure in her dignity as a child of God and living according to His will would have a vital influence in the household. The children who came daily into contact with her would be the rulers, the educators, the military leaders of their society. If they were grounded in the faith and love of God the country would be in good hands. She was in her time a subversive!



As our society more and more bans all mention of God and religious symbols from the public square, it is important that we light a flame of enthusiasm in our young people. Not only must they learn doctrine and moral principles, these must be modeled for them and accompanied by an exposure to all that is good, true and beautiful.. and fun. Art, science, music, sport, all kinds of good interests must be promoted so that they may see where their gifts lie and how these gifts rooted in their Christian heritage can be put at the service of their future world in a career they have chosen with God’s will in mind. This does not mean only schools and formal institutions… This can be done best by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, etc. Let us be alert to bringing children to Jesus by “doing good, giving joy, making happy”…. and so leading many to heaven.

Sunday, June 3, 2012




Today we celebrate St. Charles Lwanga of Uganda.  He is a Saint for our time and place.  Charles served his king as a faithful citizen until he was asked to do something against his conscience formed by his Christian/Catholic faith.   He was asked to perform immoral sexual acts and to take mind-altering drugs and to invite the young pages who were his responsibility into these practices.   He refused and modeled for them instead the courage to give their lives instead of offending God    These challenges face young people all over the world.  May the example of Charles and his companions, both Catholic and Protestant be a strength for our own youth.

PRAYER

God our Father,
We praise and thank you
for the life and death of your servant,
Charles Lwanga.

Through his intercession, 
we ask you to pour 
your Holy Spirit
on all young christians.
May they be courageous
witnesses of your Son.

We ask this in his name,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen  
from  shrine in  Uganda  (prayer adapeted)

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Martyrs Day Uganda June 3




Uganda Martyrs' Day Celebrations are held every 3rd June at the Uganda Martyrs' Shrine, Namugongo, Kampala-Uganda. In Uganda, this day is a public holiday, which gives chance to millions of people from near and far to make pilgrimage to this Holy Land.



The Martyrs' Day celebrations begin with a Novena in various parts of the country especially in places where different Martyrs were either born or killed. The Novena begins from 25th May to 2nd June. The Novena at Namugongo is also attended by pilgrims from neighbouring countries like; Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and from some other continents.


Many of these pilgrims, young and old, walk miles and miles from their home areas up to Namugongo as a sign of honour to the Martyrs who shed their blood for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pilgrims also spend weeks on this long journey trying to invoke the Uganda Martyrs to intercede for them in overcoming their problems. These, indeed have often testified Martyrs' positive reaction to their prayers as they get salvaged from their bonds.


In preparation for Uganda Martyrs Day, not only pilgrims or faithful flock to the place, business people as well come to Namugongo in big numbers to sell foodstuffs and other merchandise to fellow business people and to pilgrims. This makes the numbers shoot high not only at Namugongo but even in the neighbouring trading centres.


The climax is the celebrations of a Pontifical High Mass on 3rd June. The liturgy celebrations are organized by various dioceses, year after the other. Mass begins at 10 (East African Standard Time) with processions accompanied by liturgical dances organized by the leading diocese. Important persons from Uganda government, embassies and other countries usually attend the celebrations. The security is always beefed up by police and the army. This makes the celebrations very peaceful despite the big numbers (millions) that turn up for the celebrations




Material taken from official web site in Uganda

Franziska Notes June 2012

What is the secret of the saints? Why do they seem to be so happy and fulfilled in spite of many obstacles, challenges and attacks? As we learn more of the life of Mother Franziska we see that she had an intimate relationship with Jesus and Mary.

She nourished this life in the spirit with the Sacred Scriptures, the Eucharist and daily meditation. Surely her life and work testifies to constant happiness and success. The opposite is true. In her own words we hear of disappointments in those she relied on for guidance, attacks by enemies, doubts and failures besides ill health.

Intimacy with the Lord has moments of supreme, inexpressible joy and consolation, but more often is uneventful. It develops slowly over a lifetime and has times of darkness. Those who remember the consolation and travel with courage and patience through the darkness discover how Jesus delights in surprising his friends. The key is perseverance. Those who are addicted to pleasure and good feelings run and turn to other things in an attempt to re-capture the joy that can only come from the Holy Spirit and on God’s time.

Mother Franziska surely asked at times, as we also do, “Why am I hindered from doing this good thing? Why are my gifts frustrated and my wings clipped?” Often it is the good people in our lives who become our obstacles… our superiors, our parents, our friends. I think it is the Lord Himself trying to remind us that all true gifts are from him and for service to the Church and world. If we were unhindered we could easily be deceived that it is our own talent and intelligence at work. It is in the “holy darkness” that we are reminded that all we have is from the Lord and all happiness and fulfillment comes in doing His will. Jesus is waiting to surprise and delight again the one sitting in loneliness and darkness. He tells us, “Do not be afraid of the dark”, as promised in Isaiah 41:13 He holds our hand and helps us.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Sister Ernestine.. A dear friend to many

Biography





Sister M. Ernestine (Josephine) Jeck, FDC Holy Family Province

Born: Born: Oct. 16, 1916 New York City
Entered: Sept. 5, 1930 St. Joseph Hill Staten Island, NY
Received: Aug. 28, 1934 St. Joseph Hill Staten Island, NY
First Profession: Aug 5, 1936 St. Joseph Hill Staten Island, NY
Perpetual Profession: Aug. 25, 1942 St. Joseph Hill Staten Island, NY
Died: May 20, 2012 Carmel Richmond Home, Staten Isl.

Josephine Jeck was born in New York City in the early years of the twentieth century. She was baptized in St. Joseph’s Church in Yorkville and lived on East 78th Street with her parents, Peter and Magdalena Wagner and her older brother and sister.

When she was only one year old, their tranquil family life was shattered by the death of their father in a tragic accident.

In order to support her children, Mrs. Jeck went to work and so took little Josephine to day nursery. But, God already had his plan for her future in motion. When she was five, a friend told her mother that the Sisters who operated St. Mary’s Residence for Women on East 72nd Street were opening a boarding school on what was then a rural Staten Island.

Little Josephine was enrolled and eventually became a member of the first graduating class of St. Joseph Hill Academy. In 1934, drawn by the example of the Sisters who had raised and educated her, she became a novice in the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity with the name Sister Mary Ernestine.

Her first teaching assignment after religious profession was in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Subsequently she taught in several schools in the East and Midwest. In 1952 she returned to St. Joseph Hill and there are women today who have happy memories of Sister Ernestine as their third or fourth grade teacher. Those who experienced her kindness in their early years were happy when Sister was assigned to the high school faculty in 1958.

During her entire career, her primary objective was to teach her students about God’s love for them and to foster a personal relationship with Jesus.

Sister Ernestine’s family was always very important to her and she delighted in attending family gatherings and receiving visits, phone calls and letters from them.

After receiving a degree in Library Science, her “station” became the library in the newly built high school. Besides the ordinary service of a librarian, we can compare her God-given “mission” there to an anchorite in 4th Century England. In a room attached to the church in Norwich lived Dame Julian who shared the wisdom, fruit of her prayer and contemplation with all who came to her window. Her chief message from the Lord for those dark medieval days was, “All will be well, all manner of things will be well!” So, the faculty and students who had occasion to enter the library and stop by Sister Ernestine’s desk received a smile and kind words that assured them that God’s love would be the solution to all that was troubling them. All this happened quietly and unassumingly, appreciated only in the accumulation of hundreds of friends sharing memories over the years.

We hope that Sister Ernestine’s smile is now glowing with the sight of the Lord who loved her throughout her long life and that she will be present to us with her prayers as we try to be, like her, messengers of God’s abiding love and care. All of us, sisters, family and friends, thank God for the gift of the life of this lovely sister!

R.I.P.

Sister M. Caroline Bachmann FDC

Compiled from various sources


















Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The world needs your light

It is so easy to be overwhelmed by the depressing news of the the world.  That would be a terrible mistake.... God gave each of us many gifts to bring the good, the true, the beautiful and the loving to our world.   It is good to start with a smile.  How we get up in the morning is one of the most important acts in our day.  If the first thoughts are tense worries, about money, tasks, tests, commitments... we will be carrying a heavy load all day long and wonder why we are tired and lacking in enthusiasm.   A better way is to realize what a gift this new day is... to thank God for this gift that no one else can give and which is a sign of the love of the Creator of the Universe for one of his precious children.  The second task is to smile at the face in the mirror.  If you cannot smile at yourself, the world will be deprived of the wonderful gift you have to give....

Go now and be today's sunshine... no one else in the world can do that

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Hurray for Hill Girls

These last few days I have had the pleasure of meeting almost all the high school girls of St. Joseph Hill which was founded by the Daughters of Divine Charity.  What a wonderful group of young women.  They reminded me of the older women who, after forty years of Communist tyranny joined together to have a plaque installed in their high school in Budapest which the Communists took away from the Congregation, dispersing the sisters without any warning or provision for their support.    The girls remembered the joy and enthusiasm for God and His people that their teachers had conveyed and they made sure they expressed this gratitude at the first opportunity.  All over Staten Island are successful women in many helping professions and strong mothers raising good citizens for our church and country. 

The girls showed their interest the promotion of women and children in Uganda by health care and education so that happy citizens can help their country join the group of responsible nations making a better world for us all.  God bless them.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Memories of Africa

Trying to live an environmentally supportive lifestyle I was rinsing out my glass water bottle. It required a great deal of tap water to get the last bubbles of dish soap out of the narrow neck…. As I ran more and more of the precious liquid my mind turned again to the experience of over a decade ago.

I was privileged to accompany our General Superior to the blessing of the newly built convent in the little village of Rushooka in south west Uganda. Google can find the nearest town called Kabale.

We left from Rome, Italy and had a midnight stopover in London. Having slept on the plane I was awakened as by a welcome mat, of the sun glistening on Lake Victoria as we circled to land in the airport at Entebbe near the capital, Kampala.

The sisters greeted us and took us on a dusty red road to the city of Mbarara where their diocesan bishop resides. We stayed at a Catholic hostel built for missioners and others travelling in the country and then continued on the same road to Rushooka. Since the convent was not ready we slept as the sisters had for a year, in a hut very much like the best house in the village. The walls were made of sticks and mud and the room sister had lent me was filled with the low bed. She said not to be disturbed if things were crawling on the cross beams over my head. I hoped she didn’t mean a leapard and fell into an exhausted sleep. The next day I tried to wash in a basin as I poured water from a very heavy jerry can to rinse my tooth brush. We had breakfast and prayers in another mud walled room and then explored the village. Happy children followed me everywhere, especially when they could see the picture I had just taken on the tiny digital screen at the back of my camera.

We were all busy preparing the new convent and the entire village for the wonderful celebration to bless the new convent, constructed of local brick. On the big day the Bishop, Msgr. Bakjenga of Mbarara arrived. Mass was celebrated outdoors under a blue United Nations tarp. It rained briefly during the celebration and water had to be poked out from the recesses in our covering. Singing was joyful, in English, children danced and women gestured. Many new friends of the sisters attended and afterward the entire village had a great feast. In the convent the bishop and guests from far had a chicken dinner and all around the villagers sat with bowls of the banana preparation called matoke, enriched with meat and sauce.
We moved into the convent that night and had accommodations which were more familiar to us northeners, but water was still in jerry cans hauled by truck from a spring five kilometers distant. In the mud hut which served as an infirmary people gathered in the waiting room under a tree as the sisters treated various ailments.
The faith came to Uganda through the ministry of the so-called White Fathers and was nourished by the blood of the Uganda Martyrs, page boys who resisted the sinful commands of the king.

Since the sisters have come to the village, health care has become officially certified and is in a new building. Except in times of seasonal drought the people have food but they need cash for living improvements and for education. The sisters began a program of giving widows pregnant goats which began a herd for sale and for protein. There is a cooperative for raising pigs. A Sister taught sewing and nutritious cooking and another watched over the orphans cared for by the village. They now have a mill also run as a coop which grinds the grain they grow eliminating the expensive middle man. The success of ornamental sunflowers brought the idea of growing a variety that produced oil for sale and this is now another profitable enterprise.

As more women wanted to follow our charism and join our congregation we began a formation house in Mbarara where they could live and work while they completed their education. Now there are plans for a house in the capital which can some day give service and training to women who might otherwise be at the mercy of international sex traffickers.
The people of Rushooka were good Catholics thanks to the ministry of Franciscan priests who also inspired our General Superior to send sisters. All people need health care and education to live in freedom and human dignity. In our world this necessitates money. Water has been brought into the village. There are still jerry cans but they must be carried a much shorter distance. More and more boys and girls are able to go to school and receive even higher education. The health center is receiving the necessary requisites to fight the scourges of AIDS and malaria. Jesus healed body and souls and in this tradition the work goes on with missioners and local vocations.
For those of us who only visited for a time, every run of water and every hot shower is appreciated for the privilege it is and occasions a prayer of gratitude and intercession for the millions in the world who do not enjoy these, to us, simple pleasures.








Franziska Notes May 2012

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

FRANZISKA NOTES April 2012

We read a strange thing in the account of Our Lord’s Ascension. The disciples accompany Jesus and he raises his arms in blessing as he ascends to his Father. In our imagination we could see them weeping and consoling one another at the farewell of this perfect friend and teacher. That is not what happens. It says they returned to Jerusalem rejoicing. In his book Jesus of Nazareth part two our Holy Father contemplates the same phenomenon. He tells us that the disciples and we can rejoice because Jesus is now not limited by our time and space. Having returned to the Father he is now for all time in “divine space”. He now belongs intimately to all of us. Those who lived with Jesus in Israel were fortunate to meet him once or twice in a lifetime. They might touch his robe and be healed but then he moves on “to the other cities of Israel”. Today we need only turn our mind and heart to him and our friend, consoler, Lord and God is there with us.
Let us not neglect the privileged presences of Jesus to us: the Sacred Scriptures and the Eucharist. Both are concrete and available to our senses. They are the keys to renewing our understanding the mystical presence of Jesus with us always.
Mother Franziska drew her courage and strength from this presence of Christ. She was very aware of Jesus living in her heart, in the Eucharist and in the Holy Scripture which she frequently quoted. As she traveled across the Empire she saluted Jesus in the tabernacle of the churches whose towers passed her train or coach window.
Let us not be afraid of a personal relationship with Christ and his mother and the saints who preceded us. It is countercultural and we will sometimes feel alone. We are not alone, all over the world are Christians ready to serve and lay down their lives for Jesus and their neighbor. Jesus promised that he would be with us always and at every Mass we celebrate that he will come again. So we can rejoice. The Easter joy is not for a day, a week, or a season. He is risen! Forever!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Franziska Notes March 2012

All of March this year is dedicated to the season of Lent. Our times and our experience of this season of penance and conversion is much different from the time of Mother Franziska. The sins of which we are conscious and the penance we must do are also different. Her society by and large supported the faith into which most people were baptized. Expected behavior was clear and those who were different were on the fringes. The news was black and white in more than paper and ink.
We are bombarded by many versions of “right and wrong”. Many different types of behavior are tolerated and judgment of others’ behavior is frowned upon. In many ways this is a Christian stance for God our Father loves all people and makes the sun and rain benefit the “good” and the “bad”. Jesus tells us we must not judge so that we too will not be judged.
We cannot live in a moral vacuum. We have the voice of the Church to guide us as we make decisions. Sometimes a prominent person takes great risk in articulating his or her Catholic faith. Soon they are ridiculed and their words shredded and mocked in the media. In some circles it has become “cool” and even sophisticated to criticize the Bishops or our priests. Our children may very seldom hear the great achievements of our martyrs, scientists, workers of charity of all types. They may hear us apologize for our faith and those who profess it. So we are obliged to study our faith and to rejoice in the many benefits of nature and grace that have come to us with our Baptism. We have the Eucharist, the consolation of the sacraments, the example of the saints and heroes who shared these graces. We must courageously speak of what is good and holy in what we believe, even if it is mocked. We see courageous Catholic public figures who stay true to what the Church teaches even though they risk losing the esteem or office they strive for. We ask the intercession of Mother Franziska, Servant of God, to live joyously and courageously in our time as she did in hers and as the sisters who followed her did in subsequent times of poverty and persecution.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Mary of Bethany

We read in the Gospels of the women who followed the Lord and ministered to the needs of his disciples.... The impression might be that they did the cooking and the laundry... Women know how to do those things and this makes them strong and independent. We also have Mary, the sister of Lazarus, the contemplative, the theologian who sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His words. Martha was cooking but she was obviously listening for when her brother died she was the one who articulated her faith in the divine power of their friend, Jesus.

In the fifties and before, there was a very strict fast for receiving the Eucharist. No food or water was allowed before the Mass. There were very strong women who loved the Lord no less than Mary and Martha. They rode the ferry each day to their jobs in lower Manhattan without any breakfast because they wanted to meet their Lord in Holy Communion at the noon Mass during their lunch hour.

Today the fast is more relaxed, but it still requires a special love and courage to be witness to Jesus in the Eucharist. It is sometimes difficult to acknowledge our faith in the Real Presence when so much of our society keep their faith, if they have any, as a personal secret. Mockery hurts far more than an empty stomach.

Still today there are brave young woman who cannot deny their love for Jesus and give up part of their precious lunch hour to find and attend a Holy Mass. How dear they are to Him and how blessed will be their lives and those they touch.

Franziska Notes February 2012

February is the “month between” or sometimes the gateway to the Holy Season of Lent.. In our time Catholicism and individual Catholics in public life are very much in the news. People are curious about our faith. No one can be immune from questions provoked by this publicity. We must take advantage of every opportunity to know our faith on an adult intellectual level. Mother Franziska repeated often to her sisters what she must have learned from her father, loosely remembered as a warning not to “travel around as an “empty suitcase”. Our brains and also our spirits can be compared to suitcases or, today, “tote bags”. What do they contain?. Do we want to imprint our precious brain cells with superficial thrills or petty information or do we want to store treasure there for ourselves and others? Good books and media are available to all but there is also much misinformation in the media used by the general public so that the Holy Father, John Paul II’s desire for a new evangelization can not take place without committed Catholics able to respond accurately to questions about the faith
In this Mother Franziska would have her sisters on the front lines. By their prayers, actions, study and love they would demonstrate the true mission of the Church. They would be familiar with the Gospel from their own dedication to reading Sacred Scripture, and be articulate in a loving and true way about God’s Revelation through His Son Jesus Christ. Were we not promised the help of the Holy Spirit? Can we not rely on that promise during lunch breaks and over coffee as we speak from our own conviction about the wonders God has done in His Church and in our lives. The centrality of the Eucharist will become visible in our own manner in churches and at Catholic liturgies and ceremonies. If we have filled our hearts and minds with the beauty of our Catholic Faith we will be messengers of the Living Christ who wishes to draw all people to Himself. The curiosity about the source of our love and joy will attract them to Jesus. We will make Gods love more radiantly visible in our world.

Franziska Notes January 2012

It is time to say “Happy New Year!” Time passes very quickly, especially after we have said those words many times. Mother Franziska must have felt the passage of time very deeply. As we read her letters or her work we cannot help but become breathless with the urgency she felt about her mission. She is not the only one who has been sent by God… all of us, the baptized, have a mission, a call from God. The liturgy of January is all about call. Beginning with John the Baptist who generously encourages his own disciples to follow Jesus and continuing with Jesus Himself, and down to our own day we must be about announcing the Kingdom of God
No one has the privilege of excusing themselves. It is especially at this time of secularism, materialism and the crumbling of the Scripture based heritage that the world has known for two thousand years, that Christians and all those who love and believe in God, must be active. Even Those who are confined to one room, or to a bare prison cell as many of the Saints were, have a mission and must give witness. The Archbishop of Ho Chi Minh City (former Hanoi), Nguyễn Văn Thuận kept in solitary confinement for nine years was such a good witness that they had to rotate his guards because so many were converted by his humility and kindness and by the joy and faith he radiated.
Mother Franziska lived in a very different time, but her love for God and His Church are still models for us today. Holiness shines all the brighter where evil tries to stamp it out. We have far better access to Sacred Scripture, books, stories of saints, because of magazines, diocesan newspapers, retreat programs and books available and especially the Internet. We must spend time learning more about our faith and letting ourselves be inspired so that our actions or even our simple “being” become lamps pointing to the Savior of the World. That is what it means to be a “Servant and Instrument” of God’s love.

Franziska Notes December 2011

We usually look to Mother Franziska as a model for living her spirit and charism in our daily lives today. As we end this year it seems we should come begging her intercession that we may live the spirit of Christ in a very different world. The culture she lived and worked in was pretty much shaped by the Gospels and the Hebrew Scriptures. The enemies of the prevailing culture were weakened and distant. This inimical spirit touched the Drina Martyrs in the form of a small band of partisans. Later this became institutionalized in a large part of the world dominated by atheistic Communism. The Church counts thousands of martyrs from this period.
Today we are threatened by a culture of materialism that ignores or even mocks and attacks the judeo-christian heritage that shaped its greatness. This materialism is dangerous because most of the time we are not aware that it is robbing us of true joy and love, substituting a superficial pleasure that puts the self in place of the giving spirit proclaimed by Jesus.
We ask Mother Franziska to pray for us so that we may be servants of God’s love--that we may be alert to the many opportunities of welcoming and comforting the suffering whom we meet every day. We do not need to be afraid to be generous. The example of Christ that we celebrate this month, is both our model and our strength for the task. The Son of God left the status and wealth of heaven to become a baby in a manger entrusting himself to weak human beings as he does today in the Eucharist. Jesus promised that those who “lose” their lives here will gain eternal life. God’s love cannot be surpassed. In giving of ourselves and our possessions we find a joy that surpasses by far any of the pleasures promised by the false values of our prevailing culture. Mother Franziska who responded to the call of the Lord in your time, be with us and teach us to see rightly in our own.