Good Shepherd News
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd
GSN 268 December 2013
Good Shepherd present at Vatican Workshop on Human Trafficking
(2nd – 3rd November 2013 Casino Pio IV, Vatican City)
By Sister Marie Hélène Halligon - RGS
To be at the Vatican for a Session on Human Trafficking is the culmination of a dream we would not
have dared to dream! We were 80 representatives
from “civil society” in the term of the United Nations. The two days were full, listening to resource
persons as brilliant as they were diverse.
It was a workshop organized by the Pontifical
Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of
Social Sciences. There were many doctors from the
International Federation of Catholic Doctors. Madame Ezeilo, Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking of the United Nation was equally remarkable in her intervention.
We observers had asked Msgr. Marcelo Sanchez
for the chance to be invited and he gave 80 places.
We included a number of religious engaged in the
work against trafficking; Sr. Eugenia Bonetti, Sr.
Imelda Poole and myself of Renate, (Religious in in
Europe Networking Against Trafficking and Exploitation) Sisters Adorers, APT… It was also an
ecumenical session with bishops and pastors
showing the pre-occupation of all the Churches
when the dignity of persons is destroyed by human trafficking.
The full program was in English or Spanish (except
for the intervention of Pierre Morel in French
which seemed so luminous to me).
Each expert made his workshop as clear as possible. We went from the general to the particular,
from the medical to the political and police action,
from the psychological to the sociological.
The observers were allowed to present proposals
before the session and many of us did; 49 proposals were thus submitted.
With RENATE, we had asked the Holy See to ratify
the convention of the European Union against Human Trafficking, which could be a strong action on
the part of the Vatican State which had ratified
other conventions despite its status as observer
and
not
as
a
Member
–
State.
Sr Marie Hélène Halligon, presenting the Mosaic
to Pope Francis
What is inside
Good Shepherd present at Vatican Workshop on
Human Trafficking - M.H. Halligon
Page 1-2
End of year Message
Communications Coordinator
Coming Home to Mother Earth with the Good
Shepherd - Sr Teresita Figueroa Philippines
Shepherding Presence Among The Marginalized
Province of Sri Lanka/Pakistan
Page 3-7
The unique service provided by Ruhama
in Ireland by Gerardine Rowley
Pathways for mission: Old and New - Ireland Missionary History - Province of Ireland
Page 7-10
Missionary course for contemplative
and apostolic Sisters
RGS goes to Eastern Samar for relief operations
Province of Philippines
“A Stop on the Journey” - Gathering 25-50 Years
of Religious Profession 3-20 November 2013
Mexico City
Page 10 -14
1
Good Shepherd present at Vatican Workshop on Human Trafficking
By Sister Marie Hélène Halligon - RGS
Pierre Morel also made a proposal of a concerted action (and
not remain on the level of mere
words) in the form of a great
network… which can help extend what is now existing which
is mainly those of religious.
During the break we also had
occasions for meetings. The
most beautiful was of course the
first one! During the morning
break of November 2nd, we went
down from the “Casina Pius IV”
to the courtyard in front of the
House of St. Martha for a group
photo with Pope Francis. After
waiting a few minutes, he arrived accompanied by Cardinal
Etchegaray, the “patron” of the
Academy of Science.
I had told the young women of
the Foyer Jorbalan (which admits victims of trafficking) that
perhaps I might meet the Pope
and I would be happy to transmit their message if they wish to
send him one. I was thinking of a
letter… and behold, what they
made for him was a mosaic.
It is a symbol of immigration and
the fact that even with what has
been broken, God can make
something marvellous.
It was a beautiful idea but the
weight was something else! But
nonetheless, I was able to deliver it to the proper hands.
I don’t know any more what
happened then, I only know I
spoke to the Pope in French,
having read that he spoke it well
and understood it. I was like in a
dream for I would never have
dared to do it if not for the girls
of Jorbalan. After our pictures
were taken he went back alone
to St. Martha’s where he lives.
I had become acquainted with
the Sisters of Sr. Cristina. They
have a charism very close to
ours and were very active
against human trafficking in
Spain. My neighbour (we were
arranged in alphabetical order)
Pino Guila had said he will pass
at Maisons – Alfort when he
comes to Paris. I also met four
other
French
people:
Dominique & M. Odile Renon
(SOS Esclaves), Philippine
Scelles (Fondation Scelles) who
also attends the meetings of the
Collective against Human Trafficking and Pierre Morel
(observer of cultural and religious pluralism). This is the
network the sisters had begun
about a dozen years ago and
which already extends beyond
us, thanks to our relationships.
It will certainly grow even
more after this session, as you
can read in La Croix of November 4:
“Responding to the express request of the Holy Father,” wrote
Sebastian Maillard, a workshop
was held last Saturday and Sunday in Rome to analyse the trafficking of persons, covering
among other things, domestic
labor and prostitution. The battle against this form of “modern
slavery” should mobilize the
Vatican and the Church well
beyond this first workshop.
Msgr. Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the pontifical academies of sciences and
of social sciences, compatriot of
the Pope and organizer of this
group, has said that the Pope
confided “I would like to do
something with the material” of
this session.
Sr Marie Hélène Halligon, presenting the Mosaic to Pope Francis
“THE CHURCH IS NOT ONLY
FOR GOOD PEOPLE… SHE IS
FOR ALL”
The Argentinian bishop admitted that the Holy See before this
did not sufficiently recognize the
gravity and extent of this human
trafficking against which the religious have been fighting for a
long time in their areas. After
these 2 days at the Vatican, a
new gathering has been scheduled by the pontifical academies
for next year to be followed by a
grand meeting of four days in
2015. The episcopal conferences
among others, have also been
asked to devote time to these
issues.
What good fortune and what
support for those who had struggled against the Trafficking of
Human Beings was this call of
Pope Francis which contributed
to make heard in the church the
often mute cry of persons treated like the least of merchandise.
In her own time, St. Mary Euphrasia had said, “A child of God
sold in the market like a goat,
never will I accept that.” May her
determination find us truly harnessed to the fight according to
our possibilities and contribute
to eradicate this plague, its causes and all its components.
Sister Marie Hélène Halligon RGS
2
End of Year Message 2013
Sr. M.F. Mestry Communications Coordinator
Dear Sisters, dear Good Shepherd partners,
As 2013 comes to an end, I take this opportunity to address each one of you once more, with
warmest wishes for happiness, health, prosperity and joy.
2013 has been a year full of important events,
both in the world and for our Congregation.
The year was marked in a special way by the
opening of the process of canonization of
Blessed Maria Droste of the Divine Heart coinciding with the celebration of her 150th birthday. We also made progress in
our Journey of Enrichment OLC/RGS. I invite you to read the updates in the
news on the website.
But also, how can we not refer to the plight of many people affected by political unrest and instability in their governments, those who are deeply affected by the social and economic crisis, and those scarred by natural disasters?
We thank God for the solidarity shown towards our brothers and sisters, and
for the outpouring of compassion and witness of prayer worldwide.
The planning committees for the next Congregational Chapter, the Congregational Assembly for Contemplative Sisters and the Intercontinental Assemblies in the different regions, will continue their efforts early in 2014. The
New Year promises to be busy.
I would like to thank all unit leaders, communication persons, sisters and
associates, and the leaders of the various committees and commissions for
their collaboration and for sending articles to be published in our Newsletter
and on our website. Thanks too to those who have helped by proofreading
and translating; they have done outstanding work. Without their contribution, it would be impossible to carry out the ministry entrusted to me.
I would like to express my gratitude once more for the interest and appreciation you have shown for the website, for all the excellent suggestions which
you share with me regularly… and for informing me when the website is
down!
It only remains for me to present my best wishes for a Christmas full of joy
and a New Year full of happiness and sharing. May each inhabitant of the
earth, thanks to the coming of Emmanuel, find the spiritual guide who will
lead them on the journey of light, peace, truth, and above all, fullness of love,
in the image of Christ and of Mary.
Good Shepherd News
Sister Marie Françoise Mestry - Communications Coordinator
Casa Generalizia, Suore del Buon Pastore,
Via Raffaello Sardiello 20- 00165 Roma, Italia Email: com@gssweb.org
3
Coming Home to Mother Earth with the Good Shepherd
Sr. Mary Teresita G. Figueroa, RGS
“What man among you having
a hundred sheep and losing
one of them would not leave
the ninety nine to search for
the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it, he
sets it on his shoulders with
great joy ...” (Luke 15:1-4)
Speaking about the growing
ecological movement, Thomas
Berry said, “We are returning to
our native place after a long absence, meeting once again with
our kin in the earth community.
For too long we have been
away somewhere, entranced
with our industrial world of
wires and wheels, concrete and
steel and our unending highways, where we race back and
forth …”
My experience of ecological
conversion led me to a new
meaning of being found by the
Shepherd God. Indeed, it was a
joyful coming home as I reconnected myself with the source
of my being and found my
rightful place in the whole community of life. Now I can truly
call Mother Earth my mother,
the one who has sustained and
nourished me through the
years.
I continue to discover God’s
true identity and my personal
call as I gain wisdom from nature, the primal revelation of
God. With new eyes and a humble heart, I get to “see the sacred laws and wisdom in all life
that surrounds us.” It has given
me a great sense of excitement
to accept that there is a lot not
just to learn and but also to unlearn.
I now claim to be a “student in
the school of Earth Wisdom.”
Reinterpreting Jesus’ parable
of the lost sheep, I see us humans as the lost sheep among
the whole community of life.
The ecological crisis and the
state we are in despite our advances in knowledge and technology indicate that we have
missed the mark. Failing to
recognize our vulnerability,
we have gone our own way,
and alienated ourselves from
the other members of the
community of life. We have
also turned away from our
creator God. God has been
searching for us. God even
had to become human to make
us see what we are called to
image. As St. Paul said, in Jesus we see the image of the
invisible God. By his life, Jesus
taught us humans about our
true identity and role. Interestingly, many of his parables
made reference to nature indicating his deep earth connection
As I recalled my green story, I
discovered the goodness of
Mother Earth which I have
taken for granted for many
years. Even my vocation has
its root in finding God in the
garden. This realization made
me feel so grateful, drawing
out the desire to return her
love. My rediscovering God in
the garden as I come home to
Mother Earth has strengthened my vocation. I have also
discovered the answers to my
questions about life.
I am a business graduate and
have worked in the financial
district of the country. I had
been very uncomfortable with
the principles of business
which seemed contrary to the
values of Christian life. The
principle of “serve, share and
sell” struck a chord in my
heart. I have been given much
and it has been my desire to
give much too without expecting anything in return.
As I experience Mother’s Earth
generosity and encounter the
God of divine extravagance in
nature, I realize that it is our
nature to give, that in fact, the
more we give, the more we receive: “good measure, packed
together, shaken down and
overflowing”
(Luke
6:38)
It is unfortunate, that this is
not what is taught in the classroom. In school, I learned
more about competition than
compassion.
Sr. Mary Teresita G. Figueroa,
RGS - province of Philippines
4
Coming Home to Mother Earth with the Good Shepherd
Sr. Mary Teresita G. Figueroa, RGS
The new universe story deepens my sense of worth as I realize how long it took to prepare the earth for the arrival of
the humans.
The universe continues to
grow. The latest discovery scientists have made is that there
are 300 sextillion stars
(300,000,0000,000,000,000,00
0,000). I never before imagined such a huge number. It
simply is so mind boggling, so
overwhelming, so beyond my
capacity to count. But that is
precisely what God is, someone so beyond our knowledge
and understanding. Perhaps it
is this mysterious quality of
creation that instinctively
draws us to God during moments of encounter with nature.
We humans have looked at
Mother Earth primarily in
terms of what we can get from
her. We have pillaged her resources and destroyed the bal-
ance of nature in the process.
Ironically, in the midst of this
human conquest, so many experience boredom and depression. We do need a new story
that will enable us to find
meaning in life and direct our
choices. Indeed, the ecological
crisis is a spiritual crisis. We
need to rediscover the reality
that we are not the masters of
the earth but just one of the
members in the community of
life. Coming home on the
shoulder of the Shepherd
would mean seeing the web of
life as a system of connections
where everything is interrelated, interconnected and interdependent.
“Our heritage is also a task.”
My deep affinity to Mother
Earth finds its roots in my
family history. I come from a
family of farmers although education had alienated me from
their closeness to Mother
Earth. I see my having a green
thumb as part of the legacy of
my ancestors who worked
with the earth. This gift I now
put to good use. I have found
joy from a deep connection
with Mother Earth which I renew each day as I touch the
soil and nurture the plants. I
now see “waste” with new eyes
knowing these turn into rich
soil
after
decomposing.
I marvel at the transformations
I see in nature and sense the
presence of the God who
makes the plant grow and the
flowers bloom.
I feel blessed to be called to the
Great Work. With the rest of
humankind who are experiencing this great awakening, I
wish to become part of the undertaking “to carry out the
transition from the period of
human devastation of the planet to a period when humans
would be present to the planet
in a mutually enhancing manner” (Thomas Berry).
Sr. Mary Teresita G. Figueroa,
RGS - Province of Philippines
Important Links
Statement of the Workshop on Trafficking in Human Beings: Modern Slavery
A Mission of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Congo
Ruhama (www.ruhama.ie) was founded by Good Shepherd and Our Lady of Charity Sisters over two decades ago and works with women affected by prostitution in Ireland.
Preparation for perpetual vows for Good Shepherd and OLC Sisters in Mexico (In Spanish)
Blessed Maria Droste
5
Shepherding Presence Among The Marginalized
Province of Sri Lanka/Pakistan
Starting anew!
Starting afresh !
However, to the women who have lived in
war-torn areas for almost 30 years, and
whose post-war experience for nearly
three and a half years has been in IDP
Camps! The reference here is to the women
in the North of Sri Lanka, and in particular,
to the women in the districts of Mannar
and Mullaitivu.
The temporary professed sisters
Province of Sri Lanka /Pakistan
are happy to share our thoughts, reflections and experience of Easter Week, among the
people of our own country. Six of us went on a
mission journey to Ponnagar in Mulliawalai, in the
district of Mullaitivu, together with Sr. Angela Fernando who took the initiative to arrange this programme for us.
We operated from the Oblate Counselling Centre at
Mullaitivu, known as Amaithy Thendral. As the
disciples were sent two by two, we were also sent
to visit each of the families living in this unit, enabling them to feel the Presence of the Risen Lord,
the Divine Shepherd. Their welcoming spirit made
us experience our oneness with them, with the Risen Lord in our midst…an Emmaus experience.
Houses donated by the
Government
The people opened their hearts to us, sharing the
burden of pain and anguish they still carry with
them, freely letting their tears run down their
cheeks.
We spent quite some time with each family, covering 41 families within the two days of our mission.
Visit to the families
Ponnagar is a new village unit of 50 families. In
April, 2012, the Indian Government donated these
50 houses to war widows and a couple of persons
disabled by the war.
Visit to the families
…...We
Thus our temporary professed sisters ventured out with zeal and zest, to spend some
time with these women, listening to their
heart beat of pain and anguish. They
write….
6
Shepherding
Presence Among The Marginalized
Province of Sri Lanka /Pakistan
As the disciples were sent two by two, we were also sent to visit each of the families
They would have liked us to
stay longer with them, and invited us to come again. They
felt a strong bond with us, who
were the “strangers”! Jesus’
guiding presence helped us
ease their pain and give them
hope to start life anew with
courage, for they are not alone:
we carry their pain, their aspirations and their hopes to the
Lord. We trust that by our sharing, you are also in solidarity
with them.
Our stay at Mullaitivu helped us
feel strongly the guidance of
the Spirit who led us to be the
Presence of our Shepherd God
among the lost and the least.
We saw people whose basic
needs are not met. They are in
need of water, electricity,
transport and employment facilities.
The education of their children
is also a problem. On the one
side is the difficulty they have
in providing the children with
the necessary clothing and
books. On the other side is the
distance they have to walk. The
closest school is a couple of kilometers away, and most of
them walk to school if and
when they can. Most of the
families can barely manage to
find just one meal a day. The
women there have no employment opportunities to earn
their daily bread. Some of
them are housebound looking
after their disabled husbands
which is a hindrance to look
for a job to support their lives.
The wounds and scars of the
war cry out for healing. The
Lord used us for this mission
of healing. Praise the Lord!
Suffering is a part of their
lives, and they have learnt to
live with it. These people,
mostly Hindus, have great
faith in God. Their strength
comes from trusting God and
His immense love. This challenged us to respond to our
commitment with fidelity.
During these days we brought
their brokenness to the Lord
at the daily celebration of the
Eucharist.
We felt that our
offering of their lives was a
blessing for them whose brokenness was united with the
Body of Christ, Broken and
Given for us all.
We experienced the power of
the Eucharist from which
grace flows in abundance, to be
shared with others. And share
we did, with our dear people of
Ponnagar. Praise the Lord!
We are grateful to God’s exceeding generosity which guided and inspired us through the
zeal of Sisters Angela Fernando
and Francine Muthugala. The
lavish generosity of the Love of
our Shepherd God which inflamed our care, concern and
compassion for them, upholding their dignity as children of
the One God, invited us to think
differently, act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with
Our God, together with all our
sisters and brothers, without
any discrimination, irrespective of race, religion, sex, class
or caste.
Praise the Lord!
Province of Sri Lanka/Pakistan
7
The unique service provided by Ruhama in Ireland
By Sr. Gerardine Rowley RGS
Services
Founded
The organisation is predominantly a front line service, offering women a range of practical
and emotional supports.
It has a unique service to women affected by prostitution in
Ireland as it is the only organisation to assist women in the
often complex process of exiting
from prostitution.
One of the women participating in
Ruhama’s (shaping your future)
personal development program
The exiting strand of the organisation includes educational and
development
programmes
which empower women to find
real alternatives and rebuild
their lives after the trauma of
prostitution.
Ruhama (www.ruhama.ie)
was founded by Good
Shepherd and Our Lady of
Charity Sisters over two
decades ago and works
with women affected by
prostitution in Ireland.
Over the years, the client
group has expanded to include not only women
currently active in prostitution but also women
who have a history of
prostitution and in more
recent years, victims of
sex trafficking.
Display from arts and crafts
The globalised sex trade
doors, and allowing easy access and anonymity to
pimps, traffickers and sex buyers. As a result the sex
trade has increased all over Europe.
Challenges
While Ruhama continues to work with a significant number of Irish women, the majority of
those exploited in the Irish indoor sex trade are
migrant women, usually coming from economically poor countries. In 2012, Ruhama worked
with 170 in its Casework service and the women
were from 32 different countries.
The changing nature of prostitution
The introduction of the modern telecommunications (internet & mobile phone) has hugely impacted on the nature of prostitution in Western
European resulting in prostitution moving in-
With the increasingly covert nature of prostitution
and the fact that most of the women involved in the
Irish sex trade are migrants, Ruhama is challenged
to find new ways to reach out to women and make
our services known. Recently we initiated an advertising campaign raising awareness about our services and publishing the advertisements in the main
migrant papers on sale in Ireland.
Advocacy and Campaigns
In our efforts to address the systemic factors which
influence the exploitation of women in the sex trade
and act as barriers for women exiting, Ruhama actively advocates for change with national and international policy makers.
At the moment, it is a particularly important time
for activists in Ireland because the Government has
just published a report, following an extensive consultation process on the future direction of prostitution legislation.
8
The unique service provided by Ruhama in Ireland
By Sr. Gerardine Rowley RGS
Sr. Gerardine Rowley ( right) with Lord Morrow who introduced the Bill
to criminalise the purchase of sex to the Northern Ireland Assembly and
other members of the Turn Off the Red Light campaign
Ruhama strongly welcomes the
Government report’s recommendation to criminalise the
purchase of sex. We have been
to the fore lobbying for this legislative approach for over a
decade and in recent years
Ruhama became core group
members of the Turn Off the
Red
Light
campaign
(www.turnofftheredlight.ie)
which consists of 68 organisations, lobbying for legisla-
tion which focuses on the demand in the sex trade. The next
stage of our campaign is to get
the Government to act on the
recommendations in their report.
It is timely that our close
neighbours in Northern Ireland
are also considering bringing in
legislation which criminalises
the sex buyers and there is
currently a Bill going through
their parliament. Ruhama has
been actively contributing to
the debates on this legislation
in both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland.
We are encouraged to hear recent news of another European
country (France) taking steps
to make the buying of sex a
criminal offence and sending
out the clear message that the
purchase of another person’s
body for sex will not be tolerated.
Pathways for mission: Old and New - Ireland Missionary History
Province of Ireland
Ireland has a proud history as a missionary
sending country. Good Shepherd has been no
exception. How many provinces in Africa or
Asia Pacific have not had Irish missionaries at
some stage of their history?
They are the minority rather than the rule and
the Irish sisters who have returned from these
missions continue to support their former provinces through their prayer, always receiving
news of new developments in ministry and new
vocations with great joy.
Irish missionaries and invited those who had
spent more than 40 years on mission overseas
to an awards ceremony.
5 Good Shepherd Sisters attended and they
carried in their minds and hearts all of those
who had shared their missionary journey and
could not attend, those who had already gone
to God and those who still remain in their
countries of mission.
In November 2013 the Irish Missionary Union
decided that it was time to celebrate returned
9
Pathways for mission: Old and New - Ireland Missionary History
Province of Ireland
Irish Missionary Activity
Today
Though the Irish province is
ageing the focus on the international mission of the congregation is still strong.
There are currently Irish sisters serving in Good Shepherd missions in India, Thailand, Sudan, South Africa and
the Czech Republic.
The province is also blessed
with 2 contemplative sisters
from Sri Lanka who are pursuing their contemplative
missionary vocation in Belfast.
Standing: Sr Regina
Sitting: Sr Vivienne
New Pathways for Mission
Though there are fewer Irish missionaries in general across all congregations, Ireland as a country
remains committed to international development
and the effort to create a more just and equitable
world for all God’s people. Our history, as a country that has experienced both famine and conflict
has influenced Ireland’s new Policy for International Development “One World, One Future”
which focuses on 3 goals: reduced hunger and
stronger resilience; sustainable development and
inclusive economic growth; and better governance, human rights and accountability.
The contribution of religious in working towards
these goals is demonstrated by the large percentage of the Irish Aid budget that is distributed
through Misean Cara, which is an umbrella body
for international congregations who have membership in Ireland. Through membership of
Misean Cara, the MDO has been able to access
over 570,000 euro in 2012 alone for projects in
Lebanon, Syria, Burkina Faso, Congo, Kenya,
Mozambique, India, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua and Bolivia.
The figure for 2013 is set to by far exceed 2012
and has already been secured for projects in an
even greater number of countries. In this way the
legacy of generations of Irish missionary endeavour continues to bear fruit in new and varied
ways.
Missionary course for contemplative and apostolic Sisters
Mother House, October — November 2013
“The good Lord , knows how dear you are to me …
come close to me, You are received with
tenderness by your loving Mother in the Lord ” –
St. Mary Euphrasia
How zealous and enthusiastic we are to renew
ourselves in our call to be missionaries. We gathered on the 4th floor of the chapel building with
the Missionary Committee: Nirmala Abeyasinghe, Rosalia Ngueleia, Paulina Diez and Srimathie Peiris.
Noreen (in English) and Paulina (in Spanish)
gave us a tour of the Mother House and the places which are sacred to St. Mary Euphrasia. They
encouraged us to experience the sacredness of
this holy ground. In the afternoon, we got to
know one another by presenting ourselves
through our personal symbol.
Before the Mass when each one was called by
their country of origin and we placed the flag of
our country at the foot of the altar.
Armelle, Rita and Reina from the Congregational
Leadership Team welcomed us affectionately
and their presence energised us for this process.
Noreen introduced us to the international community and gave us a good welcome.
10
Missionary course for Contemplative and Apostolic Sisters
Mother House October - November 2013
We reflected on our missionary call and shared in small
groups. The summary of
which was brought to the assembly.
The next day Paulina presented to us the image of God as
experienced by St. Mary Euphrasia, St. John Eudes and
Blessed Maria Droste. For St.
Mary Euphrasia, the focus was
intimate union with God. For
St. John Eudes, the center was
the Heart of God burning with
love. For Blessed Maria Droste, it was a spousal love.
Through their experience of
God in their lives, we also reflected on our own image of
God.
On the Feast of All Saints, we
went to the Island of
Noirmoutier, the birthplace of
Rose Virginie. There was
heavy rain that day but the
brave missionaries spent the
whole day recalling her childhood.
We passed by the
“Gois” by bus and stopped to
refresh ourselves. We attended Mass at St. Philbert Church.
The church was full and the
Mass was very alive with a
choir. The Parish Priest welcomed us saying that the
Good Shepherd Sisters from
all over the world were there.
We visited the crypt of St.
Philbert which was discovered by Rose Virginie. After
the Mass, we had a delicious
lunch in a restaurant, a treat
offered by the Congregational
Leadership Team. After we
proceeded to the newly renovated house of Rose Virginie.
We visited the cemetery and
prayed at the grave of the
Participants
of the
missionary
course
During the
Session at
the Mother
House
Angers
Pelletier Family. We returned
home with joyful hearts.
The session on the Elements of
Spirituality from the Redemptorist Missio given by Rita was
life-giving. In our small groups,
we had sharing on the missionary spirituality and each group
was given an additional paper
namely: The Last Days of St.
Mary Euphrasia, St. Euphrasia
as a missionary by Nora
Keaney, Irish Missionary in Sri
Lanka; the Letter of Gema Cadena to the Missionaries; and
some extracts from the Lectionary of St. John Eudes.
Each group came forward with
practical ways of living out the
missionary spirituality based
on their experiences.
We
worked in groups of active and
contemplatives. We felt that we
needed space to interiorize our
experiences to be able to listen
to God.
The next day we continued our
reflection with a Day of Integration allowing ourselves to
internalize our insights on our
experiences. Before the end of
the day, we gathered in groups
to share our reflections and to
pray together summing up the
whole week of the missionary
course.
The Participants
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Missionary course for Contemplative and Apostolic Sisters
Mother House October – November 2013
Second week Wednesday
November 6 - 12
Resource Person: Prof. Dra.
Diana de Vallescar of the Universidad Abiertas, Lisbon
Theme – Illumination on culture and intercultural training
It was a very interesting and
enriching time for each one of
us to know the beauty and richness of each culture. We had
many interesting activities and
what we cannot forget was the
activity in making a paper
bridge which showed our creativity and our skill in communication with another culture.
Diana’s presentations were
very lively and she was able to
capture the attention of each
one during long lectures. We
became aware of the culture
where we are coming from and
the culture of the country
where we are missioned to.
During the last two days of the
inputs of Diana, there was
more sharing and we focused
on creating counterpoints of
encounter. We finished the sessions with her with the topics
on styles of communication,
high context culture and competencies in intercultural communication. She pointed out
these elements as tools in living
in a multi-cultural community.
She concluded with the spiritual aspect of living in multicultural community based on
the Bible.
We enjoyed the whole week
and we appreciated more our
own culture which inspired us
to better accept the culture of
our mission country. We had a
Left: Sr Rita and Armelle from the
CLT
Sharing during the session
meaningful closing liturgical
service of “crossing the
bridge” and leaving behind the
barriers for a total integration
in multi-cultural living. We
came to the “centerpoint” and
shared bread and wine with
one another as we sang the
“Casa Abietra” that symbolized
the opening of the door of our
hearts to accept the culture of
other people.
Eudes and Blessed Maria Droste. Our heartfelt gratitude to Sr.
Brigid Lawlor & the leadership
team, our unit leaders, who
gave us this great opportunity
to be energized in our missionary call as daughters of St .M.
Euphrasia.
Very special thanks to Armelle,
Rita & Reina - CLT members
who were present with us for
three weeks - Nirmala, Paulina,
Rosalia and Srimathi, (missionary committee) whose presence
brought new life and inspiration to our missionary call. Our
sincere thanks to Noreen and
the international community for
their hospitality and generous
service to us.
The last two days were integration days with St. Mary Euphrasia to sum up our sessions
of the last three weeks. We
had a touching closing prayer
with St. Mary Euphrasia.
Saturday night we started our
retreat continuing our mission
journey with our Shepherd
GOD, St. M. Euphrasia, St. John
Celeste Yuzon of Japan Province
Ruth Fernando of Province
Europe BFMN
Participants
on the day of
the outing
to Noirmoutier
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RGS goes to Eastern Samar for relief operations
Province of Philippines
Christine Hall, where sisters packed the bag of basic food items with the help of the girls and women
in the residences
A group of Good Shepherd Sisters are on their
way to Samar to deliver goods for the victims
of typhoon Yolanda (codename Hayan). They
form part of the convoy that will bring basic
food items to be given to the victims.
Srs. Ananita Borbon, M. Ailyn Binco and M. Emma Marzan represent the Good Shepherd sisters in the relief operations organized by an
ecumenical group. They left just before the
start of the November 21 Mass and will be
joined by the sisters in the Bicol area as they
proceed to the remote areas affected in Samar.
Among the food items are rice, assorted canned
goods, sugar, salt, cooking oil, dried fish and
cookies.
The food items
were packed for
several days by
sisters in the different Good Shepherd communities, the girls and
women in the residences,
the
mothers in the areas served by the Good Shepherd Sisters and even the sisters at the Maria
Droste infirmary. All wanting to do their little
share of alleviating the suffering of those affected by the super typhoon Yolanda.
Besides the relief operations in Samar, the Good
Shepherd Sisters also coordinate with the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP) in giving aid to the victims.
A group of Sisters also responded to the call for
more persons to help in packing the relief goods
in centres run by government and nongovernment organizations. Another group went to Villamor Air Base to welcome those who have been
airlifted by C130 planes so they can leave their
devastated areas and seek refuge first in the
homes of relatives.
Sr. Myra Atian of Bukid Kabataan also said that
the centre will welcome into the residence and
school those who have been orphaned because
of the typhoon. This is being coordinated with
the Department of Social Welfare and Development, whose staff will see to it that the children
will have papers and will eventually have a new
home for the children.
Sr. M. Cecile Torres continues to express her
gratitude and that of the Filipino people to
friends and benefactors who have been sending
donations for the victims. Sr. Brigid Lawlor, on
the other hand continues to assure the sisters of
her prayers and through the Flash News of the
congregation, encouraged everyone to help in
the relief and rehabilitation of the victims.
Sr. Regina Kuizon
Province of the Philippines
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“A Stop on the Journey” - Gathering 25-50 Years of Religious
Profession, 3-20 November 2013 México City
Participants of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity and
Good Shepherd in the session - Mexico
A group comprising 44 Sisters of Our Lady of Charity
and Sisters of the Good Shepherd (apostolic and contemplative), from 13 countries in Latin America and
the United States were called together by the unconditional love of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Accompanied
by Sr. Elaine Basinger, our team leader, we gathered
for a time of formation in the Retreat House of the
“Daughters of the Heart of Mary” in Mexico City.
Creating a Sacred Space and an atmosphere of happiness, joy, hope and openness to the Spirit from an oasis. we set out on our journey in search of what God
wants for each one of us, for our communities, for the
mission today. We addressed profound themes which
are of great importance at this time. We perceived evolution and change at all levels: worldwide, in the
church and consecrated life. Nothing is static; everything is emerging, being reborn.
We asked ourselves, “What is our position as religious
of the Good Shepherd, with a specific charism and mission in this world of evolution and paradigm shifts?
Are we open to change? Are we afraid?” We were encouraged to enter into a process of profound discernment to see what changes we need to make at a personal, communal and congregational level.
Province leaders of OLC and GS
Province of Mexico
Eudes and St. Mary Euphrasia?
The theme “The Origin of Life and Evolution of the Cosmos” awakened in each of
us wonder and awe in contemplating the
creative work of God. We were astonished at the diversity, interiority and
communion of all that exists in oneness.
Each one of us is unique, unrepeatable,
different and together we form a whole
with the cosmos. Diversity is an asset and
makes our communities healthy.
We thank the Congregational Leadership
Team for its support, and the sisters of
REAL who made it possible. We also
thank the team which accompanied us
with such patience and love on this journey towards new margins where God is
crying out for the weaving of life with
love and tenderness.
From México City
Sr. María Paz Venegas RGS
SR. ELAINE BASINGER, FACILITATOR
Reflecting on Sr. Joan Chittister’s (OSB) article
“Climbing the Eight Mountains of Religious Life” we
were invited to climb these mountains. It was a wonderful and profound experience which raised questions and responses, both individually and in the
group. How are we living the challenge of our consecrated life today? Is our response prophetic, with the
same energy, audacity, creativity and zeal as St. John
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Calendar 2013
Sincere Thanks from the
Communications Coordinator
Good Shepherd News
While each unit is encouraged to send
articles anytime during the year, we
have planned that there are specific
editions when each unit is asked to
submit an article so that at the end of
the year all the units have been part
of Good Shepherd News.
Please send articles on or
before the 5th of each month.
Here is the suggested schedule:
January
Commissions, CLT,
Bolivia/Chile, Indonesia
February
Argentina/Uruguay, Lebanon/
Syria, Mexico, South Africa
March
Europe BFMN Belgium/France/
Magyarorszag,Netherlands
Mid-North America, Egypt/Sudan
April
Philippines, Portugal, Peru,
Australia & Aotearoa/N. Zealand
May
Spain, Angola/Mozambique,
ColomboVenezolana/Cuba
June
Central America, Northeast
Asia
July
East Asia, West Africa ,
( Sénégal, Burkina Faso) The Isles,
August
Italia/Malta , Singapore/
Malaysia, Deutschland/Albania
September
New York, Canada,
Ecuador
October
Sudeste de America Latina, Sri Lanka/
Pakistan
November
Japan, Great Britain,
Osterreich/Schweiz/Czech Rep
December
India/Nepal, Ireland,
Congo/Kenya
My Sincere Thanks to the translators and proofreaders
(Sisters and Partners) of Good Shepherd News, Flash News and articles for the website for the year 2013.
You have really done an amazing job and without you it would have
been impossible for me to carry out the mission entrusted to me.
I would also like to thank all unit leaders, communications representatives (Sisters and Partners) and leaders of committees and commissions for their collaboration in providing articles for the newsletter
and website.
Last but not least my sincere thanks to all the writers and readers of
the Good Shepherd News, the graphic designer and our webmaster.
Marie Françoise Mestry
Communications Coordinator
Good Shepherd News
Special thanks to the following for the translations and proof reading
Graciéla Méndéz, Argéntina ; Nicolé Bastién Canada; Mary jamés
Wilson, Philippines; Claire Allesandri, Ana Maria Quiroz, Marta
Ceballos, Generalate; Adriana Perez, Marie Helene Halligon, Claudine Fargeix, BFMN; Ethna Mc Dermott, Czech Rep; Karla Bernabe, Senegal;Rosario Ortiz, Espana, Delia Rodriguez, Peru; Angelica
Guzman, Bolivia /Chile ,Yolanda Sanchez, Colombia; Narcisa Vivanco, Ecuador; Michel Ferrer, France
15