Temporary Professed Sisters of the Italian Area
All of us Temporary Professed Sisters of the Italian Area lived some extraordinary days in Aachen, Germany, the land of Mother Frances, from August 15 – 26, 2007. We were accompanied by Srs. Gianna Giovannangeli and Licia Mazzia – along with so many other angels, such as Srs. Katharina Maria, Juliana Maria and Dolores. Our Summer formation consisted in walking along the streets, seeing the works, and enjoying a town that is so dear to us, so rich in artistic works but also so filled with poverty and marginalization. It was Mother Frances – a saint that can be followed, but at the same time a woman to be discovered – who took us along these streets. For many of us this trip was the first encounter with the places where our charism was born. As soon as we arrived at the Mother House, the Sisters who welcomed us took us to the tomb of Mother Frances – an indescribably moving experience.
This prepared our hearts to receive the graces and gifts of the following days. The sharing of the SPSFs’ life and works had a unique beginning: our visit with the “Common” Community and our Recluses. Encountering the “Moses” of our Congregation was quite powerful. We entrusted our prayer intentions to them and – listening to their witness – discovered the beauty and richness of their unique vocation. There are many fields in which the SPSFs work to serve the least – Parish ministry, ministry of the sick, the elderly, the homeless, all the way to the far away and cold Siberia, whose present situation – as described to us - is of great devastation. Another field of ministry is the care of the sick and elderly Sisters and to whom much energy is being devoted, as we could see in the Communities in Cologne, Lindenplatz, and Mehagne. We were edified by the attitude and care that the Sisters put into training themselves and lay people to assist the elderly Sisters, who for us remain a great example of a life spent for the love of God at the service of the poor. Our eyes saw many of these poor knocking at the doors of the Mother House. Every day food and clothing were distributed, while a room was used as a day shelter where our Sisters serve with the same passion that Mother Frances had when her adventure began. During this trip we reviewed the main steps in the life of Mother Frances, in which – day after day – the flame of the love for Christ present in our brothers and sisters took shape. The excerpts from Mother Frances’ Autobiography and her writings that we brought with us became concrete and alive before our very eyes: her family house, St. Paul’s Church, St. Nicholas Church, St. James Church, the house in Porta S. Giacomo and the streets talked about her and her worries, joys, enthusiasm, and expectations... When we visited the cemeteries, we thanked God for those who shared – from the beginning until today – the charism given to Mother Frances.
Our gratitude increased even more when we visited the Marian Shrines of Banneau and Morsenet, and felt that Mother Frances was giving us Mary in a new way. We had the great privilege of praying with her rosary beads and felt that through those beads her life and her passion were reaching out to us through the centuries, giving us a renewed energy. The Temporary Professed Sisters of the Italian Area © Franciscan Sisters of the Poor |
