August 15, 2005
Today we left Aachen after a moving goodbye with the Sisters who greeted us waving white handkerchiefs as we were leaving. With this salute a new stage of our pilgrimage to Cologne begins. We would like to share some experiences of the time spent in Aachen.
A powerful experience these days was that of Laura and Cinzia, two teenagers, who told us:
“Last night, as we were thanking the German Sisters for having us, we received a gift: their blessing. It was a very moving moment. We felt them as mothers, and we felt their concrete love, their trust in us young people, which thrusts us with dignity into the future.”
Mother Frances helped us to look with different attitudes toward the “poor”, to feel close to them, to feel myself as “poor”. Before I used to think that the poor are only those who are needy, who lack something. The experience of Mother Frances, instead, made me understand that poor, according to the gospel, are only those who are able to give what God gave us.
~Anna, Castelbuono
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Sisters say goodbye to the group. |
This time in Aachen is very powerful for us. Up to now, we had become familiar with the spirituality of Mother Frances, in theory, but this visit allowed us to see concretely - to touch almost – her life. For example, I was particularly touched by St. Nicholas’ Church, where Mother Frances one day prayed to St. Francis, imploring him to obtain some money for her to help the poor. At the same time somebody came to tell her that a priest had donated the amount she needed.
~Jules Marie, Senegal
When they told us about the cholera epidemic and how Mother Frances assisted the sick we thought about our country where the same illness still exists, and about the way the sick are treated. The presence of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in Senegal is very important to us.
~The youth from Senegal
The initial part of our encounter in Aachen went very well. I have gotten to learn more about the life of Mother Frances. What a generous and kind heart she had! This experience has renewed my faith. Having Mother Frances as an example, I will seek to be more understanding and generous. I have learned a little about the other cultures, too as I am thoroughly enjoying every minute of this unforgettable event!
~Joice da Costa, Brazil
What an unforgettable experience I am living through here in Germany, and most especially, in Aachen. I have never made so many friends in one place and at once! Getting to know the tradition and anecdotes from the life of Mother Frances has been truly marvelous. If some day God calls you to participate in an event like this, thank him wholeheartedly, because you will simply love it!
~Roberto Antônio, Brazil
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