Dominican Sisters of King Williams Town

Congregational Newsletter
Life in our Districts
No 2November 2013

CONTRIBUTION FROM C.L.T

Dear Sisters, Once again we greet you from Johannesburg where the summer rain has come and the landscape is beautiful. We have included in this newsletter all the contributions we have received. Over the course of the last few months we have been busy with Visitation in South Africa. We used the theme of the Tapestry of Life which we borrowed from Sr Annie Lunney. We were impressed by the depth of the sharing of the individual Sisters. Our Sisters are very realistic about the future but amazingly active for their ages. The Sisters in our two Retirement Homes are very content and grateful for the care they receive. With regard to the future management at Emmaus, the Sisters realise that a new way will have to be found. We have started making some enquiries. Katy and Tshifhiwa attended a meeting of Sisters under 55 years of age from various Congregations. A short reflection of their experience will follow. In this time of change let us remain united in love and prayer.
FINDING THE TREASURE WITHIN: The challenges and opportunities of contemporary religious life

From the 1st to the 3rd of November, Nobulali, Katy and I (Tshifhiwa) had an attended a meeting for Religious women and men finally professed and under the age of 55 years. We were twenty-seven women from different congregations participating and this was enriching and very encouraging as it really strengthened the sense that God is continuing to call and will continue to call us to religious life. Just being with other women on the same journey as ourselves was a gift in itself. In his introduction Fr. Hugh Lagan SMA stressed that this was not a workshop, but rather that we would be able to go away having had experience of friendship with God, ourselves and others. Father Hugh began by drawing a comparison between the three legged stool often used in West African countries and our relationship with God, self and others (including all of creation). These relationships are always to be in balance. In working towards finding this balance, he drew our awareness to the importance of befriending our LONELINESS/ SOLITUDE, which in turn implies ongoing growth and self-knowledge. He went on by telling us the story of the angels in conversation with God about where to hide the treasure so humans would not find it. After various possibilities one of them then suggested hiding this treasure in the human heart, the place least likely to be looked at. God agreed and the treasure was hidden in the human heart So, where and how do we look for this treasure? As the topic suggests, we already have the treasure, God within us. Sometimes, though, it eludes us because we become so busy, doing the good and important things we do. To this end Fr. Hugh challenged us by asking: Why do you work so hard? Why are you so busy? Is it because you are afraid of what you will find there? At this point we listened to the poem: Our deepest fear by Marianne Williamson We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us, its in all of us If we are afraid and busy the glory of God within cannot shine. If we are afraid and busy we cannot see that loneliness

comes with a gift to teach us something about life. In order to become comfortable with loneliness we have to befriend it. Loneliness not attended to can leave us feeling disconnected from God, ourselves and others. Embracing and becoming comfortable with the silence, aloneness and our loneliness we find ourselves on the path to Solitude. Solitude helps us find the freedom to accept intimacy, the intimacy that celibacy offers, and the intimacy that leads to God. Of course this time was not spent only in serious heavy stuff, we also had meaningful fun. On the last morning we went on a treasure hunt, having first to search for clues that would lead us to the hidden treasure. For some of us this was very frustrating as the directions did not seem very clear. Once we all gathered back into the room, we learned a few more things about ourselves. Some of us did not read the instructions that were given, some moved away from the group to look on their own and others kept passing the treasure right in front of their eyes because they looked elsewhere. And the winning team were so generous that they shared their prize with the rest of the group. In this was also a learning, once we found the treasure, we discover it is not only for ourselves, it is to be shared and in the sharing lies the real treasure. Our grateful thanks to the LCCL for seeing the value and need for ongoing formation and helping to facilitate these growthful experiences. We also express our gratitude to our communities who supported our being away. We are all meant to shineand as we let our own light shine, we subconsciously give other people permission to do the same (Marianne Williamson). Through sharing his light with us, Father Hugh challenged and gave us permission to let our light shine and for this we are very grateful. By Katy and Tshifhiwa

C .L .T .

Germany
SCHORNDORF.
Some news from St. Martin's Community, Schorndorf. 31.10.13 Hospitality in our community is constantly of prime importance. This gives us a good opportunity to share our life and daily activities with guests or interested people who stay for a longer time, in a concrete way. A young lady who is the daughter of a former colleague of ours, is at present living with us and sharing responsibilities until she is able to move into a flat of her own. Mrs. Irmlinde Schaudi is in our community since the beginning of October and has adapted very well to our way of life. For us it is joy to have her as the fourth person in our prayer and sharing - the main Person being our Creator and Giver of all that is good. This is of course a challenge in that we somehow have to adapt our spirituality and identity as Dominican women differently. But we are grateful. And last but not least, recently we were confronted with an urgent need in our neighbourhood. The sudden death of the spouse of well-known neighbours led to our taking in his wife, who is demented. She is with us for the time being until a solution is found as to where she could be nursed and cared for.

MUNICH
THE JETZT COMMUNITY MUNICH!! Autumn leaves are falling, falling to the ground letting go to make room for new growth on the branches where they spent their time of security during the summer months. Yes, this seems to be an extraordinarily beautiful autumn that we are experiencing. It is a real gift to be able to see and enjoy this beauty in the parks surrounding our house. One can observe how leaves let go when they do their last danceshimmering and falling like a golden shower in the sunshine, and forming a golden carpet on the ground where they fall. Autumn is a gentle and an encouraging reminder to let go and make room for new growth. May After a lengthy time of discussion and personal interviews, it was eventually decided to make a room available which can be used as an interreligious prayer room. The Moslem students requested Fr. Thomas to do the opening ceremony and the Prayer Team prepared an opening celebration with the theme Making Room July For the first time the Moslems were able to use the Prayer room during their Ramadan month. We invited our students to a day of prayer and fasting which was started with a prayer in our Chapel and in the evening we gathered once again for a short prayer at sunset which marks the breaking of their Fast! During this time we shared experiences of the day and discussed pros and cons of fasting. September On September 7 Pope Francisco called for a day of prayer and fasting for peace, with special emphasis on Syria. We spontaneously organised a solidarity prayer time in our chapel and could join in prayer with live coverage of St. Peters Square, on our big screen. Surprisingly, we had more than 20 students present in spite of it being a weekend and the start of semester holidays. October Imelda had the privilege of accompanying a group of 36 Dominican Sisters and one Associate on a pilgrimage to Bologna. The eldest in the group was 87. The bigger group travelled from Speyer and was joined in Augsburg by 10 others from Bayern. The trip by bus, as well as the pilgrimage booklets, were organised by three Sisters from different Congregations and Fr. Gerfried Bramlage as Spiritual director. Prayer and reflections were done on the bus while we could also enjoy the beautiful Italian scenery. On our arrival at St. Dominics church and square there was a hush and wonderment in the group with all eyes looking at the statue of Dominic perched upon the pillar in the centre of the square of Santo Domingo. We were taken on a guided tour through the church and spent quite a long time in the cell where Dominic died. Fr. Gerfried celebrated Mass at the beautiful marble tomb of Dominic. The second and fourth day was spent in Florence and Ravenna respectively. The third day we once again spent in Bologna, studying the beautiful tomb and whatever we could still admire in this beautiful, ancient church. Once again we had the privilege of celebrating Mass at Dominics tomb and could individually spend time in prayer there and in the cell of Dominic. The highlight of this pilgrimage was of course, our visit and stay in Bologna. It was an enriching experience for all of us and at the heart of our prayer was our Congregations. Of the nearly 150 applications for rooms, only 22 students were able to get accommodation in our house. Of these 4 spent a year in a foreign countrySouth America and Kenya as MaZ. At the initiation seminar we, as JETZT Community, were for a change, all present, and could present ourselves as the resident Community in their house. The excursion to Garmisch Patenkirchen with the new students, was a good means for them to get acquainted with each other and with those living here longer. Some had their first experience of snow but enjoyed the exquisite scenery fresh snow, blue skies and of course the cold!! The semester opening Mass had the message that the Spirit of God is the strength from which the co-existence of different religious and cultural backgrounds is possible in our house. This 50 year old building is in dire need of renovation. When and how this will happen or, will it be demolished which would be more feasibleis at this point of time still open. We hope that our identity, tradition and mission also with the new responsibilities and with new ideas of administration
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would still be plausible. Our big hope is that our Congregational Leadership Teams will continue being a support of strength for the JETZT Community, especially in regard to the Diocese of Munich Freising with the imminent change of hands of Johanneskolleg. We hope that our identity, tradition and mission will then also be possible. When we discovered and chose the name JETZT for our Community, we did not think that it would cause such a challenge in all our uncertainties and changes. It continually calls us: Always to be and to live in the NOW. Sr. Imelda

Southern Africa
BENEDICERE UNIT
Sr Teresa Marie Healey and SPRED On 16 November 2013 the annual SPRED mass for parishes in the Johannesburg area took place at Rosebank. Sr TM Healey had organised it and some of the sisters in the unit attended the mass.

The photograph shows Srs Justina, Fani who is an Ursuline sister who runs the Krugersdorp SPRED group, Tshifhiwa, TM and Geraldine. In the distance is a disabled boy from one of the parishes. To be present at such a function creates great awareness raising. To have to be the loving, faithful parents of the children must take tremendous strength and courage. I was filled with awe and gratitude. Congratulations to TM who is not well but nevertheless went ahead with the organisation and co-ordination of this mass. Not in the photo but also present were Srs Megan and Margaret. Sr Justina Schilling and The Hamlet Award Sr Justina has won an award from The Hamlet Foundation an organisation which together with the Clinix Health Group is the only National Foundation which honours those that are either intellectually disabled themselves or who go the extra mile to help people who are intellectually disabled. Sr Justina was presented with the award at a banquet which Srs Ruth and Theresita also attended. Mrs Louisa Botha, Director of the San Salvador Home, thought it appropriate to nominate Sr Justina. Sr Geraldine was sent out as the investigative journalist and with the help of Sr Agnes, Sr Christa and the archives, and Sr Margaret who edited the application, the answers to the questions were typed up and submitted. Here is a photo of a photo of Sr Justina and her certificate for the award:
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The application for the award follows:

San Salvador Home

Home for Intellectually Disabled Women 1. Why have you selected your nominee? We have selected Sr. Justina because she has given 49 years of dedicated, loyal, and loving service in the demanding ministry of working with the intellectually challenged women in her care. She has instilled into the women the values which teach society that God values each person for whom she/ he is. 2. Describe the main function /role of the nominee Her main function/role is to teach the women in the home to weave beautiful articles such as shawls, scarves, place mats etc. In addition she is a loving and understanding presence for the women, a mother figure, devoting her time daily to their spiritual well being. 3. Her outstanding achievements are: i. Teaching the intellectually handicapped women, the intricacies of weaving on looms thus instilling in them a sense of pride in their work and helping them to realise their own dignity and self-worth in the world. ii. Modelling constancy and loyalty by being with the women and living with them and the other Dominican Sisters at San Salvador for over thirty years. When the older sisters moved to a retirement home and Sr Justina and Sr Theresita to a nearby flat, SrJustina continued to work at San Salvador Home. She continues her outreach to the women every day. iii. Sr. Justina has been and remains a constant in the lives of the San Salvador women many of whom no longer have parents or relatives. Many of the women have been at the Home since early childhood. 4. Describe the specific challenges to the organisation the nominee experienced and the strategies implemented to address and overcome the mentioned challenges. Sr. Justina was born in Germany where she trained as a children's nurse. She came to South Africa as a young Dominican Sister and learned English. In order to be of benefit to the women of San Salvador Home, she went to Germany for 2 years in 1978 to do in-service training for intellectually challenged people. She followed this with a year's course in Switzerland studying the intricacies of weaving skills to the women of San Salvador Home. She taught herself through experience just what it means to work with intellectually challenged women. She became skilled at working with the residents through leaming about their psychological, spiritual, emotional and physical needs. In essence her work demanded patience, dedication and love. Sr. Justina and other Dominican sisters taught the women a daily routine which involved helping them to look after themselves and participate in small tasks e.g. making their own beds if they were able, being responsible for setting the tables in the dining room, washing dishes, folding laundry etc. These little tasks give each resident a sense of pride and belonging. There is a time table which the women adhere to and little norms e.g. saying grace before and after meals, having a morning service in the chapel every day, and producing an annual nativity play. Sr. Justina and others who work with the women recognise and continue maintaining a time table which is a security in the lives of the women. The women are also involved in events such as the biannual sale of their work and an annual Spring Day. The presence of Sr Justina and other staff who ensure they enjoy their participation in the functions motivates the residents tremendously. 5. Give details of the positive benefits of the nominees input in the lives of persons who are intellectually disabled. The women feel that they can rely on Sr. Justina knowing she cares about each of them. Sr Justina
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knows the history of most of the women and is able to give practical and valuable advice to newer members of the staff who come to work in the Home. She also instils a sense of discipline which has a calming effect on all. The weaving patterns are intricate and challenging and thanks to Sr Justina's patience and perseverance, beautiful articles such as shawls, scarves and place mats are woven and sold. Each time an article is sold, the woman who made it feels delighted and proud of her handiwork. 6. What makes the nominee a leader? Sr. Justinas determination, patience, loyalty, love, care and interest in each person mean that the residents look to her for leadership and in turn take on leadership themselves e.g. conducting a chapel service, writing little letters for birthdays and Christmas, always greeting people and saying thank you. Some of the women go on holidays and outings and are often commended for their good behaviour and manners. The values that Sr. Justina and other Dominican sisters modelled are evident in the way they relate to others. 7. Any other information you want to share? We highly recommend Sr. Justina for the Hamlet award. She is a worthy recipient who goes about her work in a quiet and unassuming way. San Salvador staff and residents are very proud of her. The residents, parents and relatives know that her dedication to those living and working with an intellectual disability is a great gift to them.

Thabong Community Greetings from the Far East Rand! 2013 has been a busy year for us in Thabong community, Geluksdal. It is hard to believe that Christmas is just around the corner. While we are a small community of 3 we once again had a young German student, Teresa Blief stay with us for 6 months and do her internship at the project. It is always a challenge for us as a community to be open to new ways and young people find it a growth filled experience too. Connie and Gebhard have both been involved in the RCIA in St Martin de Porres Parish. They have prepared several groups of adults to be received into the Church. Gebhard has enjoyed running classes for young adults she found them most responsive and interested in learning more about their Catholic faith. Connie joins two other women in the Parish to take communion to the sick and those too old and frail to attend Sunday Mass. She too enjoys this work because it gives her the opportunity to pray with the people and listen to their stories. Mary still finds facilitating very inspiring and challenging. In 2013 she visited Zimbabwe twice where she and Tshifhiwa trained a group of sisters who want to be facilitators and ran a Chapter for the SJI sisters. She visited England to work with the Zimbabwe Dominicans and was able to enjoy two days of sightseeing in London. Mary also worked in Hartebeesport Dam, Port Elizabeth, Queenstown, Aliwal North, East London, Kroonstad and Durban mostly with groups of sisters. Highlights of Marys year are: facilitating a Dominican Youth Indaba, joining the Board of Bohareng where we planned some inspiring events especially for women, and being involved in training of the core team of leaders at Sithandizingane. Terry Sacco has piloted a very empowering leadership programme with the project manager and 5 coordinators who in turn run the programme for all other members of the project who have been divided into 5 groups. It has been an absolute joy to watch the young leaders grow and develop their skills. Terry hopes to work more closely with the Department of Social Development and run the programme at other projects next year. Sithandizingane Care Project continues to be a blessing to all involved and to the people in our area. The project has been chosen as one of two projects in the East Rand to pilot the Isibindi Project this involves training child care workers to care for families. A big challenge the project is faced with is youth there are already many coming to the project and now the project needs to look at building a centre, organizing more programmes and offering more skills training.
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We would like to wish all of our sisters and associates an inspiring Advent. With love Gebhard, Connie and Mary Reflection from Sr Angelika It is no longer a secret that the support systems of life on earth, namely water, air and soil have become so much polluted that they can and do no longer support many forms of life. The widespread pollution is caused by humans collectively. According to our Faith, God created a developing world able to support ever more complex beings interlinked and interdependent in ecosystems. These systems vary in composition and appearance according to the geological and chemical ingredients of the rocks and soil and according to the topography. The human was to care for and love the Earth. Most religions honour the Earth and its tremendous diversity of life in theory but not in action. This has applied also to our Church. The mass extinction of life seems to have started already in the oceans due to warming which renders their waters more acidic and warmer. Also clean FRESH WATER is becoming less because of pollution and change of climate. Wars for clean, fresh water will be the wars of the future. What is our attitude towards water? We consist mainly of water, developed in and baptised with it. Is it "sacred" for us? Water, soil and air need to belong to the Community and be taken care of. At present water has become expensive, being privatised. It has become non-affordable for many. When exploring our behaviour towards and our use of water, we need to look deeper than the cost issue. If we understand by "pastoral care" the care for people in the Name of God and if we consider humans to be members of the Community of Life then a true and deep concern for people without care and work for nature and all its forms of life does not exist. Since all life is dependent on water, the concern for water and involvement in issues related to water is part of the overall pastoral care for people. OUR ACTIONS: THE AWARENESS OF THE PRECIOUS AND SACRED NATURE OF WATER AND THE CONCERN FOR WATER NEED TO BECOME PART OF ALL CATECHESIS. Let us reduce the amount of water we use and assist with money or action in the cleaning of wetlands, lakes, etc. In our consciousness we need to become caretakers of the Earth and learn to share her suffering under the weight of the human race. Other News The principal at Welkom, Mr Patrick Salvage, has resigned to go to Dubai where he will be much better paid. He has three young daughters to send to University. We are sorry to lose him and are in the process of initial interviews for a successor. Sr Geraldine is back from her time with her family in Australia. It is good to have her home. Sr Mary McCreath has prepared the input for our next Unit meeting on economic inequality. This will be on 25 November 2013. Kgosi Neighbourhood has invited the sisters to their Nativity play and Prize giving. Although Natalie wasnt well then already, she was fully engaged with the activity. It is strange not to have her around. The others sisters who have died lately, Srs Maria, Veritas and Marietta, are also missed as are all our sisters who have died. The Ursulines have only 16 sisters left in their South African province but are still optimistic and Margaret and Geraldine will work with them on their mission and work for two days in December. May God bless all our sisters, families and friends. Margaret Schffler. Benedicere Unit. 19 November 2013

CANA UNIT
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17 days of healing and joy in England and in Spain At its heart the journey of each life is a pilgrimage, through unforeseen sacred places that enlarge and enrich the soul. J ODonohue In August this year I had the great privilege and joy of walking part of the El Camino with my sister, Sue and brother-in-law, Geoff. We went from Leon in Spain to Santiago. We caught buses in between to help us make the whole distance in 8 days. We slept in the refugios with all the other pilgrims and ate our breakfasts and lunches of bread, cheese, fruit and water by the wayside. In the evenings we had a delicious and filling pilgrims meal and then we slept, oblivious to the snoring and movements of the folks all around us, oblivious and yet aware of them all and feeling a sense of solidarity with the whole human race. The weather was perfect, the scenery beautiful and the company refreshing. I also spent seven days with my brother and three of his daughters who have emigrated to England and Scotland. They are all happy and well and it was a great joy to be with them and to see how their choices have led to such wholesome living. I feel deep gratitude to my family and to the Congregation for the gift of this experience. Ann Wigley

En route from Tricastella to Samos where we slept in the oldest Benedictine monastery in the Western world.

A few glimpses into the Life and Mission of the Terra Community at Springs on the East Rand S.A.
We, the four Sisters at Terra Pulchra (Anita, Raphaelis, Robbie and Sandra) try to live the four pillars of our Dominican Spirituality, praying together, enjoying community life, finding strength and courage in our Chapel where the presence of the Blessed Sacrament makes it possible to have Communion Service whenever there is no Holy Mass in our Parish. Our life and ministry in the Springs community is our main form of preaching the Liberating Truth of the Gospel. Sr Anita regularly gives support to the RE teachers apart from being available to teachers and leadership of the school whenever they ask for her advice to learn from her wisdom gained during her many years of experience in leadership and education. Whenever the Deacon is not available to hold Communion Service at least once a week, but frequently more often, Sr Anita is called upon to take his place. A very hearty thank you from Sr Anita to St Marys Community in Johannesburg for all the kindness she experienced during her stay there after her knee operation. Sr Raphaelis is a very active member of the St Vincent de Paul Society in our Parish. Every week over sixty poor people are served a meal and once a month they receive a food parcel. She also sorts out the second hand clothing and prepares parcels for Br Dominics Aids Centre. But this is not all. As the Parish does not have a sacristan, Sr Raphaelis is called upon on numerous occasions for various duties. Sr Robert, better known as Sr Robbie or Dr Robbie, is a very busy lady. Her surgery is visited by old and young to receive treatment for their aching feet and very often for their aching hearts. Her life-long experience helps her to give to many troubled individuals a listening ear, and whenever needed also valuable advice. Since her surgery is situated on the Preparatory School Campus of Veritas College, teachers, some parents, Dominican Fathers, Sisters of various Congregations and, at times, some learners make use of her gift of empathic listening. Once a month she travels to Boksburg to attend to the aching feet of the Sisters at Marian House, and once a month she does the same for the Sisters and Residents at St Marys. Sr Sandra, besides working with Aspirants, Novices and temporary professed Sisters of a number of Congregations, has also been called further afield to give workshops, such as the workshop of the animators of the Salesian Communities in Zimbabwe, South Africa and Lesotho, involving topics such as communication, conflict transformation and community building. As Congregational Representative and together with Sr Anita she attends Board of Governors Meetings at Veritas College. Another field of Sandras involvement is in Anti-Trafficking where she is creating ppt presentations in
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the various African languages to create awareness of this danger particularly to the rural communities and people in the townships. At the request of Sheila Flynn and Eleanor Rothwell she also gave a days input on African culture and spirituality to the people of Thabong.

Extracts from the New BOHARENG Newsletter All has been consecrated. The creatures in the forest know this, The earth does, the seas do, the clouds know as does the heart full of love. Catherine of Sienna We, as the new Bohareng Board, have left the riverside and the women at the well and have begun our new journey towards meeting our revised vision and mission. We have also been careful to preserve our rich tradition of sharing reflections and spirituality. We have begun to network and to open out our umbrella so that we can reach and enfold people more effectively in enriching ways. We share with you what has been happening. The Sisters for Justice asked us to network with them in a shared theme for Womens Day. Sr Mary Tuck and Bernie Mullen presented a reflection on the hard life of Naomi and the fidelity of Ruth as a celebration of womanhood Against all Odds. Exploring ways in which we can network: Bernie Mullen met with Languageworks who is a company that teaches several languages to help people communicate more effectively in their work place. They are trying to reach out to immigrants in the Berea and Hillbrow areas. Sister Katy van Wyk presented a reflection day on Mysticism in Cape Town. She also facilitated a morning on Body Prayer Movement in Pretoria with Lorraine Groenewald. Katy attended a workshop on Communication, Evangelisation and the Media. It was a really empowering experience learning how to design websites and make much more use of the internet. Reflection Morning: Sr. Katys reflection on 28th September; From fear to freedom journey into love... was very enriching. The theme was based on Nan C. Merrills writings. 24 people attended and were very appreciative of the opportunity to be still, listen and reflect for a while. The Journey into Love is literal, metaphoric, and archetypal. It is a believing and a discovering of Jesus' story as one's own a process of internalizing various roads described in the New Testament. Nan C. Merrill Dominican Youth Indaba was organised by Sr. Mary Tuck and Terry Sacco at the end of June. Members of the Dominican Family and others from the NGO sector came together to reflect on core issues affecting young people Not in Employment, Education or any form of Training. Terry Sacco has embedded leadership education in Sithandizingane Care Project via the management team. Through a process of rippling on, Expanded Public Works beneficiaries (22) as well as Isibindi Circles of Care beneficiaries (17) are empowered with life skills that positively impact their citizenship as social agents in their work, family and community. Reconciliation Retreat: In September Terry Sacco ran a Reconciliation Retreat for 30 women from Kopanang Empowerment Project. Women evaluated that it was a healing and empowering experience. We hope you will continue to be part of us and that you bring new friends with you to the events we plan. If you have some interest in presenting a reflection morning or running a workshop for us, please do contact us. We would love to expand our pool of talent!

Western uro!e
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Dear Sisters All Our growing older is the natural completion of our lives, when all threads of our past experiences, positive and negative, are brought into the present and reviewed and brought to closure and healed in the light of this present reality. (Annie Lunney) Today we share with you another lovely and enriching experience we, in the West European District, had as a follow up on the input given by Annie Lunney at our last WED-Assembly. Her theme was Tapestry of Aging. At the meeting of the Retirement Team in April 2013 the team enlarged the Tapestry of Aging to Tapestry of Life. By tapestry we envisaged the whole of our life. We challenged the sisters to reflect on and create their own Tapestry of life, thereby expressing their life experiences and the present reality in an individual way - no limits were given to creativity. Together with the letter we added some relevant Reflections and a Prayer. When the team wrote the letter, we were quite excited and were looking forward to the Tapestries of Life. Some reactions were less enthusiastic. There were some hesitations and questions. The time limit was given end of August. The sisters reflected on the questions and presented the most original creative works of art. At the beginning of September, our Retirement Team came together in Venlo for a combined meeting arranged with the Community. The sisters of Albertushof Community presented their Tapestry once more, this time with a brief explanation. Teresa showed and read the explanations of the sisters in Tralee and Mary-Jo presented with delight the extensive album of Sr. Nicolette and the other contributions from Riehen. The different stories were intimate, sometimes emotional and even at times quite humorous. At the end of the evening we all were awed at and felt inspired by the originality of the expressions of the life stories. We deeply appreciated the contributions of each one and expressed this in gratitude and prayer. Now we are happy to show you in the collage of pictures the outcome of our efforts without words. Together with the collage we send our greetings and our love to you. The Retirement Team, Mary-Jo, Marie-Jose and Teresa October 2013

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