For the last two weeks in Stykkishólmur we´ve been preparing the children in various ways for the joy of Christmas. With our oratory, we held the traditional Icelandic „Christmas Crafts“ called „Jólafundur“ and we spoke to the children in the chapel about how we can make Baby Jesus´s crib softer…
Responding to the invitation of our Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich on the 8th of November 2015, and in collaboration with the pastoral service in the diocese of Luxembourg, we were able to take part in the March for Evangelization for the second time. The theme was “Marching Together to the Tomb…
A month ago, we moved to a new house in the center of The Hague to fulfill the new mission that our bishop has entrusted to us. Inspired by the love that he demonstrates for the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, he has invited us for a new challenge: to start…
Our community in Stykkishólmur, Iceland has begun our fall apostolates, including our children´s Oratory „Child Jesus“. All the children in our town are welcome to participate. We oratory with some free time for games and this week we played with Play-Doh. Trying our best to be creative, we made fruit,…
Every Saturday we have a jammed packed day with activities for children. Children from Pumpėnai and the surrounding villages come to the IVE parish for several hours. The girls start coming around 1pm. We begin the afternoon with a little girls group called Daughters of Mary. The goal of the…
A Christian’s vocation is sanctity, in every moment of life. In the springtime of their youth, in the fullness of summer at the age of maturity, and also after in the autumn and winter of old age, and at last, at the hour of death.” (Pope John Paul II) The…
The 4th Dutch Sister in our Institute: Maria Iuxta Crucem made her final vows in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Ter Nood in Heiloo (North Holland). The Auxiliary bishop of the diocese Haarlem- Amsterdam Bishop J.M.E. Hendriks was the main celebrant of the evening Mass. The choir solemnized the…
“…contemplatives have to bear aloft the standard of humility and must suffer all the blows which are aimed at them without striking any themselves. Their duty is to suffer as Christ did, to raise the Cross on high, not to allow it to leave their hands, whatever the perils in…
With the motto “Laudato Si” Sisters Maria Madre Celestial and Maria Czestochowa participated in a pilgrimage to Assisi guided by Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich and in which 80 people participated including youth and leaders.
St. Francis came from a wealthy family- his father sold fabric- and lived a carefree childhood and youth, cultivating ideas of knights and chivalry from his time. When he was twenty he joined the military and was taken prisoner. He became ill and was freed. After his return to Assisi, he began a slow process of spiritual conversion that led him to gradually leave the worldly life he had lived. At this time St. Francis’s famous encounter with the leper took place, where Francis, got off his horse, gave the Kiss of peace and the message of the Crucifix from St. Damian’s Church. Christ on the Cross came to life on three different occasions and said “See, Francis, and repair my Church from its ruins.” And from there began his process of conversion.
We began our journey on the night of the 17th of July and we arrived the following morning to the land of St. Francis. In the evening on the 18th we went on a walk to the Basilica of St. Francis which took us an hour and fifteen minutes. At the Basilica we had Mass, celebrated by one of our chaplains.
On the 19th we began our hike which lasted 5 days. We hiked through mountains, went on trails some were rocky and others dry, to visit different places on “the way of St. Francis.” “The way of St. Francis” comprises places which played an important role in the life St. Francis, some were important in his spiritual life and others in the development of the Franciscan order.
From the 13th – 17th of July in our parish of Bunclody, we ran a summer camp for local children entitled ‘Faith Adventure Camp’ and what an adventure it was! Every day was filled with arts and crafts, theatre, songs, dance, and of course plenty of playing in the rain – it is Ireland after all and rain stops for no season! Each morning after prayer, we sat the kids down for a formation talk to start off the day and to explore what their idea of a ‘faith adventure’ was. We had some interesting answers and our goal became to show these young children the joy of the Holy Spirit in everyday adventures and the celebration of faith through learning, teamwork and fun activities.
