Category: News

Pilgrims of Hope (5): Peace

The series “Pilgrims of Hope” is a monthly spiritual contribution to the Holy Year – a collaboration between the international Generalate of the Hospital Sisters of St Francis and the Muenster-based German church publication “Kirche und Leben” (“Church+Life”). Our topic in Mai: Hope for Peace.

On May 8, 2025, the German Bundestag held a memorial service to commemorate the end of World War II and the liberation from National Socialism 80 years ago. Back then, in 1945, peace finally returned to Europe. However, this peace did not last until the memorial service.

On the same day, Robert Francis Prevost was elected the 267th Pontifex of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. The first words he spoke as Pope Leo XIV were: “Peace be with you all!” In fact, “peace” was a key word in his speech, and since then many have hoped that he, as the “Pope of Peace,” will help end the current wars and overcome the major crises in the world.

War and peace have always been among the most pressing issues in human history. St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of our Congregation, took part in a war against the neighboring city of Perugia in 1202 and spent more than a year as a prisoner of war in a dungeon. He returned to Assisi a sick and broken man and changed his life: he renounced all his worldly possessions and turned to God, and to the poor and marginalized. Peace between people, nations, and religions became an important concern for him: in 1219, Francis traveled to Palestine as a missionary and joined the Crusaders. Hoping to bring peace, he preached in the camp of the Muslim army before Sultan Al-Kamil. Unfortunately, his hope was not fulfilled.

Many of our Sisters can also tell of war experiences that have influenced their lives. This is also true of Sister M. Manuela Musholt, who was born in February 1940 on a small farm in Gescher-Estern as the eleventh of 15 children.

“My two oldest brothers were taken from the farm shortly before the end of the war and sent to the front when they were 17 and 16 years old,” she reports. “They were missing for four years before returning sick and traumatized from captivity in Siberia on Christmas Day 1949.” Sister Manuela remembers the nights toward the end of the war when all the windows were blacked out in the evening and the sound of Allied bombers flying over the house. “We prayed a lot during those nights,” she says, “for our brothers at the front, for our whole family, and for peace for all.” Religious life was always very important in her family. Sister Manuela developed an early desire to serve God, and the people—as a nurse. So, at the age of 19, she joined the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis and began her nursing training in the hospital during her novitiate.

After many years working as a nurse as well as in occupational therapy and later in the Provincial Administration of the German Province, Sister Manuela has been looking after the museum in the Motherhouse of the Hospital Sisters since 2018. Here, visitors can also learn about the many Sisters who served in military hospitals – first in the German-Danish War of 1864, just 20 years after the Congregation was founded. Thirty-four sisters from Münster cared for the war wounded in the Austrian army’s military hospitals in Schleswig-Holstein in the North of Germany. As a token of gratitude, the then Mother Superior received a chasuble from the Austrian imperial couple, which now attracts many visitors to the museum as “Sissi’s chasuble.”

The sisters also served in military hospitals during the wars of 1866 and 1870/71, as well as in both World Wars, both on the front lines and in the hospitals and convents of the Congregation where military hospitals had been set up. They were called upon to do so by the Red Cross, among others. Many Sisters received medals and awards for their work, and quite a few died side by side with the wounded they cared for.

Longuyon, France, 1917
Our Sisters in the operating theatre during WWI
St. Quentin, France

The old photos in the museum clearly show the suffering and inhumanity of war. “Both as nurses and as Franciscan Sisters, we will always be advocates of peace,” says Sister Manuela. This is entirely in keeping with the spirit of St. Francis, whose greeting unites us: “Pace e bene,” peace and all good.

By Sister M. Margarete Ulager and Claudia Berghorn

This article was published in German, online and in print, in the Diocese of Muenster’s magazine, “Kirche+Leben” (Church+Life), in Mai 2025.

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Pilgrims of Hope (4): Renewal

The series “Pilgrims of Hope” is a monthly spiritual contribution to the Holy Year – a collaboration between the international Generalate of the Hospital Sisters of St Francis and the Muenster-based German church publication “Kirche und Leben” (“Church+Life”). Our topic in March: Hope for Renewal.

In the cycle of nature, April is a month of renewal: finally, the days are getting longer again, and every year, we can enjoy the bright yellow of the daffodils and the delicate green of the first leaves.

Our church year also follows a cycle of growth and decay, which culminates in the Holy Week. Here, death and renewal are particularly close together. The good news is that Jesus’ death on the cross is not the end, but the prerequisite for a new beginning, for Resurrection. Every year, this Easter message strengthens our faith, and our hope that a new beginning, that renewal is possible.

Our patron, St. Francis of Assisi, who had a particularly close relationship with nature, was also convinced of this. In 1225, when he was already terminally ill, Francis wrote his hymn of praise to God’s creation, the “Canticle of the Creatures,” known to many as “Laudato Si.” This year, 2025, the Franciscan family celebrates the 800th anniversary of this important work.

At a time when the word “sustainability” was still a long way from being invented, Francis lived in true harmony with nature. In his “Canticle of the Creatures,” he thanked God for his creation. Full of respect and at the same time very intimately, he speaks of the sun, the moon and the elements as his “brothers and sisters”, and he is not afraid of “Brother Death,” who is, after all, a natural part of the cycle called life. In 1979, Pope John Paul II named St. Francis the patron saint of environmental protection and ecology.

St. Francis’ way of life would also be described as “sustainable” today: He renounced personal possessions and consumption, and only had the bare necessities for life – a conscious restriction that set him free to serve God and humanity.

As Franciscan Sisters, we have based our lives on these principles of St. Francis since the founding of our religious community in 1844. When we entered the Congregation, we vowed to live in “poverty, celibacy, and obedience.” In the past, this also meant that the Congregation lived as self-sufficiently as possible, and in harmony with nature: Until well after World War II, our Motherhouse in Muenster also comprised a farm; we Sisters ran a nursery and a bakery, our own wash house and a large kitchen, which we used to feed not only ourselves but also the patients at St. Francis Hospital and many people in need.

Aerial view around 1930
Motherhouse kitchen, 1979
Motherhouse nursery

This has changed step by step, but we remain self-sufficient in one area: In our German Motherhouse, we run a tailor’s workshop where the clothes and veils for all the Sisters of the German Province and the General Administration are made to measure.

Sister M. Pankratia Stuewe has been working here since 1976. She turned 86 in February and celebrated her 60th anniversary last year. “We currently dress about 250 Sisters,” Sister Pankratia says. Like all the Sisters in the past, she originally trained as a nurse and worked in nursing for several years. But when help was needed in the tailor’s workshop, Sister Pankratia changed her place of work and learned the tailoring trade from scratch from her fellow Sisters. Today, she works with two bespoke tailors and specializes in sewing and adjusting the Sisters’ habits and veils. In her almost 50 years of service, she has only seen the Sisters’ clothing change twice – most recently in 1989. “The dress is much more practical than the former habit,” she explains. All the fabrics are robust and durable. For the veil, we Sisters can choose between a festive black and a white model, and the dress is available in four colors: anthracite or light gray for everyday wear, black for festive occasions and Church Holidays, and white for work. This means that we are always dressed appropriately. What more could a woman want?

Sister Pankratia with a veil
Fitting Sr. Teresa’s veil
Taking measure

Sustainable clothing, sustainably produced: We have been using renewable energy since 2022, when 690 solar modules installed on 1316 square meters of roof space. This photovoltaic system covers more than half of the energy requirements of our mother house and saves 122 tons of CO2 annually. St. Francis would certainly approve of that. And of the view of the roof of our Motherhouse Church in the dark: the solar panels form a cross shape that is illuminated by LEDs at night. And this shining cross reminds us again and again of God, the source of our faith, and of our hope for renewal.

By Sister M. Diethilde Boevingloh and Claudia Berghorn

This article was published in German, online and in print, in the Diocese of Muenster’s magazine, “Kirche+Leben” (Church+Life), in April 2025.

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Pilgrims of Hope (3): Healing

The series “Pilgrims of Hope” is a monthly spiritual contribution to the Holy Year – a collaboration between the international Generalate of the Hospital Sisters of St Francis and the Muenster-based German church publication “Kirche und Leben” (“Church+Life”). Our topic in March: Hope for Healing.

Fasting is trendy. This is the result of a recent survey by the German health insurance company DAK: While in 2013, around 50 percent of Germans were willing to give up alcohol, sweets or cigarettes for a while for the sake of their health, today, the number has gone up to 72 percent.

Conscious abstinence with a healing effect: This positive aspect of our pre-Easter fasting period hardly needs any explanation anymore these days. But what are the religious aspects that can also be beneficial?

Personally, I appreciate the time of Lent as an opportunity for an inner process that begins with a mindful inventory. It is important to me to pause in my tracks and ask my heart: How do I live with God and with the people, here and now? Could there be something that might need healing? – An inventory that can lead to an inner and outer realignment.

This process of reorientation, which accompanies me during Lent, also runs through the history of the Hospital Sisters of St Francis, founded in 1844 as a Congregation of nurses. At the time, this was a concrete response to social need and the lack of health care. Since then, additional fields of work have developed alongside nursing because the Sisters have always responded attentively to the signs of the times, and have asked God for guidance, as well as their hearts. So today, our international Congregation also includes high school and kindergarden teachers, social workers, doctors and lawyers.

What unites all these activities is the inner attitude of “bringing Christ’s healing presence to the people” in the footsteps of St. Francis, as outlined in our mission statement. In other words, our goal is to bring God’s love to the people – in any way that people need it right now. This also means that we are always ready to develop further – as a Congregation, but also each of us personally.

This can be a huge challenge. For example for Sister M. Gerburg Aufderheide, who went to India in 1974 and founded the first convent there. Sister Gerburg, born in the German village of Ennigerloh in 1935. As tradition required, she had learned housekeeping as a young girl, then she became a kindergarten teacher and became a nurse after entering the convent.

Sr. Gerburg traveling in Germany
Sr. Gerburg, Kindergarden teacher
Beginnings in India
Sr. M. Gerburg caring for children in Pithora

In India, she was able to draw on these qualifications when setting up a medical and nursing care center. What she hadn’t reckoned with was that people brought her children – babies and toddlers, found in the garbage or on train tracks, left to die, because no one wanted them. Sister Gerburg took these children in and raised them, later ensuring their education and, in due course, finding suitable marriage partners for them – tasks that would traditionally have fallen to the parents. This way, she saved 27 girls and boys.

Sister M. Gerburg Aufderheide with the children she saved from certain death

At the same time, Sister Gerburg laid the foundations for our first convent in India, starting in 1979 with four Indian candidates. She continued to provide nursing care and also served as the housekeeper, driver and handywoman in the young community. Communicating in English and Hindi was difficult, the climate was strange, and so were the symptoms of the illnesses. “Fortunately, I liked the hot climate from the beginning,” says Sister Gerburg, who will turn 90 in the fall, “but I had to learn from scratch how to treat snakebites.”

Sister Gerburg in Münster in 2023 at the occasion of her 65th Jubilee, in the midst of Sisters from the Indian Province

Today, in our Indian Province, almost 100 Sisters live in 17 convents in seven federal states, and a hospital has just been opened at the very place where Sister Gerburg began her work more than 50 years ago. Sister Gerburg’s example shows me how much each and every one of us can achieve when our hearts are open to being an instrument of God’s love in our contact with people. Even if it might not be the snake bites that we have to heal, but our relationship with God and the people around us.

By Sister M. Hiltrud Vacker and Claudia Berghorn

This article was published online and in print in the Diocese of Muenster’s magazine, “Kirche+Leben” (Church+Life), in March 2025.

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Pilgrims of Hope (2): Democracy

The series “Pilgrims of Hope” is a monthly spiritual contribution to the Holy Year – a collaboration between the international Generalate of the Hospital Sisters of St Francis and the Muenster-based German church publication “Kirche und Leben” (“Church+Life”). Our topic in February: Hope for Democracy.

Democracy is a topic currently much debated, and it is a very complex one. To approach it, it may help to ask: What would I miss without democracy? What would we all miss without our constitution? Imagine, for example, that we did not have Article 4 of our Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of belief and conscience. (The Article states: “The undisturbed practice of religion is guaranteed.”)

The lack of this freedom of belief is at the core of the history of our international Congregation as it affected our founder, Father Christopher Bernsmeyer. When Napoleon’s troops occupied Muenster in 1811, they closed the Franciscan monastery so that Father Christopher lost both his home and his brotherly community. Ultimately, he found a new home in Telgte near Muenster, where he founded our Congregation in 1844.

Throughout our history, we have faced political obstacles. 150 years ago, the Kulturkampf raged in Prussia and the 1875 laws threatened the existence of religious Orders including ours in Muenster. Fortunately, our Superior welcomed the request of Bishop Peter Baltes of Alton, Illinois, to send Sisters to America to care for the sick. In October 1875, 20 of our Sisters journeyed from Münster without knowledge of the English language or the American culture but with hope for democracy and freedom in the service of God. That hope was realized immediately after their arrival when they founded four hospitals and shortly after they founded the first Catholic nursing school in the United States of America. The following years saw the founding of other healthcare ministries throughout the United States and abroad. This year, we are celebrating 150 years of presence in the United States together with nearly 13,000 employees who provide care to nearly two million people annually through 13 hospitals in Illinois and Wisconsin. We thank God for democracy.

German Hospital Sisters of St. Francis on their way to the United States of America.

The Sisters in our Polish Province also suffered political persecution. As early as 1848, some of our Sisters went from Muenster to Silesia to care for the victims of a typhoid epidemic. After the epidemic, they stayed on, building an orphanage and hospitals – the groundstones of a new Province. However, after World War II, the communist authorities confiscated these hospitals and expelled our Sisters. While many members of other congregations serving in the area were sent to labor camps, our Sisters escaped this terrible fate because their Provincial Superior was a Dutch citizen who placed the Provincial Motherhouse under the protection of the Dutch queen. Nevertheless, religious life behind the Iron Curtain was difficult, and the General Superiors from Muenster were unable to travel to the Silesian-Polish Province for 35 years.

Democracy is our responsibility!

Today, in democratic Europe, two Polish Sisters work in the international General Administration in Muenster. Two other Sisters come from India, officially the world’s largest democracy with 1.4 billion people. The Indian constitution guarantees equality before the law, and non-discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, gender and origin. However, according to “Open Doors”, India is in tenth place on the world persecution index, overtaking North Korea. This reveals that the core of a healthy democracy lies not only in its institutional structures, but also in the way people treat each other, and in the ability to appreciate diversity, interculturality, and differences.

This is also what we experience within the democratic structure of our Congregation: Both the Provincial Leadership and the international General Leadership are elected by the members of the Order for a limited term of office. The most recent election was held during the international General Chapter in September 2024 when delegates from all the countries in which our Sisters live and work gathered in Muenster.

Democratic elections during the 21st International General Chapter in Muenster in September 2024.

Democracy is our responsibility. Our freedom depends on our commitment to it, both privately and in Church and society. That is why we as German Hospital Sisters will go and vote in the German General Election on February 23. And this is why we encourage you to use your right to vote as well, wherever you are and whenever you can. Just think about what you might miss – without our democracy.

By Sister M. Margarete Ulager and Claudia Berghorn

This article was published online and in print in the Diocese of Muenster’s magazine, “Kirche+Leben” (Church+Life), in February 2025.

The Hospital Sisters of St. Francis also participated in the Diocese of Muenster’s Campaign for Democracy, “Live Freedom”. On February 7, 2025, General Councilor Sister M. Hiltrud Vacker joined representatives of St. Francis Foundation to spray the campaign logo onto a fence around the building site for the future St. Francis Health Academy and Nursing School.

General Councilor Sr. M. Hiltrud Vacker participating…
… in the Diocese’s Campaign for Democracy. (©Bönte)
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Pilgrims of Hope (1): Reconciliation

The series “Pilgrims of Hope” is a monthly spiritual contribution to the Holy Year – a collaboration between the international Generalate of the Hospital Sisters of St Francis and the Muenster-based German church publication “Kirche und Leben” (“Church+Life”). Our topic in January: Hope for Reconciliation.

The Holy Year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War – a war that started in Germany and brought incredible suffering to the world. This year, we commemorate, among other events, the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp on January 27, 1945, and the dropping of the American atomic bombs on Japan on August 6 and 9, 1945.

At least 1.1 million people were murdered in Auschwitz, about a million of them Jews. In Hiroshima alone, about 80,000 people died immediately after the bomb exploded 80 years ago; in Nagasaki, the death toll was 22,000. More than 200,000 civilians in Japan succumbed to the long-term effects of radiation within the following months.

And while we are still trying to come to terms with the consequences of a war that took place decades ago, the current wars in the world claim new victims every day, create new hatred and fuel the call for revenge in many places.

How can we keep the hope of reconciliation alive in this global madness?

To answer this question, we would like to share two examples from our international congregation.

Sister M. Jacintha Altenburg, who now lives in the motherhouse of our German Province in Muenster, was born in 1939 in a small Catholic village in Friesland in the Netherlands and spent the first years of her life under German occupation, “Of course, our parents tried to protect us children,” says Sister Jacintha. So she didn’t know at the time that her father played an important role in the resistance against the Germans. He survived, but one of Sister Jacintha’s uncles was among the many victims of the occupation: he was shot by the Germans.

Nevertheless, and against the will of some of her family members, the Dutchwoman decided after the war to join our Congregation, although it came from Germany, the country of the hated occupiers. At first she worked as a nurse in the Netherlands, then she helped to build the hospital in Kamp-Lintfort that was founded by our Sisters.

And when we founded a convent at the former concentration camp in Esterwegen in 2007, in order to participate in the design of the memorial site, Sister Jacintha was one of the first Sisters to go there.

“Hell in the Moors” – a book on the former Concentration Camp
Our Convent at the Esterwegen Memorial Site
Sister M. Jacintha practising meditation

Many resistance fighters from the Netherlands, Belgium and France were among the people who were interned, tortured and killed in Esterwegen. Sister Jacintha helped them and their families to come to terms with the inconceivable, and in doing so she repeatedly reached her own limits. “Some of my family and frieds at home did not understand how I could live and work in a place created by the perpetrators”, Sister Jacintha says. “One of my brothers did not speak to me again – not until he was on his deathbed.”

The founding of our community’s Japanese Province was also overshadowed by the Second World War. In 1948, two of our Hospital Sisters from the American Province arrived in Nagasaki and took over St. Francis Hospital, which had been founded in 1922 and destroyed by the atomic bombing of their fellow countrymen. As early as 1951, the first Sisters of Japanes nationality entered our Congregation as novices. Even today, there are four Sisters from Nagasaki in the motherhouse of the Japanese province in Himeji who experienced the bombing themselves, and who survived it. One of them is Sister M. Veronica, born in 1932.

Sister M. Veronica was born in 1932 and survived the Nagasaki atomic bomb.

When asked today whether she felt hatred for the Americans, she says no. And she explains, just like Sister Jacintha in faraway Germany:

If we cannot manage reconciliation, then who can?

So this is what we have learned from the impressive life stories of our international sisters: No matter how many wars are waged between countries and nations, there is always hope for reconciliation between us as people. Here and now, tomorrow and everywhere, for each and every one of us. If we make the first step.

By Sister M. Margarete Ulager and Claudia Berghorn

This article was published online in “Kirche+Leben” on January 27, 2025, and in the printed paper on January 30 – which made Sister M. Jacintha very happy and proud!

Sister Jacintha on the front page of “Kirche+Leben”…
… and with Sister M. Veronica on page 17!
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Charity Christmas bazaar raises record amount

January 14, 2025. From November 22-24, 2024, the traditional Christmas bazaar was held for the sixth time at St. Franziskus-Hospital with handicrafts made by five Hospital Sisters and some of the hospital’s staff. With proceeds of 9200 euros, the record from the previous year was once again exceeded. The money was donated to two projects at St. Franziskus Hospital, helping babies and young families.

Together with the head physician of the Clinic for General Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, PD Dr. Michael Böswald, and those responsible for the supported projects, the Commercial Director of St. Franziskus Hospital, Dr. David Lewers, warmly thanked the organizers of the bazaar: “This fantastic donation will help us to continue and steadily improve the important and increasingly sought-after support for mothers and families in need.”

The Sisters who contribute a large part of the handicrafts to the annual bazaar have been a well-rehearsed team for a long time: They live and work together at the Motherhouse of the Hospital Sisters, in “St. Elisabeth” flat (from left to right): Sister M. Beatinis Thünemann, Sister M. Rainette Schwager, Sister M. Leonardi Reiter, Sister M. Vera Lütkebohmert and Sister M. Stephanie Müller.

“For us, the bazaar is never over; it’s always starting again,” says Sister Vera. “We work towards the November date all year round.” The Sisters have even specialized so that they can offer a wide range of products: Sister Vera mainly knits socks for adults as well as scarves and slipovers, while Sister Stephanie is particularly good at knitting baby socks. Sister Leonardi, who was Head of Physiotherapy at St. Franziskus Hospital for many years, is known for her crocheted therapy balls. But just like Sister Beatinis, she also knits and crochets many wrist warmers, cuffs, scarves and socks in a wide variety of colors and shapes – there are no limits to their creativity. This is also because the Sisters are often given wool as gifts. “Last year, we received a whole van full of wool as a donation,” reports Sister Vera. ”We are delighted and very grateful because this saves us the cost of materials.”

Sister Rainette, on the other hand, prefers to use scissors and paper: she patiently and lovingly creates wonderful Christmas decorations. “For each of my gold stars, for example, I cut out seven individual stars in different sizes, which are then glued together with small adhesive blocks,” she explains. Her large folded paper stars are also a big seller.

The great success of the bazaar has once again shown that the Sisters’ creative efforts are worthwhile and appreciated by many people in Muenster. The Sisters agree: “The greatest success for us is that we can help many babies and young families with the proceeds of the bazaar.” And this is what keeps them going all year.

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“May Christ bless this house”: Visit of the Carol Singers

January 3, 2025. Today the Sisters in Muenster enjoyed the visit of the carol singers. Accompanied by Sister M. Dietmara Ahlmann from the German Province and Sister Laetitia Matsunaga from the Generalate, the twins Franziska and Charlotte and their friends Lucie and Rosa brought the blessing for 2025 to the Motherhouse, to St. Heriburg House and Maria Trost retirement home: “Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar wish everyone a bright and blessed year!”

At the Motherhouse in Muenster, the carol singers were expected by many Sisters, Brothers and employees in the refectory. After singing traditional songs for the Sisters and with them, the girls distributed the blessing “20*C+M+B+25” on stickers for the apartments and offices. Then the blessing was written with chalk next to the door of the Motherhouse before the singers visited the manger in the Motherhouse Church.

In the well-known abbreviation of the blessing, the star stands for the star that the wise men from the Orient followed. At the same time, it is a sign for Christ. The letters C, M and B originally stood for the initials of the Magi: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Today they are interpreted as the Latin words “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” – “May Christ bless this house”. The three crosses represent the Trinity: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

The 2025 nationwide Carol Singing campaign was launched in Paderborn on December 28, 2024. The motto of this 67th campaign in Germany is: ‘Raise your voice! – Carol Singers for Children’s Rights’. The plight of millions of children is still dire: Worldwide, 250 million of them, mostly girls, do not go to school. 160 million children have to work, around half of them under exploitative conditions. The aim of the Three Kings’ Singing is therefore to strengthen the rights of children worldwide and to continue to promote their implementation.

On the website of the children’s mission organization “Die Sternsinger” (The Carol Singers), the goals of the campaign and the regions supported this year are presented as follows: “With the 2025 Carol Singing Campaign, we are encouraging children and young people to work together with their peers from all continents to promote respect for, protection of and implementation of their rights. Carol Singers learn in a very concrete way how their commitment contributes to strengthening children’s rights worldwide. In this sense: Raise your voice!

This year, the donations will be used to support two regions in particular: In Turkana in northern Kenya, children have little access to schools or medical care. Extreme weather conditions often mean that their plates remain empty. Our partner organization is committed to children’s rights to health, nutrition and education and runs schools, among other things.

In Colombia, you can see how our project partner is committed to the rights of children to protection, education and participation. Because far too often, children here have to experience violence and neglect. Programs for peace education and participation, but also concrete therapies, strengthen children again.”

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Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

December 23, 2024. Christmas is a time of joy and connection, a time of togetherness and personal encounter – and a time to look back on the defining events of the year. All of this is expressed in the following video, which summarizes some of the many beautiful shared moments during the 21st International General Chapter of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis in Muenster in September 2024. With this view “behind the scenes”, the Generalate wishes all Sisters worldwide, all employees and all those who share a connection to the Congregation a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year, which will hopefully bring more peace around the world. May you be blessed, and experience many moments of joy in 2025!

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Rorate caeli: Candlelight Mass in the Motherhouse Church

December 10, 2024. This morning at seven o’clock, an atmospheric Rorate Mass was celebrated in the motherhouse church. The Mass of Light was prepared by Kristina Jansen and Linus Richter, who are completing a language year at the Borromaeum seminary in preparation for their theological studies.

“Light, especially candlelight, radiates calm,” said Kristina Jansen in her introduction. ‘It is a hopeful sign that also fills our hearts with light and warmth.’ And further: ”God has called us to be light in a dark world. Then his love and his light can be reflected in human relationships to give hope even to those who feel surrounded by darkness.”

After Mass, which was celebrated by Father Dr. Michael Plattig, Motherhouse Superior Sister Cäcilia invited the students to breakfast in the refectory and thanked them on behalf of all the Sisters for the atmospheric start to the day.

The Mass of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, which is named after the introit antiphon Rorate, is considered to be the original Rorate Mass. The name was later also given to the votive Mass in honor of Mary. As early as the fourth century, antiphons were used in which the Latin words “Rorate caeli” (“Drop down, ye heavens”) served as a refrain.

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Saying Good Bye

September 23, 2024: Today is a day of farewells. After the intense, exciting, productive, and blessed time shared during the 21st General Chapter, the departure of the international Capitulars and guests has begun.

At 12 o’clock, for one last time, many had lunch together at the Motherhouse, with the Board of Trustees of the St. Francis Foundation as special guests. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Ludger Hellenthal, and Dr. Ulrich Knopp, Member of the Board of Directors of St. Francis Foundation, conveyed warm greetings, also on behalf of Dr. Nils Brüggemann, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the St. Francis Foundation, and congratulated General Superior Sister M. Margarete Ulager and the new General Council.

On behalf of their delegations, Sister Maureen O’Connor, Superior of the U.S. Canonical House, Sister Maria Fidelis, Japan Province, and Sister M. Johncy, Indian Province, thanked the Generalate and the German Province for their hospitality. Sister M. Diethilde, Provincial Superior of the German Province, expressed her thanks for the multicultural experience and emphasized that she was looking forward to the reunion – hopefully, she said, back at the Motherhouse again!

Sister M. Hiltrud, still in her function as Motherhouse Superior, conveyed greetings from the Polish delegation which has already left due to the flood disaster in the Polish Province. Together with General Superior Sister M. Margarete, she wished all travelers a safe and blessed journey home.

Today, the daily coverage of the 21st General Chapter will also come to an end with a selection of photos set to the melody of the Prayer of St. Francis, played by Brian Blasco, Director of Communications and Archivist of the U.S. Canonical House, and also a member of the international Media Team that came together especially for the General Chapter, and is now saying goodbye: Sister M. Franciszka Wanat, Polish Province, and Sister M. Laetitia Matsunaga, Japanese Province, with Michael Kestin (photos and videos) and Claudia Berghorn, Director of Communications at the Generalate.

Thank you very much, see you soon and “Pace e bene!”

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A Day of Thanksgiving

September 22, 2024: Today was a day of thanksgiving.

At 2 p.m., the capitulars, Sisters, and guests gathered for Mass in the Motherhouse Church. Father Michael pointed out that the word “Eucarist” actually means “thanksgiving”, and summarized the chapter with a quote from St. Matthew:

When two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with them.

After church, everybody was invited to the Motherhouse for coffee and cake – a great opportunity to exchange thoughts and insights of the past few weeks.

Today was also the last of the Masses that were celebrated for the intention of the Chapter in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi – a gift from the Indian Province. This daily spiritual support has been a guiding light since the Chapter opened.

Throughout the Chapter, the capitulars enjoyed gifts from the different countries – each in its unique way was a blessing to all. The gifts provided food for the body, mind, and soul and also served in very practical ways. Everybody loved the sweets from the German and Polish provinces, and was delighted to receive a special ballpoint pen from Japan and a sewing case from Poland.

Prayers were also offered today in thanksgiving for the Borromeaum staff whose hospitality and care was indeed Franciscan.

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Sharing some insights

September 21, 2024: Towards the end of the General Chapter, some of the Capitulars shared their personal thoughts and insights of the past three weeks.

Sister M. Hiltrud Vacker from the German Province appreciated that the Capitulars from around the world came together for a time of discussions and discernment, paving the way to the future of the international Congregation.

Sister M. Franciszka Wanat from the Polish Province expresses her gratitude with feelings of peace, hope, faith and love, and shares the Franciscan greeting of “Pace e bene”.

With great joy and Franciscan happiness, Sister MaryAnn Falbe from the U.S. Canonical House will return home, assured that the Sisters have many to journey with them into the future.

The youngest of the Capitualars, Vietnamese Sister M. Nichola Truong Thie Hoang Oanh from the Japan Province, feels honored to have been part of the international General Chapter, and appreciates the multicultural experience.

Sister M. Cecilia from the Indian Province shared a motto to inspire each Sister:

Let our smile be our logo. Let our personality be our business card, and let the way we make others feel be our trademark.

The statements are presented in the following video.

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Closing of the 21st General Chapter

September 20, 2024: Today, the 21st General Chapter was officially closed. After final discussions, the Closing Document was read, and the capitulars and guests signed the document that will guide the General Council for the next six years.

The Capitulars shared their gratitude for the intercultural experience during the Chapter. The young Sisters, who were guests, were especially grateful because the charism was brought to life. The chance to participate was a spiritual and personal opportunity.

In her closing remarks, Sister Margarete acknowledged everyone’s contribution to the Chapter. She thanked the Sisters for their openness and vision and quoted the Lenten Homily 2024 of Bishop Dr. Felix Genn, who had referred to this passage from Proverbs 4:23:

With all vigilance, guard your heart, for in it are the sources of life.

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Setting the course for the future

September 19, 2024: For 180 years, the congregation has trusted the works of the Holy Spirit and the same can be said in this 21st General Chapter. Within the Chapter of Affairs, two groups have been working on important documents that will be guiding the lives of the Sisters for the next six years.

1. Editorial Group: The Constitutions were revised with suggestions from members of the congregation and the Editorial Group was tasked with clarifying the wording so it can be understood in the various languages.

2. Closing Document Group: Before the General Chapter, all the Sisters were invited to submit suggestions for areas of focus for the future. The Closing Document Group integrated the proposals that were approved into a plan that will guide the new General Council.

Sister Margarete, General Superior, shared information about her new team’s responsibilities and the initiatives that will be undertaken. Sister M. Rita and Sister M. Hiltrud will be responsible for the International Formation. Sister M. Hiltrud will also co-ordinate public relations intitiatives. Sister Lima will serve as the General Secretary, with Sister M. Laetita as Assistant Secretary. Sister M. Beata was re-elected General Treasurer and will be assisted by General Councilor Sister M. Teresa, whose first task it will be to study English and German. Sister M. Beata will also be responsible for the General Archive. Both Sister M. Beata and Sister Christa Maria will remain in the Generalate House, with Sister Christa Maria as the Convent Superior.

Already, the new Generalate team is working closely with all the Provinces and the U.S. Cononical House as well as St. Francis Foundation and other partners to co-ordinate international help for the Sisters in Poland affected by the terrible floods.

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Team work

September 18, 2024: At Mass this morning, music and prayers were shared by the Sisters of the German Province. In his homily, Father Michael spoke of the importance of acceptance and forgiveness.

Conducting the General Chapter is a team effort. For many years, Professor Dr. Margret Nemann and Cathedral Provost Father Hans-Bernd Koeppen have been working with the Generalate as facilitators and moderators. Professor Father Dr. Dr. Michael Plattig O.Carm. serves as the Spiritual Director for the Generalate and the Chapter.

This Chapter also includes several guests. Young Sisters from the Polish, Japan, and Indian Provinces attend, along with the Motherhouse IT team, and the secretaries from the German Province and the Generalate, Mechthild Decker, Birgit Reinermann and Hildegard Benoelken. For the first time, employees who are not vowed religious also participate: Prof. Dr. Michael Moellmann, from the Generalate Board of Directors, Martin Krawinkel, Finance Director, and the media team: Claudia Berghorn/ Generalate, Brian Blasco/ U.S. Canonical House, and Michael Kestin/ photographer.

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Chapter of Affairs continues

September 17, 2024: Today, the Chapter of Affairs continued as we observed that 800 years ago, St. Francis of Assisi received the stigmata.

Sister Birgitte from the German Province shared insights from the congregational analysis regarding new members, leadership, handling changes with openness, internationality, connection with lay people, and the congregation’s present mission. She stated that the need of our time is loneliness, and that Franciscan hospitality is the antidote.

Sister Marianne Kamlage (German Province), Sister M. Beata Kapica (Polish Province), Sister M. Laetitia Matsunaga (Japan Province), and Sister M. Lima Arackal (Indian Province) shared the history of their Provinces and Brian Blasco spoke about the legacy of the U.S. Canonical House.

The common theme of the founding Sisters is that they had a strong faith in God, and were visionaries, courageous, and resourceful in their response to the challenges of their time. Their example is an inspiration and guiding light for the present and future.

In the afternoon, the Capitulars continued to discuss the proposals that will be voted on during this General Chapter.

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Opening of the Chapter of Affairs

September 16, 2024: Today was the opening of the Chapter of Affairs. This week, the Sisters will be discussing the revisions to the General Constitutions, and Proposals submitted by members of the international congregation.

Approved by the 2006 General Chapter, the General Constitutions provide inspiration and strength for the Sisters as they seek to live in the spirit of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, their models of a life united with Christ.

The aim of the discussion is to update the constitutions to reflect the needs of the time and issues facing the congregation. The capitulars voted on topics including English as a common language, social media, and the protection of the environment.

Sister M. Maksymiliana, Provincial Superior of the Polish Province, shared information about the serious flooding in Poland that affects their Province. Some of the Polish capitulars will return home to help in the rescue and recovery.

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Installation of the General Council

September 15, 2024: This afternoon, the new General Councilors were installed by General Superior Sister M. Margarete Ulager during Vespers in the Motherhouse Church.

At 3:30 pm, the capitulars and many guests gathered in the garden of the Generalate’s house. Father Michael blessed a gift from the U.S. Canonical House – a cedar tree as a symbol of the congregation’s roots, endurance and strength.

Afterward, during the installation ceremony at a Vespers in the Motherhouse Church, Father Michael wished the new leadership team the cedar tree’s flexibility and stability. At the request of Sister Margarete, Sisters M. Rita, M. Lima, M. Hiltrud, and M. Teresa, who were elected yesterday afternoon, stated their readiness to serve. They received a candle as bearers of Christ’s light and a blessing from all the Sisters.

Before dinner in the Motherhouse, the cultural richness was revealed through entertainment by the Sisters from Japan, India, and Vietnam. They delighted everyone with their costumes and dancing. A strong sense of Franciscan hospitality and friendship was alive as everyone shared a meal and came together as a family.

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Election of the General Superior and Council

September 14, 2024: Today, Saturday, September 14, 2024, Sister M. Margarete Ulager was re-elected General Superior of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis.

This morning, Bishop Dr. Felix Genn was welcomed at the Borromaeum. He celebrated Mass and afterward, Bishop Felix and the Capitulars went into the Chapter Hall for the election of the General Superior.

With the voting completed, the Capitulars rode on a red double decker bus to the Motherhouse Church. To the sound of the church bells ringing, Sister Margarete walked down the aisle with Bishop Felix to a standing ovation. Sister Margarete took the oath of office and Bishop Felix presented her with the seal and the key of the congregation.

In the afternoon, back at the Chapter Hall, the new councilors were elected: Sister M. Rita Edakkoottathil, General Vicaress, Sister M. Lima Arackal, Sister M. Hiltrud Vacker, and Sister M. Teresa Wawrowicz.

We congratulate Sister M. Margarete and her team and pray for God’s blessing for her new term of office.

The new General Council is (left to right): Sister M. Teresa Wawrowicz, OSF, General Councilor (Polish Province), Sister M. Lima Arackal, OSF, General Councilor (Indian Province), Sister M. Margarete Ulager, OSF, General Superior (German Province), Sister M. Rita Edakkoottathil, OSF, General Vicaress (Indian Province), and Sister M. Hiltrud Vacker, OSF, General Councilor (German Province).

Some impressions of the day in the following film:

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Day of Silence and Prayer

September 13, 2024: In spiritual preparation for tomorrow’s election of the new Superior General, the capitulars and guests are holding a day of silence and prayer today. In addition to all the personal prayers, the participants will be united by the Chapter Prayer, which was selected before the General Chapter:

Most high, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me true faith, certain hope and perfect charity, sense and knowledge, Lord, that I may carry out Your holy and true command. Amen.

We would like to contribute to this time of reflection with a meditative view from the chapel of the Borromaeum.

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In the Spirit of St. Francis

September 12, 2024: This morning’s Mass was celebrated in the Borromeum Chapel with prayers and music from the Indian Sisters. At 9 am, the capitulars returned to the Chapter Hall behind closed doors where they continued their discussions regarding the election.

A few Sisters, who are not participating in the Chapter, visited St. Mary’s Girls’ grammar school in Muenster where they talked about their religious life and answered questions from the students. Fortunately, one of the students spoke Vietnamese and was able to translate to her fellow German students.

We then had a wonderful lunch and took a boat across Lake AA to the nearby Zoo, on what was a beautiful day, and Father Michael joined us. Spending the afternoon in nature and with many animals was a reminder to us of our founder, St. Francis of Assisi, and his love of all God’s creatures – big and small.

The following video gives some impressions of today.

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Working behind closed doors

September 11, 2024: This morning, the Sisters from the Japan Province shared their music and prayers at Mass, like the Sisters from the US Canonical House did yesterday. 

After breakfast, the perspective work with Sister Carol Zinn continued.

At three o’clock this afternoon, the doors to the Chapter Hall were closed to the guests as the Capitulars now prepare the election of the new General Council, starting with the lists of candidates.

Behind the doors, the work of the interpreters continues who facilitate the discussions in German, English, Polish and Japanese.

The longest serving interpreter is Rolf Lehmann. He has been working for the Congregation for 48 years, beginning with the 1976 General Chapter, translating from German into English and vice versa.

For Rolf Lehmann, who turned 90 this year, this is his 9th General Chapter of the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis. Between chapters, he has also worked at many other international meetings. The Sisters are very grateful for Herrn Lehmann’s language proficiency, his insight into international aspects of the congregation, and his friendship and support through all these years.

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General Council Reports and Farewell

September 10, 2024: Today’s focus was on the General Council’s reports, which General Vicaress Sister M. Rita Edakkoottathil started yesterday, explaining the Congregation’s International Formation.

This morning, General Councilor Sister M. Lima Arackal disussed the world synod before General Treasurer Sister M. Beata Kapica and Finance Director Martin Krawinkel shared the Generalate’s financial report.

Afterward, General Superior Sister M. Margarete Ulager gave the Generalate’s report for 2018 to 2024 – a very challenging term of office due to external factors such as natural desasters, the Covid pandemic and the outbreak of wars, but also many structural changes within the Congregation.

There were also changes in the General Leadership itself. Sister Margarete gratefully remembered Sister M. Christella Watanabe from the Japanese Province, who was elected General Vicaress in 2018 and passed away in April 2023. In May 2023, General Treasurer Sister Beata Kapica was elected as General Councilor for the remaining term of office. Moreover, Sister Laetitia Matsunaga from the Japanese Province joined the team as an assistant to the General administration. “I will be forever grateful for the love and support of my Sisters in the Generalate and all the Sisters who have been on this path with me for the last six years”, the General Superior said.

We will always remain children of our nations and cultures – but no province is an island!

(Sister M. Margarete Ulager)

In view of the dramatic change in the age structure of the members, Sister Margarete emphasized in her address the great importance of far-sighted planning and actively shaping the common future. “The will of God must always be sensed anew,” she explained, ”and so for already 180 years, our Sisters have been finding new answers to how we can bring the healing presence of Christ into the world.” In conclusion, the General Superior made an emotional plea for strengthening the internationality of the congregation and for communication that builds bridges both between the worldwide locations and between the older and younger sisters.

With gratitude, the Capitulars congratulated Sister Margarete and her team for their leadership and service and gave their formal approval of the acts of the General Council.

The meeting continued with perspective work from Sister Carol Zinn who made it very clear that – to gain a better perspective for the future of the international congregation – you have to get your feet off the ground.

Some impressions of today are available in the following video.

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Prayers, music and the facts: Sharing culture and insights

September 9, 2024: At 7 o’clock this morning, Mass was celebrated in the beautiful Chapel at Borromaeum with prayers and music from the Polish Sisters. Daily, the international capitulars will take it in turns to share their culture in the same way, as a tribute to the international congregation and as a way of enhancing the spiritual life within the General Chapter.

In the Chapter Hall, General Superior Sister M. Margarete Ulager introduced some of the people contributing behind the scenes to the smooth running of the Chapter. She welcomed and thanked the host at Borromaeum, Regens Dr. Philip Peters with his team, and also the Generalate staff working from the office in the Motherhouse.

After that, the reporting which started yesterday was continued with information from the Provinces and Canonical House. It included facts and figures regarding membership, ministries, and decisions of the past six years that reflect today’s necessities and the demands of the future. All of this in the framework of political unrest and the many challenges within church and society.

Today the Capitulars heard the reports of Sister Maureen O’Connor, Superior of the U.S. Canonical House, Sister Maria Fidelis Furukawa, Provincial Superior of the Japanese Province, and Sister M. Johncy Kurisunkal, Provincial Superior of the Indian Province.

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Official Opening of the 21st General Chapter

September 8, 2024: Today, Sunday, September 8, 2024, the 21st General Chapter of the International Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of St Francis was solemnly opened.

In the morning, Mass was celebrated in St. Paul’s Cathedral in Muenster, during which representatives from all locations of the congregation carried their respective national flags. Many Sisters from the Motherhouse, numerous Chapter guests and members of the public attended this Mass.

Provost Hans-Bernd Köppen welcomed the Sisters of the international Congregation, and in his sermon made a connection between the Charism of the Congregation, “to bring the healing presence of Christ into the world”, and the daily reading from the Gospel of Mark, in which Jesus heals a deaf-mute (MK 7, 31 – 37). “This Gospel encourages us to turn to the sick,” he explained. “The Christian view of humanity explicitly includes the sick, the poor and those in need; caring for them is at the heart of Christ’s message of redemption.”

Concelebrant Prof. Dr. Dr. Michael Plattig O.Carm., Spiritual Director of the international Congregation, and Sisters from the German Province of the Hospital Sisters helped to celebrate the liturgy, which was partly held in English due to the large number of guests from all over the world. The wonderful music of a girls’ choir also contributed to the moving Mass and strengthened the Chapter community in a spirit of unity and joy.

In the afternoon, Superior General Sister M. Margarete Ulager officially opened the 21st General Chapter of the international Congregation in the Borromaeum Seminary and lit the Chapter candle with the motto “I am the way and the truth and the life”.

In her opening address, Sister Margarete welcomed all participants and guests and, on behalf of the Sisters of the General Leadership, thanked everyone who contributed to the successful preparation of the chapter.

“Over the last six years, the journey of our international Congregation has been one of ups and downs, there has been much joy, but also sadness – it has been a time of growth and of letting go,” she said, giving a first brief review of her time in office. As a mirror of the Church and society, she sees the Congregation at a crossroads in these complex times. “Our Charism has already survived for 180 years because our community has always reacted anew to the signs of the times,” said the outgoing Superior General. “Over the next two weeks, full of trust in the Holy Spirit, we will work together to search once again for God’s will for our Congregation, looking to the future with hope.”

The work of the General Chapter then began with the presentation of the report of the German Province by Provincial Superior Sister M. Diethilde Bövingloh and of the Polish Province by Provincial Superior Sister M. Maksymiliana Pilarska.

Belew, please find some impressions of today’s General Chapter opening.

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Final Preparations for the 21st General Chapter

September 7, 2024: Organizing the international General Chapter takes a lot of time and preparation, especially when it is held outside the motherhouse. Today, on the eve of the 21st General Chapter opening, the preparations received their finishing touch.

At the Borromaeum, the conference room has been set up as the Chapter Hall. The seating is organized according to countries and languages to facilitate the translation, and the discussions among the delegates from the different provinces and the Canonical House. On the tables, personalized folders hold the material that will be discussed over the next two weeks.

The Sisters from the Generalate and the chapter facilitators are seated along the side of the room with Sister M. Margarete Ulager, the outgoing General Superior.

In the back, six interpreters will be working in sound proof cabins.

In a brief meeting this afternoon, the delegates were able to familiarize themselves with the room and were given an introduction to the translation system. Moreover, the agenda was discussed and the rules of procedure approved.

May the 21st General Chapter begin!

With the following video, we would like to invite you to visit the Chapter Hall at the Borromaeum before the start of the event.

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Strong roots to build on: Visit to Telgte

September 6, 2024: This morning, the delegates and guests of the 21st General Chapter visited Telgte, the founding place of the international congregation of the Hospital Sisters.

Telgte, founded about 1,200 years ago, is one of the oldest church locations in the Muenster area. St. Liudger, the missionary, first used this place at the ford of the river Ems, an intersection of various trade routes, to erect a wooden parish church around the year 800. The town was granted city rights in 1238 and belonged to the Hanseatic League of Merchants. Today, about 20,000 people live in Telgte.

After a short walk from the bus parking, Mass was celebrated at the parish church of St. Clemens in the town center. Then the group visited Our Lady of Grace Chapel where Father Christopher Bernsmeyer, OFM, founded the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St Francis on July 2, 1844, 180 years ago.

This baroque chapel was built in 1654 by Prince-Bishop Bernhard von Galen especially for the Pietà of Our Sorrowful Mother of Telgte: A statue of Mary holding the body of Jesus after his death, one of the oldest depictions of its kind in North-Western Germany, carved from poplar wood in 1370. Nothing is known about its origin, and many legends have developed over time. Originally, the statue was colored. Traces of the colors may still be seen on the edges of the garment.

Since the 14th century, Our Sorrowful Mother of Telgte has attracted pilgrims from near and far. In the years of Father Christopher Bernsmeyer’s vicariate in Telgte, when he was also in charge of the pilgrims, he often prayed in front of the Pietà, and the first Hospital Sisters celebrated their investiture in this chapel.

After prayer in front of the Pietà, the visit continued at Klara house, the former home of Father Christopher, and to this day the home of Sister M. Theodora, who serves in the local parish and welcomes visitors and pilgrims in the spirit of Franciscan hospitality.

A visit to Father Christopher Bernsmeyer’s grave concluded today’s trip to Telgte. Father Christopher Bernsmeyer, who was born in Verl in the Diocese of Paderborn on May 15, 1777, moved to Telgte in 1811 and died there on June 2, 1858, at the age of 81. The Sisters’ cemetery came to be his final resting place on October 11, 1950.

Visiting the congregation’s roots was a moving experience, especially for the Sisters and guests who came here for the first time. Sharing the spirituality of Father Christopher that unites the congregation around the world also defined the common ground on which the General Chapter will make important decisions for the future of the Congregation.

The video below provides some impressions of the trip to Telgte.

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Second day in Bremerhaven

September 5, 2024: On the morning of the second day in Bremerhaven, the delegates and guests of the 21st General Chapter were greeted by a cloudless blue summer sky. After a hearty breakfast, they were able to check out shortly after nine o’clock and load their suitcases back onto the bus. The participants then walked a few minutes to the German Emigration Center, which was visited in two “language groups”: The German and Polish-speaking travelers set off with interpreters Eva-Maria Steiger and Agata Prochotta Milek, while the English and Japanese speakers were supported by Rolf Lehmann, Reiko Lelli-Tatsumi and Atsuko Matsumoto.

The Emigration Center is dedicated to the approximately 7.2 million people from all over Europe who left Bremerhaven for the New World from the 18th century to the 20th century, where they hoped for a better life. Many fled from hunger, unemployment, war, persecution or a lack of prospects. Visitors to the exhibition follow the traces of real life stories from Bremerhaven to the immigration station Ellis Island and into the city of New York until they arrive in the large concourse of Grand Central Station.

The historically faithfully reconstructed exhibition rooms, the light and sound effects and personal memorabilia were thought-provoking and made the reality of the emigrants’ lives intensely tangible. For example, the ship’s quay, where the travelers used to say goodbye to their homeland and set off into an uncertain future, was very impressively recreated. It also became very clear what living conditions the emigrants had to put up with during the long crossing to America – especially before the invention of steamships in the 1880s, when it still took 12 weeks to sail across the Atlantic. Thanks to all this information, the delegates and guests of the General Chapter can now understand and appreciate all the more the courage, perseverance and life’s work of the Hospital Sisters who traveled to foreign lands as missionaries.

Lunch was also served at the Emigration Museum: The participants fortified themselves with “Grandmother’s potato soup”, coffee, ice cream and cake. Before leaving at 2 p.m., there was still time for a short walk in the warm sunshine and fresh wind.

During the return journey, a vesper was celebrated on the coach in the many native languages of the participants before the group stopped for dinner at the Westphalian Landgasthof Overwaul at 6 pm. Richly endowed with many new impressions, the participants returned to the Borromaeum.

Many thanks and a great big applause for the planning team and everybody who contributed to the success of this wonderful two-day trip!!!

The following video offers some insight of the second day in Bremerhaven. The text is given below.

“For centuries, people have affected and changed the destiny of humanity, and in particular those who have emigrated to another country like many of our Sisters. With this in mind, we visited the German Emigration Center in Bremerhaven where we were touched by the stories of countless people – giving us a glimpse into these people whose hopes and dreams paved their way through their life.

After lunch, we traveled back to Muenster and stopped for dinner at a traditional Westphalian restaurant.

This excursion, while very informative, offered a wonderful opportunity for the delegates and guests to renew friendships and make new friends. During these two days we came together as an international family in the Franciscan tradition of hospitality and joy – setting the stage as we approach the opening of the 21st General Chapter.”

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First day in Bremerhaven

September 4, 2024. The delegates and guests of the 21st General Chapter today set off on a two-day trip to Bremerhaven, which was jointly planned and organized by Sister M. Caecilia Musekamp, delegate from the German Province, and a team from the Generalate, consisting of Sister M. Beata Kapica, Sister M. Rita Edakkoottathil and Finance Director Martin Krawinkel.

After the travel blessing of Spiritual Professor Father Dr. Dr. Michael Plattig O.Carm., the bus journey started from Muenster to the small village of Wremen on the North Sea dike. On the way, Brian Blasco, Head of Communications and Archivist of the U.S. Canonical House, explained the history of the US founding sisters, who made their way from Germany to America by ship from 1875 to the 1930s. Arriving at the North Sea coast, the group stopped for lunch at the ‘Wremer Fischerstube’ after a short walk on the dike.

Then the journey continued by bus to Bremerhaven, first through the port area with a view of large container ships and finally to the B&B hotel. From there, the travelers walked to the Climate House and were surprised by heavy rain on the way – quite a prelude to the exhibition, which deals with climate change.

After an introductory lecture on the concept of the house – a journey along the 8th degree of longitude – the delegates and guests spent almost three hours in the Climate House before the evening ended with a cozy meal in the Kaiserhafen restaurant.

The successful selection of the very original restaurants was due to the local knowledge of Sister M. Caecilia, who lived and worked in Bremerhaven for many years. For the wonderful, impressive day together, the tour group thanked the organization team with warm applause, and also the bus driver who accompanied everyone safely through the day despite the adverse weather conditions.

Some impressions of the first day in Bremerhaven can be found in the following film.

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Arrival and first meeting

September 3, 2024. Over the past few days, the delegates and guests to the 21st General Chapter arrived in Muenster. We thank God, St. Francis of Assisi, and Father Christopher Bernsmeyer that the travelers’ journey from India, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Poland, America, and Germany was successful.

Today, the Sisters from Vietnam and the Japan Province met to discuss opportunities for the future in a meeting with Sister Carol Zinn, SSJ, Ph.D., Executive Director of LCWR (Leadership Conference of Women Religious), both facilitators of the General Chapter, Professer Dr. Margret Nemann und Cathedral Provost Hans-Bernd Köppen and members of the Generalate.

Many others are unpacking their luggage as they become familiar with their home at the Episcopal Seminary Borromaeum and the city of Muenster.

For some impressions of today, please click on the film below.

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Places of Interest: Introducing ‘Borromaeum’ Seminary

September 2, 2024. Today, Monday, is another big arrival day for the General Chapter 2024, with delegates and guests from America, India and Poland expected to arrive. The groups from America and India will be picked up personally at the airport and taken to the Motherhouse to be welcomed by the Generalate team and the Sisters of the German Province. They will then be taken to the ‘Borromaeum”’ to move into their rooms: This episcopal seminary on Cathedral Square will serve as the conference venue and provide accommodation for all participants during the General Chapter. The group from Poland, which is arriving by car, will check-in directly at the Borromaeum later tonight. The first of the six simultaneous translators will also arrive today.

The following film provides some impressions of the beautiful seminary, Borromeum. The information is also provided in the text below.

With no chapter hall at the Motherhouse, our General Chapter 2024 will be held in a Catholic seminary in the city center, at Cathedral Square, called ‘Borromaeum’ after an Italian saint. Since 1854, the Diocese of Muenster has been using this historical building for the formation of priests and as a home for divinity students. Today, the East Wing offers accommodation for male and female students of all faculties. The building was completely refurbished before the German Bishops’ Conference was hosted here in 2018. Visitors now enjoy the stylish combination of carefully preserved post-war features and modern architecture. With its large conference hall, two beautiful chapels, its comfortable rooms and full board, the Borromaeum is the perfect location for our General Chapter 2024.

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Places of Interest: Introducing St. Paul’s Cathedral Muenster

September 1, 2024. In exactly one week, on Sunday, September 8, the 21st International General Chapter of the international Congregation of the Hospital Sisters of St Francis will open with Holy Mass at 10 a.m. in St. Paul’s Cathedral, Muenster. The service will be celebrated by Cathedral Provost Hans-Bernd Köppen, with the Congregation’s Spiritual Director, Professor Father Dr. Dr. Michael Plattig O.Carm. as concelebrant. This Holy Mass will be streamed on the website of the Diocese of Münster, www.bistum-muenster.de, as well as on the diocese’s YouTube and Facebook channels.

In the following film we give you some insights into the history of the Cathedral and the diocese of Muenster. Below, you will find the full text.

On the opening Sunday of our General Chapter, Mass will be celebrated in St. Paul’s Cathedral in Muenster. The origins of Muenster, and its Cathedral, date to the end of the 8th century. Liudger, a missionary, started building a missionary center, including a cloister, a school, and a small church. In 805, Liudger became the first Bishop of Muenster and made this church the centre of his new diocese. St. Paul’s Cathedral as we see it today has been functional since 1956. Earlier buildings were destroyed by fire and the bombings in World War II. As the Bishop’s seat, this church is at the heart of Catholic Muenster. The Cathedral is full of beautiful great art. Visitors are fascinated by the Astronomical clock ticking since 1540.

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Places of Interest: Introducing the Motherhouse Church

August 31, 2024. As part of the upcoming General Chapter, in exactly two weeks, on Saturday, September 14, the new international Superior General of the Hospital Sisters will be elected by the delegates from all over the world. This secret ballot, chaired by Dr. Felix Genn, Bishop of Münster, will take place at the central venue, the Episcopal Seminary ‘Borromaeum’ on Cathedral Square. Afterwards, all Sisters and guests will assemble in the Motherhouse Church of the Hospital Sisters, where the new Superior General will be inaugurated by Bishop Dr. Felix Genn.

In the following film, we introduce you the eventful history of the Motherhouse Church. Below, you will find the full text.

After her election, the new General Superior will be installed into her office by Bishop Dr. Felix Genn in our Motherhouse Church in Muenster. The foundation of the original Motherhouse Church was laid in 1854. Sadly, it was destroyed during World War II in the October 1944 bomb raids. After the war, a new church was built with financial assistance from our American Sisters. The church as we see it today was consecrated in 1951 and renovated in the 1970s. It can seat up to 800 people and is known for its great acoustics. The mosaic in the sanctuary was chosen as the General Chapter 2024 logo. It was created by Paul von der Forst and depicts the Holy Spirit above Mary the Queen and Christ the King.

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Countdown to the General Chapter: First Guests at the Motherhouse

August 30, 2024. While preparations for the 21st General Chapter are in full swing in the Generalate and the Borromaeum, the first delegates and guests from Japan will be arriving in Münster this evening. The group will be picked up at Münster-Osnabrück Airport by General Superior Sister M. Margarete Ulager, General Vicaress Sister M. Rita Edakkoottathil, Sister M. Laetitia Matsunaga from the Japanese Province and board member Prof. Dr. Michael Möllmann. They will then be taken the motherhouse of the Hospital Sisters.

In order to allow all Sisters and interested parties from all over the world who cannot be in Münster in person to experience the General Chapter as closely as possible, we will be presenting some important places in short film clips over the next few days – starting with the Motherhouse, whose foundation stone was laid by the Hospital Sisters in the middle of the 19th century.

In 1853, the hospital sisters moved from Telgte to Münster. The motherhouse they built included a convent, a church and the beginnings of St. Francis Hospital – a building well suited to their busy lives of work and prayer. Since then, the size, use and shape of the Motherhouse has constantly been adapted to the changing needs of the time. In one of the remodelling phases, the former chapter hall was transferred to St. Francis Hospital. The latest extension includes a modern chapel and living quarters. In the 1960s, around 200 sisters lived in the motherhouse; up to 500 were hosted during retreats. Today, it is home to 60 Hospital Sisters and 24 Brothers and Sisters of other congregations. It is also the seat of the German Provincial leadership and of the international General Administration, who frequently welcome visitors from around the world.

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Sisters from all over the world will gather from September 8 – 22, 2024

August 28, 2024. The 21st International General Chapter of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St Francis will take place in Muenster from September 8-22, 2024. Founded in Telgte in 1844, the Congregation with locations in Germany, Poland, America, Japan and India, will meet at the Episcopal Seminary Borromaeum on Cathedral Square in Muenster, Germany, to elect a new international General Leadership and discuss a wide range of topics relating to the faith, life and work of all Sisters worldwide. The election of the new Superior General for a term of office of six years will take place on September 14, 2024 under the chairmanship of Bishop Dr. Felix Genn, as will her subsequent inauguration in the German Motherhouse church. The international General Councilors of the congregation will also be newly elected. Recently, the 524 Sisters of the congregation around the world have appointed 33 delegates who will travel to the General Chapter in Münster.

The solemn opening of the General Chapter will take place on Sunday, September 8, 2024, at 10 a.m. during a Eucharistic celebration with Cathedral Provost Hans-Bernd Köppen in St. Paul’s Cathedral in Münster, with the Spiritual Director of the congregation, Professor Father Dr. Dr. Michael Plattig, as concelebrant. This Holy Mass will be streamed on the website of the Diocese of Münster, www.bistum-muenster.de, as well as on the diocese’s YouTube and Facebook channels. The proceedings of the General Chapter will be continuously reported on the website of the Generalate, www.generalat-hsosf.de, from the beginning of September.

The General Chapter is the highest decision-making assembly of the congregation and is divided into a Chapter of Election for the appointment of a new leadership and a Chapter of Affairs covering a wide range of topics, from the spirituality of the international community to the various ministries of the sisters and the facts of life at the worldwide locations. “The perspective work will have a high priority at this General Chapter,” explains the outgoing Superior General, Sister M. Margarete Ulager, who will officially leave office together with her councilors on September 10. “In the context of the tense situation in Church, society and current politics worldwide, we are faced with the great task of planning and shaping the future of our international Congregation – trusting in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” The motto of the General Chapter is: “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

In order to help shape this perspective work and promote global networking, for the first time in the history of the Congregation, Juniorate Sisters from Poland, Japan and India have been invited to the upcoming 21st General Chapter alongside the elective Sisters. Also for the first time, civilian employees from the international locations will be present as guests. This internationality is also reflected in the diversity of languages: English is the common conference language, but all official documents will be created in German, Polish, English and Japanese, and the entire event will be accompanied by six simultaneous translators.

As her term of office draws to a close, Sister M. Margarete expresses her heartfelt thanks to the sisters of her General Council, all her fellow sisters worldwide and the civilian staff and partners at the international locations of the congregation for their good cooperation and support. “It was a term of office with some special aspects,” says the Superior General. A member of the German Province of the Congregation, she was elected in the USA in 2018 – at the first General Chapter of the international Congregation which did not take place in Muenster, but at the motherhouse of the American Sisters in Springfield, Illinois. The Covid pandemic also brought considerable restrictions for her international leadership tasks, which include visitation, i.e. a personal meeting with every single sister worldwide. As traveling was not possible from January 2020 to mid-2022, visits to the sisters in convents in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Kazakhstan, the USA, Japan, Vietnam and India were crammed into the past two years. At the same time, the convents around the world were equipped with the latest technology to enable many meetings to be held via video conference. Over the past six years, in the international team of the General Administration, Sister M. Margarete has worked together with another German sister, two sisters from the Indian Province and one sister each from Poland and Japan. The longest-serving Sister in this team, General Secretary Sister Christa Maria Frie, who joined the Congregation in 1964 and recently celebrated her 80th birthday, has been working in various positions in the Generalate for 32 years and is attending her sixth General Chapter. As the youngest delegate to the General Chapter, Vietnamese Sister Nichola Truong, a member of the Japanese Province, will be traveling to Germany with some sisters from the USA, where she is currently learning English. This group covers a distance of about 7000 km as the crow flies to travel from Illinois to Muenster, just like the Sisters from the Motherhouse of the Indian Province in Pithora. The distance from the Motherhouse of the Japanese Province in Himeji is 9,000 km as the crow flies; the sisters from the Polish motherhouse in Ołdrzychowice-Kłodzkie have a comparatively short journey of around 750 kilometers, while their fellow Sisters from the German Province live just three kilometers away from the location of the General Chapter.

At the 21st International General Chapter of the Mauritz Franciscan Sisters in Münster, Sister M. Margarete Ulager (front row, 3rd from left, pictured with the international team of the General Leadership) will retire from the office of Superior General on September 10, 2024.
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New Generalate website now online

August 22, 2024. The entire team of the International General Administration of the Hospital Sisters is delighted that the new website of the Generalate has gone online today. “Going online is the successful conclusion of a long and intensive internal process,” explain Superior General Sister M. Margarete Ulager and the Sisters of the multicultural General Council. “Our website should express what we are all about in the best possible way – through its structure, content and design. A relaunch is the perfect occation to discuss some fundamental questions again, and reassure where we stand.”

Central to the discussion: How can the valuable global heritage, the history and the vibrant present and future of the international Congregation be communicated in today’s social context? Which internal and external target groups do we want to address with our website? What are our messages? And how can these messages be conveyed not only linguistically, but also through the website’s structure and visual design? Another important aspect was the role of the Generalate website as a central point of contact for all international locations, providing information and facilitating networking – a role of particular importance with regard to the upcoming General Chapter.

In response to all these questions and requirements, not only was the navigation of the website redesigned, but the logo of the Generalate was also carefully updated and a fresh, lively green was chosen as the new basic color. In addition, the photos have been given an individual curve, with the form developed from the shape of the Tau. These new design elements will now be gradually implemented in the Generalate’s overall communication and will already be visible in the General Chapter.

Users of the previous website will also find the familiar content on the new site, but in a different structure. “The technical requirements have changed radically in recent years, as have people’s information behavior and viewing habits, as well as the topics that are discussed in society,” explains Claudia Berghorn, Director of Communications at the Generalate. “That’s why our new website offers quick orientation for those who are looking for brief answers, and more comprehensive information for those who want to delve deeper into the content.”

Regarding the content, it was particularly important to Ms Berghorn to pay tribute to the great achievements of the Sisters and to highlight the international importance of the congregation. “When I started working in the Generalate two years ago, I had no idea how many strong women live in the congregation, what these women have built up and what they are still achieving today, wherever they are in the world,” she explains. “I have since been lucky enough to get to know many of these women better, including Sisters from the international locations, and I am impressed by the courage, great commitment and strong trust in God that I encounter in the sisters’ personal and professional decisions, and in their life’s work.” Another central concern was to make the structure and the tasks of the international congregation and the Generalate understandable to external target groups who have had no previous contact with the religious world. The language is therefore kept simple, and ecclesiastical terms are explained.

The content and graphic design of the website were developed in several coordination phases with the entire team of the General Administration. To implement the website, the Generalate worked with a network of specialists under the direction of Claudia Berghorn.

The website implementation team with employees from the Generalate and external specialists

The design was developed by Christian Lueck (www.die-sehleute.de). The qualified graphic designer studied in Münster, Paderborn and Nuremberg and lived in southern Germany for a long time; his collaboration with the Nuremberg inner-city churches, whose magazine “Mittendrin” he developed and still designs today, dates back to this time. Mr. Lueck currently lives in Siegen and works as a freelancer for Deutsche Welle in Bonn. The photographs were taken by Michael Kestin (www.michael-kestin.com) from Muenster, who is already known to many of the Sisters and some visitors through various projects, including the “Zeitzeuginnen”-Films and the media coverage of numerous events, from jubilee celebrations to the visit of HSHS pilgrims from America. The expert programming was carried out by Marko Kuzman(www.pixelplantage.com) in Erlangen, who is known to Mr. Lueck and Ms. Berghorn from previous joint projects. The development process was closely monitored and supported by the Generalate team’s IT specialist. It is remarkable that the cooperation of all those involved worked wonderfully well without the implementation team ever meeting in person – the only time everyone was present at the same time was at a Zoom meeting.

Team work in the Generalate: Graphic designer Christian Lueck with Claudia Berghorn in the refectory of the Motherhouse

Claudia Berghorn is also very grateful for the support of Brian Blasco, Director of Communications and Archivist at the U.S. Canonical House, with the translation into English, and all the Sisters at the Motherhouse in Münster who provided answers to historical questions and were able to contribute photos, especially Sister M. Dietmara and Sister M. Manuela.

“Many people are involved in the development of a website over a long period of time,” summarizes Sister M. Margarete. “We would like to thank all of them, internal and external contributors, near and far!” The Generalate team is delighted with the new website and is looking forward to the feedback from the Sisters from all over the world. In principle, however, a website is never really ‘finished’, but remains dynamic, as there are always updates and additions. After the General Chapter, Claudia Berghorn and the communications team in the Generalate will devote themselves to the major task of transferring to the new site all the moving vocation stories of the international Sisters which were collected on the old website.

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“Living heritage full of the future”: Hospital Sisters of St Francis and St Francis Foundation celebrate anniversaries in Telgte

On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the Hospital Sisters of St Francis celebrated two anniversaries in Telgte: the 180th anniversary of the international Congregation and the establishment of St Francis Foundation, twenty years ago, as the operator of their facilities.

At the invitation of Sister M. Diethilde, German Provincial Superior, and Nils Brüggemann PhD, Chairman of the Board of St Francis Foundation, around 260 guests gathered at St Rochus Hospital in Telgte, including more than one hundred Hospital Sisters from all over Germany, the international Sisters of the Generalate based in Münster, the directors of the first clinics founded by the Sisters and transferred into St Francis Foundation in 2004, as well as representatives from the diocese of Münster, from the city of Telgte, from other religious orders, and from the hospital’s neighborhood.

The ceremony in the hall of St. Rochus Hospital was characterized by gratitude for 180 years of service of the Congration, but also by a certain melancholy with regard to the age-related closure of the founding convent in Telgte. It was clear from all the speeches that the bond between the Franciscan Sisters and Telgte remains strong and that the work of the sisters will continue to be felt in the future. This was also confirmed by the Managing Director of St. Rochus Hospital and host of the anniversary celebration, Daniel Freese, who emphasized the economic courage and wisdom of the nuns. “St. Rochus Hospital was founded by the Franciscan Sisters in 1848 – so without the sisters, we wouldn’t even be here,” he explained. “Today, our hospital has 1400 employees who carry the sisters’ living legacy into the future.”

Jubilee celebrations in Telgte, from left to right: Daniel Freese, Managing Director of St. Rochus Hospital Telgte, Dr. Nils Brüggemann, Chairman of the Board of St. Francis Foundation Münster, Sister M. Diethilde Bövingloh, German Provincial Superior, Auxiliary Bishop emeritus Dieter Geerlings, Wolfgang Pieper, Mayor of the town of Telgte, Dr. Ludger Hellenthal, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. Francis Foundation

“History full of New Beginnings”: Moving Thanksgiving Service in the Hospital Chapel

For the Hospital Sisters, the day of the jubilee began with a prayer of thanksgiving at the grave of Father Christoph Bernsmeyer, who founded the “Hospital Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis” in Telgte on July 2, 1844. Sisters from around twenty convents of the German Province as well as from the Provinces in Poland, Japan and India were present. The Sisters then bid farewell to the convent building at St. Rochus Hospital in Telgte and closed the Congregation’s first convent before celebrating a solemn thanksgiving service with the entire Congregation in the hospital chapel at 10.30 am.

The Eucharist was celebrated by the Spiritual Director of the Hospital Sisters, Father Michael Plattig O.Carm. In his sermon, Father Michael gave a brief overview of the 180-year history of the Congregation, which has always been characterized by new beginnings: As early as 1848, four sisters from Telgte went to what was then Silesia to help people in need, thus laying the foundation for today’s Polish Province. Further missions took them to the Netherlands, the USA, China, Japan, India, Korea, Haiti, Tanzania, the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan and Vietnam. “These missions were ‘necessary’ in the truest sense of the word, because they addressed the needs of the people in the respective time and place,” explained Father Michael. “From the very beginning, the Sisters went where they were needed – always with plenty of trust in God, but often without any security and without knowing how long their mission would last.” With this attitude, as Father Michael elaborated, the Congregation stands in a great tradition of faith, with biblical role models from Abraham to Jesus: “The attitude of setting out instead of settling down and standing still.” Father Michael gave thanks for the worldwide service of the international Congregation and emphasized that in this sense, the farewell from Telgte was also just another courageous departure: “The departure into a future that we do not know, but which God has already prepared!” During the festive service, the history, present and future of the order were also symbolized by the use of a chalice that had belonged to the Congregation’s founder, Father Christoph Bernsmeyer. Since the order was founded, around ten thousand Hospital Sisters have dedicated their lives to the service of God and the people.

“On our way together”: Solidarity and gratitude

After the service, Sister Diethilde and Dr. Brüggemann greeted the Jubilee guests in the festively decorated hall of St. Rochus Hospital. “Even more than the 180-year history of the order, the reason for today’s celebration is the official closure of the founding convent ‘Maria Hilf – St. Rochus’”, emphasized Sister Diethilde: “Thus, we have invited all of you, who have gone part of the way with us, to be together once again today and share our memories.” The Provincial Superior also recalled July 2, 2004, when the congregation gave its facilities in the hands of St. Francis Foundation, thus entrusting it with the Sisters’ legacy. On behalf of all the Sisters, Sister Diethilde thanked the foundation board and all the foundation’s employees for having honored this trust since then. The Provincial Superior also thanked the management and all employees of St. Rochus Hospital for the successful anniversary celebration.

Mayor Wolfgang Pieper conveyed the greetings of the town of Telgte. In his address, he thanked the Sisters for their service and emphasized: “What you have achieved here will be preserved!” As a sign of the historical and future connection between the town of Telgte and the Hospital Sisters, he presented Sister Diethilde with a piece of the Telgte Marienlinde tree, which has been turned into a piece of art by Simone Thieringer.

Auxiliary Bishop emeritus Dieter Geerlings also thanked the Congregation for their service. He used the psychological technique of “reframing” to place the Sisters’ from the founding convent in Telgte in the wider context of being “contemporary witnesses”, and focused on the Sistsers’ impressive achievements over the past 180 years. “The more complex the times, the more leadership qualities are needed to deal with diversity and find solutions for the issues at hand,” he explained. “You demonstrated these leadership qualities twenty years ago with the establishment of St Francis Foundation, for example, and you are demonstrating them again now.” As one of the grateful neighbors of St Rochus Hospital, Johannes Peperhove spoke up and intonated the traditional German song “So ein Tag, so wunderschön wie heute” (“What a great day – as beautiful as this”).

The Hospital Sisters’ multi-faceted commitment, and their life’s work, was honored during the ceremony by two video contributions. Sister M. Martinild Krümpelmann, who worked at St. Rochus Hospital for thirty years, and Dutch Sister M. Jacintha Altenburg, who was instrumental in setting up the laboratory at St. Bernhard Hospital in Kamp-Lintfort in the 1960s and Esterwegen Memorial from 2007, were introduced. Musical accompaniment on the piano was provided by the Congregation’s organist, Markus Schröder.

The gifts presented at the end of the ceremony bear witness to the enduring mutual bond between the Hospital Sisters and the town of Telgte with all the facilities within St. Francis Foundation, which were founded by the Sisters. Sister Diethilde received a sandstone column from the management of St. Rochus Hospital, which was carved from the remains of the first convent buildings by sculptor Stefan Lutterbeck. In return, on behalf of all the Sisters, the Provincial Superior donated a tree to Rochus Hospital for the garden of the specialist clinic. Dr. Brüggemann, Chairman of the Board of Directors of St Francis Foundation, and Dr. Ludger Hellenthal, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, presented six bronze plaques by Ennigerloh-born sculptor Hilde Schürk-Frisch as well as team photos from the founding institutions of St Francis Foundation. In addition to St. Rochus-Hospital, these included St. Franziskus-Hospital in Münster, St. Bernhard-Hospital in Kamp-Lintfort, St. Elisabeth-Hospital in Meerbusch-Lank, St. Barbara-Klinik in Hamm-Heesen and Fachklinik Maria Frieden in Telgte. There are now 26 institutions under the umbrella of St Francis Foundation.

Three of the Sisters who worked in Telgte for a long time, from the left: Sister M. Manuela, Sister M. Christfriede,Sister M. Cäcilia

Sisters remember development work and times of change at St. Rochus Hospital

Many of the Sisters who took part in the Jubilee celebrations in Telgte have a particularly close personal connection to St. Rochus Hospital because they worked there themselves and played an active role in the building and expansion of the specialist clinic. “When I started at Rochus Hospital in 1976, I was the first trained occupational therapist and built up this department step by step,” recalls Sister M. Manuela, for example, who worked in Telgte for 20 years. “In the meantime, it has become a specialist department with 23 employees.” Prior to this employment, Sister Manuela, who already held diplomas in child care and nursing and had worked in these fields for years, completed three years of training as an occupational therapist in Hanover and Münster. “Excellent professional qualifications have always been very important in our Congregation,” she reports. This is also confirmed by Sister M. Caecilia, who worked as Head of the Nursing Department and as Hospital Matron at St. Rochus Hospital from 1992 to 2004: She prepared herself for the responsibilities of this position by a specialist 18 months training course in Regensburg in the south of Germany.

Both report on eventful and moving working years at a time when the treatment of mentally ill people changed fundamentally. In the context of occupational therapy, occupational and creative programs opened up completely new opportunities to strengthen patients’ practical life skills, while the introduction of psychotropic drugs revolutionized medical therapy. Equally revolutionary at the time was the introduction of mixed wards at St. Rochus Hospital, where originally only women were treated. “The first male patient was welcomed with a bouquet of flowers,” the Sisters remember with a laugh.

Increasingly, civilian staff were hired, whereas previously only Franciscan Sisters had been employed to manage the wards and care for the patients. At the same time, St. Rochus Hospital underwent rapid structural development, which Sister Caecilia steered and supported as a member of the Board of Directors. This included the establishment of day clinics in the towns of Warendorf and Ahlen, the construction of new housing for the residents, and the establishment of residential groups on the hospital grounds and in town centre. But what she enjoyed much more than the many meetings with the construction team was the wonderful task of always having an open ear for all staff concerns.

Sister M. Christfriede, who worked in the Hospital Sisters’ retirement homes from 2008 to 2022 and lived in Telgte until the founding convent closed, was committed to the needs of the elderly Sisters. “When I made my first profession together with 30 sisters in 1963, there were almost 100 houses in our Province and around 3,000 Hospital Sisters around the world” she recalls. The Sisters all agree that there has always been a special spirit at St. Rochus Hospital, based on the Franciscan image of mankind. Not only has this always been evident in direct contact with patients, of course, but it has also always characterized the language used, which has always been full of respect. “St. Rochus Hospital has always been a specialist clinic and never a “mental institution”,” the Sisters explain. “All wards have been given names, not numbers, and we worked on “protected wards”, not closed ones.” The fact that even today, the hospital staff is guided by this Franciscan spirit, and carries it into the future, gives the Sisters comforts fills them with gratitude.

“What you have achieved here will be preserved!”

Wolfgang Pieper
Mayor Wolfgang Pieper presents the town of Telgte’s jubilee gift to German Provincial Superior Sister M. Diethilde Bövingloh (Photo: Stephan Kube, Greven)
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NEW TEAM MEMBER IN THE GENERAL ADMINISTRATION: Sandra Mergenthaler

June 15, 2024. At the beginning of June, the Sisters and employees of the General Administration welcomed Sandra Mergenthaler into the finance and controlling team. “l am very happy to be here, and I look forward very much to working with the Sisters and my new colleagues in this interesting international set-up”, Ms. Mergenthaler said. Her main task will be financial accounting.

Ms. Mergenthaler’s professional background is in banking and asset management. She finished her training as a bank clerk in 1999 and completed additional training courses as a savings bank specialist. Ms. Mergenthaler lives in Albersloh with her husband, two sons aged 17 and 10, and a daughter aged 14.

Sandra Mergenthaler, new colleague in the Generalate
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International Visitors: Sister M. Jincy and Sister M. Jeena visit Münster

At the invitation of Superior General Sister M. Margarete Ulager, Sister M. Jincy and Sister M. Jeena from the Indian Province, who are studying in Rome, spent their Easter vacation in Germany. From March 25th to April 4th, they stayed at the Motherhouse in Münster, hosted by the same Sisters as when they first came to stay last year.

Easter Holidays at the German Motherhouse: Sr. Jincy (left) and Sr. Jeena

We are very grateful to Sister Margarete and all the Sisters in the Motherhouse, and very happy to be welcomed back to St. Antonius Group. Everybody made us feel very much at home.

Sister M. Jincy and Sister M. Jeena

Together with the Sisters from the General Leadership and the German Province, our guests experienced Holy Week and the solemn Easter services. They also had the opportunity to get to know the city of Münster and the surrounding area a little better. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t very good: It rained a lot.

Sister Jeena and Sister Jincy with the Sisters of St. Antonius Group
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Back to the Roots: Pilgrimage to Assisi

From April 5th – 10th, the General Administration’s Director of Communications, Claudia Berghorn, took part in her first pilgrimage to Assisi, travelling with a group of senior executives working for various institutions of St. Francis Foundation. In Assisi, the pilgrims were guided by a highly competent team: Brother Prof. Dr. Niklaus Kuster OFMcap, renowned Franciscan scholar and university lecturer from Switzerland, and the well-known German specialist on St Clare, Dr. Martina Kreidler-Kos. Both of them have published numerous books on St Francis and St Clare of Assisi, including a comprehensive double biography, and know the city extremely well.

During our visit to Assisi, we benefited greatly from this specialist Knowledge. We were able to gain deep insights into the lives and the spirituality of St Francis and St Clare, enjoying all the historical sites in the most beautiful spring weather.

Claudia Berghorn

During her six-day journey, Ms Berghorn also fulfilled work assignments in Assisi, teaming up with Dr. Ulrike Tessarek of St. Francis foundation, and Münster-based photographer and videographer Michael Kestin, to interview Brother Niklaus and Dr. Kreidler-Kos on various aspects of Franciscan spirituality.

Film team, from the left: Claudia Berghorn (Generalate), Dr. Martina Kreidler-Kos, Brother Prof. Dr. Niklaus Kuster OFMcap, Dr. Ulrike Teßarek (St. Francis Foundation)

Another valuable outcome of the journey consists in a multitude of high-quality photos of Assisi’s stunning landscapes, holy places and artwork that our Congregation can now use in printed or digital publications.

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