In this issue... - Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ

Special Feature
Memories will last a lifetime…
Sisters pictured visiting
Dusseldorf, Germany.
and the blessing of these six weeks.
From August 13 to
September 29, 2010
eight American
Sisters joined eight
Indian Sisters, five
German Sisters and
three leaders for the
International Spiritual
and Cultural Exchange
Program (ISCEP)
which is sponsored by
the Poor Handmaids
of Jesus Christ
Congregation. This
factual statement does
not even come close to
describing the richness
On August 13, Sisters Rosemary Jung, Michelle
Dermody, Katie Bobber, Loretta Schleper, Christine
Styka, Barbara Kuper, and Pauline Bridegroom, along
with Sister Jolise May who was returning to Germany,
gathered at O’Hare Airport to embark on this exciting
journey. From Chicago they flew to Frankfurt, Germany.
Sister Mary Joan Trippel left from Mexico City on
August 12 and arrived in Frankfurt the day before.
Sisters enjoying each other’s
company during their travels.
In the Frankfurt
airport they met
the eight Indian
Sisters who
would be their
companions
for the next six
weeks. When
they arrived by
bus in Dernbach,
the group was
joined by the five
German Sisters. The ISCEP group was completed by
its three leaders, Sisters Christiane, Gonzalo, and Flora
from the General Leadership Team.
The program began with an orientation meeting
the day after their arrival. By that time they had
participated in Solemn Vespers, Lauds,
and two Masses, all in German. Over
the course of their four weeks in Germany, they heard
much, and learned a little, of the German language.
With the help of body language, translators,
dictionaries, and determination, they managed to
communicate with one another. Since the Indian
Sisters speak English, that communication was easier;
however, all had to learn to speak more slowly to
become accustomed to each other’s “accents.”
There were study days focusing on internationality,
scripture, congregational history, and Catherine
Kasper’s spirituality. Members went on numerous
excursions which included traveling to Wirges (some
Sisters walked) to visit Catherine Kasper’s parish
church and her shrine. When they took the train to
Limburg they were accompanied, on the first part of
their trip, by many young people who were on their
way to a school in Montabaur. In Limburg they saw
the bishop’s house where Catherine Kasper visited
repeatedly as she tried to obtain the bishop’s approval
for beginning the congregation.
Their travels
included Cologne,
Aulhausen and
Dusseldorf. A
highlight for many
was the visit to
Josefsmonument
in Dusseldorf.
Catherine Kasper is
prominent on this
sculpture which
depicts some of the
history of the city.
Josefsmonument in
Dusseldorf, Germany.
The artist was on hand to explain the history and the
meaning of the sculpture. This sculpture pointed out
for the Sisters the significance of Poor Handmaids in
Dusseldorf, and in other cities as well.
In Galeen in the Netherlands the Sisters visited
the memorial to Sister Aloysia Lowenfels, a Poor
Handmaid who was killed in a Nazi concentration
camp. The memorial stands on the approximate spot
10 | Word Gathering