Babelfish Translation 
SOLIDARITY NEWSLETTER #1/2006
FOR
RNDMs, Associates, Friends and Sponsors
The leading role is that of the Holy Spirit, who … gives every mission beginning and success.
- March 2006 German Bishops’ Conference 2005
|
RNDM Mission Solidarity
News is published four times each year – March, June, September and
December. RNDM Mission Solidarity is the RNDM office that promotes mission solidarity in communications and in funding For the missionary works of the 900 Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions in 20 countries world wide. ALL are invited to contribute to our RNDM mission solidarity funds. |
RNDM Mission projects for 2006
The schedule of RNDM Mission Projects for 2006, approved by our Congregational Leadership Team in December of 2005, lists the following projects:
1. school education of children from the Sreemongal, Bangladesh, tea gardens; - [see photo]; 2. secondary education for some tribal girls of the Rangamati hills, Bangladesh; 3. school books and materials for Bagerhat children, Bangladesh; 4. school costs for an orphan boy for one year, and long term sponsor for him, Bangladesh; 5. a deep well and pump for the Sisters’ orphanage in Chittagong, Bangladesh, to provide basic hygiene for the children; 6. to help train young people for Church youth leadership in their rural areas around Machakos, Kenya; 7. the Manobo girls’ dormitory project in Kulaman, Philippines; 8. the catechist training project in Gumaca, Philippines; 9. the early learning centre project in Gumaca, Philippines; 10. support for 3 poor Muslim and Lumad families in Cotabato, Philippines; 11. to assist in the cost of personal and centre hygiene needs for street children in Quezon City, Philippines; 12. metal shelving for the mission library in Ndondol, Senegal; 13. malaria medicines for the sick of Mboro, Senegal; 14. supporting young rural women with the cost of their secondary education, Thu Duc, Vietnam.
These RNDM mission projects offer everyone - individuals and groups - the opportunity to hand in Lenten sacrifice money to support the poor, with confidence that the money will all be well used and accounted for. You can find out more about these missions and these projects from any RNDM Sister.
Report from Canada <by Sister Germaine Zentner >
Pennies From Heaven
It all started with the need to take our copper coloured dog – named Penny – out for her daily exercise. On our walk we often found other pennies – small coins that had been dropped onto the street. Any money we found was put aside for the missions. Thirty pennies a month is not much, but amazingly it grew. This was good but collecting a significant amount was going to take forever! Something else was needed. Stumbling over a discarded beverage container one day, the lights came on. Despite the refund the government offers for containers returned to recycling depots, cans and bottles abound. Might this be worthwhile? The walk soon required two plastic bags – one for the dog – and one for the bottles. Photo: Germaine with her cat!! Each container was recycled for ten pennies. Ten pennies a day became three dollars a month. (And I thought the penny collection was amazing.)
My persistence in picking up the pennies from heaven was occasionally rewarded many fold. One day we found a candy box containing $250.00 in bills. We advertised in the local paper for a week that the money had been found but no one was able to adequately describe the container in which it had been found. Who was I to argue with a clear sign from God that this money was meant for the missions? When the Sisters heard of our adventures, they started to share in the ‘mission for the missions’. Beverage containers of all sorts were collected and returned to a recycling depot for the refund. The mission fund grew much more quickly and as the news spread of what we were doing, so did the participation. Several other friends have begun contributing their beverage containers and one of our residents, Susan, contributes the pennies she finds at her place of work, faithfully adding them to the fund.
Mission capital was accumulating, albeit slowly, so the decision was made to try ‘investing’ it. A visit to a local casino provided immediate rewards. About five times a year, ten dollars go into the slot machines and the profits are added to the mission fund. Most often I return with seven to thirteen dollars. Three or four times I brought back more than fifty dollars and on one occasion I brought back $257.68. I’m not sure how Mother Euphrasie raised money for the mission work of her time but I hope she would approve of one of her own trailing home with bags of liquor bottles and visiting the local casino – all for the greater glory of God!
Penny and I have begun a project that has already brought in over $6385.00 for the missions. We thank the Sisters for their continued support.
Editor’s comment: Yet another way to boost the Solidarity Fund. Keep up the good work, Germaine and friends.
Report from India South <photos from Sister Stephanie>
In and around Bangalore the Sisters give first importance to formal and non-formal education, which is still a dire need in many parts of India. Workshops are held
on a regular basis in order to bring awareness and knowledge to illiterate women and to those who have no access to the education system of the state. The Sisters also accompany women who are considered to be in the lower castes in some communities, so that through coming to know their own dignity they learn to work together for justice and equality for women and for their community.
Above: Sr Stanislaus helping yet another young woman to become a self-employed tailor in Amalapuram.
Right above: Sr Ines with one of her mother and child
non-formal
education groups in Bangalore
Right below: The novices take time in their formation programme to start their mission work with local street children.
Report from East Timor < Sr Gael Henry>
Photos from CER
We last gave you some news of Sr Gael in 2004 in this newsletter. Now we hear that she has a very busy year ahead of her in 2006, working with some 200 women in the five villages supported by
the Comunidad Edmund Rice programme. Gael has a volunteer from a Rotary Club in Australia to help her this year, so this means that they will be able to spend two days each week in 3 of the villages. The Rotary Club is also funding some of the CER activities this year.
Left: Sr Gael with one of her women’s groups.
Right: Sr Gael concentrates on her work for Joanne and Teresa.
For further information contact:
COORDINATOR RNDM MISSION SOLIDARITY, Sister Mary Rose Holderness RNDM, Via di Bravetta 628, 00164 Rome
Email: fundraiser@rndmgen.org