Looking to the Past with Gratitude, Embracing the Future with Hope
Golden Jubilee of the Procura Generale in Rome – November 21st, 2015
When we think of the initial stage of building the house there were so many aspects to be considered – laying the foundation stone, the cadastral registrations, but in concerning the mission itself, we first of all thought of the of those who would arrive and of those who would host them. It was like this that we lived during the whole year – remembering the German Sisters who arrived in 1964 in Rome to create the new community, which from its beginning was dedicated to welcome pilgrims that would come to the Eternal City.
We decided to celebrate the feast of the jubilee on November 21st, the liturgical memory of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple, because Mary for sure is the one who knows how to manage a house. This feast would not seem right if we did not celebrate it with those who have built the history of this house: the architects, employees, our collaborators, friends, and assuredly the Sisters who have lived and worked here.
Our festive evening began with a Holy Mass at our Parish Church, Santa Maria dell Gracia. Fr. Mario Castiglione, the Pastor welcomed us most willingly. There were many of our Pallottine priests, and other friends of the Community: Msgr. Waldemar Turek, Msgr. Slawomir Nasiorowski of the Vatican, Fr. Jaroslaw Rochowiak, a Salesian priest, Fr. Sylvester Pajak, a Verbitist priest, and the main Celebrant, Fr. Tadeusz Wojda, SAC, and Under Secretary of the Vatican Congregation for New Evangelization of the Peoples. To help us animate the liturgy, Deacon Ulrich Weinand, who is an organist and friend came from Germany. At the beginning of the celebration, Superior General Sr. Izabela Świerad welcomed all those present in the Church, underlining the presence of our Sr. Christine Bohr, who had come from England and who was on this very day ninety-five years old. She remembers the time, when our Congregation was searching for a house in Rome. The idea had been simple – to facilitate the communication between the provinces, which after the 2nd world war were in the political situation of a cold war. Rome seemed to be a neutral place for all. Obviously it was also significant that St. Vincent Pallotti had founded our Congregation in Rome and his tomb there. The Procura Generale was established first, and later the Generalate house was constructed.
Other Guests were: Provincial Superiors Sr. Helga Weidemann from Germany, and Sr. Miroslawa Wlodarczyk from Poland. Unfortunately the Provincial Superior from India could not come. The Sisters of these three provinces have built the history of the Procura General and today are continuing to manage it. Out of all the Sisters who in the past had worked in the Procura, only one was able to participate in the celebration and that was Sr. Victima Bischoff from Poland. We are convinced that all the others were united with us through their prayers and gratitude.
Fr. Castiglione in his homily cited the apocryphal Gospel of St. James and explained the meaning of the Feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple by highlighting three elements of faith, love and service that characterize our witness today in the service to our guests in the Procura.
At the end of the celebration Sr. Magdalena Pinto, Superior of the Procura Community addressed words of thanks to all the guests. She recalled all those, who in a fruitful way have contributed to the development of the activities for our good and that of others. We wish that this will continue also for many years in future.
On the way from the Church to the Procura, the rain that had accompanied us earlier had wonderfully stopped. In order to welcome nearly 100 guests, we had prepared the Guest Dining Hall, ordered a catering business that brought and served the meals, which were exceptionally good and abundant. The final course was a beautifully decorated cake with the logo of the Procura House on the top. Thanks to this assistance, the Sisters could stay with the guests, creating an ambience where everyone felt welcome. Besides the priests, there were also two CSAC Pallottine Sisters: Carmel Sr. Therese Favazzo, Vicar General and Sr. Bartolomea Capretti. The current and former employees also came with their family members.
Before the end of the evening, a slide show with a short history of the Procura Generale was presented. The guests also enjoyed viewing an historical display of photos. There was an abundance of thanks, congratulations, and presentation of gifts. In exchange, favors prepared by the Procurer Sisters for the Lay Collaborators were given. We received many letters of congratulations and good wishes. The atmosphere of cordiality and friendship strengthened our collaboration. The Jubilee was a glance into the past and a look toward the future with hope.
Sr. Urszula Kukuć, SAC
