#himmelsleuchten campaign started on 20 June in Düsseldorf. Today is half time. A good reason to thank everyone who has brought the gopsel with great joy and commitment to the people of Düsseldorf over the past 114 days. Thank you for many a good conversation and good hours which we could spend with you!
Maria
SVD-Partner cordially invite you to the Prayer Bridge on World Day of the Poor on Sunday, 17 November. Whether in the parish, in the family or in the monastery – everyone is invited to pray for and with the poor and to become part of the international Prayer Bridge.
Those who pray can be seen on the world map on our website (www.svd-partner.eu). There you can also find prayers, texts and the registration form.
We would be very happy if you will pray with us!
Maria
When you come to Germany, Austria and/or the German speaking parts of Switzerland and Belgium don‘t translate Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) into German. „Missionare des Göttlichen Wortes“ will no one understand. Here SVD is known as „Steyler Missionare“. That means „Missionaries from Steyl“, the founding place of SVD.
Yes, you are right: „Steyler Missionare“ tells nothing about the mission and spirituality of SVD – but that‘s the name of SVD in the German speaking catholic church. Perhaps Steyler Missionare must talk a little bit more about their mission and spirituality because the name doesn’t explain. But this is a good possibility to enter conversation, isn’t it?
Maria
The German Catholic aid organization missio places the „Seven Sisters“ at the center of its campaign for World Mission Day 2019. Sophie and Maria Wego from Düsseldorf are in close contact with these seven Indian states and support the work of the Divine Word Missionaries in these states.
Since the founding of the Niclas Stiftung in 2006 they have been supporting the construction of schools in the region. The schools in Kamranga (Tripura) and Seppa (Arunachal Pradesh) ) are finished and financially secure. Especially children of poor families and disadvantaged tribes get the opportunity to go to school. Since the ways from home to school are far a hostel belongs to the school, too.
This is also the case with the new school project in Khumulwng (Tripura) which was started at the request of many parents. They are illiterate and want a school for their children for years. In the Divine Word Missionary P. Valentine Dung Dung SVD they have now found someone who is committed to building a school with them. Soon the construction of the first four classrooms will begin. Part of the costs will be provided by the local people through work and building materials. For the other part the Niclas Foundation is collecting „start-up building blocks“ worth 25 €. Would you like to help? Your help for the school in Khumulwng
Maria
… even if there are thousands of kilometres between their homes. On Thursday that proved to be true. Bishop Samson Shukardin, Bishop of Hyderabad in Pakistan, and his diocese took part in the 72-hour campaign of the Federation of German Catholic Youth (BDKJ) in May 2019. Now he visited the Jugendhaus Düsseldorf, the Headquarter for Catholic Youth Work, and informed about his work.
And there is another connection between Pakistan and Germany: The diocese participates in the international Prayer Bridge to the World Day of the Poor to which SVD-Partner invite people all over the world.
Maria
Photo: BDKJ-Bundesstelle
DJK TuSA 06 or DJK Agon 08 – many people in Düsseldorf know these sports clubs. But why is this mentioned in this blog under #himmelsleuchten? Quite simple: These clubs belong to DJK-Sportverband, the catholic sports association for popular and competitive sports. It was founded in 16 September 1920 in Würzburg and today the headquarter is in Langenfeld but Jugendhaus Düsseldorf was its home from 1920 to 2013. The DJK-Sportverband developed from Katholischer Jungmännerverband Deutschlands (German Catholic Association of Young Men) with Jugendhaus Düsseldorf as headquarter. After the Second World War the sports association for boys developed into the sports association as it is today. You can find out more about the history on the website of the DJK-Sportverband (only in German) or by visiting the archive of Jugendhaus Düsseldorf.
Maria
Photo: Archiv des Jugendhauses Düsseldorf
„What do Juri Gagarin and I have in common?“ You can read that on the postcard on the #himmelsleuchten backpack. The answer is: Both were in Suhl. This explains why the blog took a few days off. The days in Suhl were filled with a lot of interesting work on the subject of archives so the blog had to wait. Soon there will be #himmelsleuchten-news again – maybe with a research in an archive …
Maria
… to visit Father Michael Heinz SVD in Essen. He is Director of Adveniat, the German episcopal aid organization for Latin America. Of course we talked about the SVD-World but we visited the headquarter of Adveniat, too. It was impressive to meet the people who do so much good for the people of Latin America. At this point thank you so much!
From Advent onwards all German catholic aid organizations will place their work under the motto of peace. For this purpose a peace cross was created and is currently at Adveniat. So we could take a look at it and were deeply touched. You ask yourself why? Then take a look at the video report in which the artist Raphael Graf talks about his work (it is in German but you will get an impression of the work).
Maria
Probalby attentive readers have already discovered the #himmelsleuchten backpack in report of 8 September. But there was one before. Here is the report:
Where could be more himmelsleuchten than where St. Arnold Janssen (1837 – 1909) founded the now worldwide active religious family?
The village of Steyl in the Dutch province of Limburg, not far from the German border, is the centre of an international religious community with today about ten thousand missionary sisters, adoration sisters and missionaries.
Arnold Janssen’s work began in Steyl in 1875 and still today people are fascinated by the three mother houses on the Meuse and peace and stillness surround the visitor like a protective cloak in the parks and gardens.
G. Bessen
Last weekend Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) not only celebrated the founding day of SVD but also the anniversaries of ten SVD-Missionaries and the renewal of the commitment of SVD -Partner, the SVD lay partners. More on this soon. Here are some impressions of the preparations. As you can see: Not only Ora but also Labora.
Maria
