A Day for Grandparents and Grandchildren on the Theme of “Water”.

We invited to actions on the theme “Water”: “Francis, the water and us!”, a vacation day for grandparents with their grandchildren from 8 years old. St. Francis called the water source his sister and put the good use of it to the heart of people. Grandparents and grandchildren were invited to discover interesting facts about the river Heder, the salt springs and their history in Salzkotten. There was also the opportunity to learn about the technology of a waterworks and to find out how water power has been used for a long time. In addition, there were recipes for lemonade made from pickling herbs and herbs and new ways of expression with water, paint and other materials.

Successful Start for the Bicycle Pilgrimage Route

In June, we the Franciscan Sisters of Salzkotten, together with the Salzkotten pastoral association and the Büren-Delbrück deanery, invited people to a kick-off event in the motherhouse church. The long-cherished dream of a pilgrimage cycle path to the Canticle of the Sun of St. Francis should now finally begin to take shape. Franciscan spirituality, like Pope Francis, constantly calls for responsibility for creation and fraternity. The organizing team led by Sister M. Angela, Sister M. Alexandra, Pastor Martin Beisler and Deanery Officer Robert Kesselmeier explained the Canticle of the Sun, which will be celebrated for the 800th time in 2025, the intention behind it and the idea of a cycle path to the 40 interested people, mainly from the pastoral network.

Then the thoughts and wishes of those present were asked for. They went out into the monastery garden where, over cold drinks, there was a lively discussion about the pilgrims’ cycle path with the help of display boards showing possible stations along the route. Elements and creatures mentioned in the Canticle of the Sun could be linked to specific places in the pastoral network. There were also many practical ideas and information on a pilgrim cycle path and initial thoughts on accompanying activities and events. After an initial evaluation, the next round in the fall/winter will focus on more concrete ideas and implementation. Everyone is invited to continue thinking and participating.

Festival of encounters in the Motherhouse garden

Old and young met in the garden of the motherhouse in July in beautiful weather. The children of three kindergartens, employees, the Büren-Delbrück deanery team and residents of the “St. Clara” and “Marienheim” retirement homes were invited to the “Festival of Encounters”. From 10 am to 5 pm, there was coffee, waffles and ice cream, soup and sausages, cold drinks as well as games and singing. Of course, the volunteers and guests of the lunch table and the open meeting were also invited, which took place in the garden with everyone else on this day. These many people come together from time to time in our house and garden – and it’s good to be aware of us sisters and the others with our respective concerns, wishes and needs, in other words to simply get to know each other better. This celebration also served this purpose.

And there was a lot of fun. Shortly after 10 a.m., the children from the daycare center stormed the playground. Some of them dared to use the play equipment on display and the swinging cloth, where the sisters from “Ferien ohne Koffer” (Vacation without suitcases) were having fun. What a colorful hustle and bustle and beautiful togetherness! Then – as several times during the day – the bell of “Eis-Anton” rang out, delighting all generations with his ice cream flavors and becoming the most popular clown in the whole area. Afterwards, we were cordially invited to the first puppet show.

The puppet theater “Karfunkelstein” (Carbuncle) from Bochum gladly accepted our invitation and had set up a large stage in the retreat refectory. Sisters and residents sat in the back on chairs, walkers or in wheelchairs, while the children sat in the front and watched spellbound at the action on stage with Kasper, Christine and the animals in the garden. A wonderful play and a great performance, which was repeated again in the early afternoon.

In the meantime, our kitchen and catering team had prepared lunch. Soon afterwards, there were delicious waffles and a steady supply of cool drinks and ice cream. The second puppet show was followed by open singing. At the end, Sister M. Angela thanked all the helpers. It was a wonderful celebration with wonderful encounters and lots of cheerfulness!

Libori as a Festival of the World Church

As part of this year’s Libori festival in Paderborn, the Metropolitan Chapter and the World Church team hosted an interesting evening entitled “Faces of the World Church”. After the opening and welcoming address, the new bishop of Paderborn’s twin city Le Mans, Bishop Dr. Jean-Pierre Vuillemin, introduced himself and said he was delighted to be attending the Libori Festival for the first time. This was followed by a short introductory film about the history of Ukraine. This was followed by an interview with two Ukrainian bishops from the cities and dioceses of Odessa and Kharkiv-Saporizhia, which were so badly affected by the war. We were also touched by the report from Sr. Anni from Syria, who spoke of the great poverty in her country due to the many successive crises such as war, the coronavirus pandemic and the severe earthquake. However, all three guests also testified to their hope in God’s help and their gratitude for all the help from Germany. The theme of this year’s Libori Festival “Pax vobis/Peace to you” speaks precisely to this longing for peace. Interspersed with musical performances, the evening was moderated by Auxiliary Bishop Matthias König and a speaker from the Metropolitan Chapter. We were pleasantly surprised by the warm-hearted, fraternal atmosphere of the evening. Afterwards, we had the opportunity to meet and talk over a snack. Deeply moved by what we had heard and seen, we returned home.

The following morning, we were able to celebrate the Eucharist with Archbishop Aurel Perca from Bucharest. He was accompanied by his secretary and a deacon from our diocese. At the subsequent breakfast in the large refectory with all the sisters, Archbishop Perca thanked us for our hospitality, told us about the religious life of his diocese and invited us there. The following day, Vicar General Dr. Esteban Kros from Suriname (formerly Dutch Guiana) came to Salzkotten. Over coffee, he spoke very vividly about the history and the current political and religious situation in his country. He was also able to gain an insight into our community during a tour of the motherhouse. Two of our Indonesian sisters live and work in the diocese and are very welcome in this multi-ethnic country with its official language of Dutch. We were then able to celebrate St. Liborius Vespers with him and enjoy dinner with all the sisters. A little later, we were joined by Laszlo Böcskei, Bishop of Oradea/Romania, and his driver. The former also reported on the situation in his diocese near the Hungarian border. After a tour of the house, he spoke in a relaxed atmosphere about his biographical background, mutual friends and his work.

“Enjoy a beautiful summer evening with us in our monastery garden!” was the motto in August. Folk songs and new spiritual songs were sung together with over 50 participants.

 The feast of the Assumption of Mary and the tradition of tying cabbage bundles were also the focus in August. The focus was on how people’s ideas about Mary have changed over the past 1600 years and how this can be seen in art, as well as what people today associate with Mary and her assumption into heaven. The way in which the herb bundles are designed in different regions, which herbs have been used for a long time and what they are used for was also a topic on this evening.

In September, artist Rita Winkelmann gave a guided tour of the exhibition of paintings on St. Francis’ Canticle of the Sun in the hallway of the Franciscan motherhouse. Since spring 2022, the exhibition has been admired and admired by many guests. Rita Winkelmann also wrote down thoughts about the pictures, which she recited during the guided tour of the exhibition. In between, the participants were able to enjoy coffee and cake together.

Monastery market and lecture on Guardini and Francis

At the end of August, the convent market took place once again in the former Dalheim convent. Our sisters were there again with volunteers and offered homemade products such as liqueur, cards and sewn items. In addition, there were always lots of people at their waffle stand with whom they had a good chat.

We were treated to an impressive talk on the eve of the anniversary of Francis’ death. The former press spokesman for the Archbishop and the Archdiocese of Paderborn, Ägedius Engel, gave an enthusiastic and comprehensive talk on “Guardini and St. Francis”, the respected theologian’s favorite saint. Guardini learned and adopted a great deal from St. Francis in his modesty, his simple lifestyle and his love for people and all creation. (Sr. M. Alexandra Völzke FCJM)