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Category: Lays

Water is Life

Renovation of the WATER SUPPLY in the village of KALUNDA/DRC

The Lay Salvatorians from Congo have sent us an interesting document of a project about the renewing of a water supply. They want to renew the water supply but at the same time teach the people to handle the water sustainably. The project is very good described in the pdf file below.

If you are looking for a sustainable Christmas gift that gives life to people, this could be a possibility. At least take it into account, please because it’s a project of Lay Salvatorians.

Congo water project

 

Announcement: Meeting of the Salvatorian laity in Europe 2025

Dear Salvatorian Family

After a long, far too long break, a meeting of the Salvatorian Laity – Europe is organized once again. Spiritual exchange is an important basis for our work, and this is best achieved through personal encounters. Even if, due to special circumstances, we have recently successfully explored other ways of communicating, it is high time to refresh, deepen, and renew personal relationships and get to know new sisters and brothers in spirit.

Therefore the

Communities of Salvatorian Laity in Germany

invite to a meeting of the Salvatorian laity in Europe in

2025

Walking together with Jesus Christ“

 

Ecumene should be the heart of talks, prayer times, workshops and other items of our agenda. We pay particular importance getting to know each other better and gaining a deeper understanding of one another.
Prof. Dr. Michaela C. Hastetter and P. PD Dr. habil. Ephräm Givi Lomidze have already confirmed their participation as speakers. In addition to their teaching and research activities, both are also members of the management of STEP WIEN (St. Ephrem’s Scientific Center for Oriental & Occidental Studies).

 

Key data:

WHEN:May 29 – June 1, 2025
WHERE:Regina Pacis Conference Center in
D-88299 Leutkirch im Allgäu; Baden-Württemberg
WHO:Lay Salvatorians internationally, people interested in Salvatorian spirit and charism, and guests from the two other Salvatorian branches are very welcome.
COSTS: We have currently calculated a total cost of € 380 per person,
This includes accommodation with full board and coffee breaks, the supporting program, and the costs for the two speakers. A solidarity fund will be set up to ensure that no one is unable to participate for financial reasons.
CONTACT and QUESTIONS: albrechtklein@mail.de

 

 

 

 

Formation of Lay Salvatorian trainers in DR Congo

Our Salvatorian congregation is founded on the Knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, our Divine Savior (John 17:3: “And this is eternal life, that they know You, the True God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent..”) .
The International Community of the Divine Savior, ICDS in acronym, is young in its existence, alongside the two religious branches in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It lacks facilitators trained in Salvatorian fundamentals and leadership on group dynamics, a guarantee of their capacity to perpetuate the work of Blessed Francis JORDAN, founder of the congregation.
In order to guarantee the future of this branch of Lay Salvatorians in the DRC, the National Coordination in charge of training
is organizing a first session for the attention of members of the different coordinations.
The coordinators of coordination at all levels of our country naturally need this support in the exercise of their functions in order to make apostolic action and the Salvatorian mission effective. In view of the above, a training plan for lay Salvatorian leaders is essential. This training plan must be adapted to the realities on the ground to respond not only to the signs of the times but also to Salvatorian ideals,
the foundation of our existence and to the needs of the church.
For this reason, training to produce Salvatorian lay trainers was organized in two phases, namely:

  • Phase 1: from January 14 to 17, 2023 on Salvatorian fundamentals
  • Phase 2: from January 14 to 17, 2024 on some theological themes and also on educational practices

The one year gap allowed them to master the Salvatorian fundamentals and at the end of the second phase, they were sent on a mission for the expansion of our national unity. They were at 20 at the start to finish 17 in the second phase.

1. PURPOSE
Provide the International Community of the Divine Savior of the DRC with facilitators trained and prepared to carry out their tasks.

2. THEME
This Training session has the theme: “lay Salvatorian, missionary beyond borders”

3. OBJECTIVES
At the end of this training session, participants will be able to:

  • Prepare and implement a training meeting for other members
  • Prepare members for commitments based on Salvatorian fundamentals, prayer, lectio Divina and meditation.
  • To defend their Catholic faith and explain the meaning of the sacraments and sacramentals
  • To contextualize the gospel and the acts of the apostles after careful reading.
  • To put oneself at the center of creation to discover the Savior God
  • To understand and explain Salvatorian Universality.

Lay Salvatorians Tanzania – WELCOME!

As you can read in our post from yesterday already, the ICDS is very happy to welcome our new sisters and brothers in Tanzania. Some Lay Salvatorians from the US have guided the development process over a long time and supported them with materials, were also present at the ceremony. Here is their story and report (→ click on the picture below to open the document)

 

 

30. Anniversary Salvatorian Laity in Bad Wurzach

On the weekend around 17th September, a group of Austrian Lay Salvatorians traveled to Bad Wurzach in Baden Würtenberg (South Germany). The group of lay Salvatorians based there was celebrating its 30th anniversary. It was a very joyful and beautiful reunion with Salvatorian brothers and sisters whom we had last seen before the Corona epidemic.

During the festive mass on Sunday, the group with Rosemarie Böcherer and Albrecht Klein gave a short review of the past time:

Already at the first meeting of about 20 people, they showed a great need to exchange questions of faith and life, for mutual support in the everyday challenges in the family, at work, in their own environment, also in their own church community. After a period of ups and downs, membership has now settled at around 30. The group grew out of the endeavor to see themselves as sisters and brothers and to live in a “fraternal Church” – in the community of Salvatorian lay people and in the “Salvatorian Family”, which consists of lay people, Salvatorian Sisters, and Fathers/Brothers. Continue Reading

Speeches from Recognition day – 4

 

 

With the words of His Eminence Kevin Joseph Cardinal Farrell at the recognition ceremony at the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, we conclude our series on important and historic speeches of that day. I hope that even if you could not be present in person, you can still feel a little of the moving and joyful feeling of the event.

May the Cardinal’s blessing always continue in our hearts and become a blessing for the whole Salvatorian Family.

 

 

 

EnglishEspañolFrançaisPortuguêsDeutsch

Note: If the translation does not quite meet your expectations, please take into account that the translations into the different languages were made with the Deepl translation tool. Therefore, possible errors cannot be completely excluded.

Speeches from Recognition day – 2

This posting includes the homily by Superior General Fr. Milton Zonta SDS from the Mass of Thanksgiving on February 8. The theme: Salvatorians – Apostles in the World

 

 

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Note: If the translation does not quite meet your expectations, please take into account that the translations into the different languages were made with the Deepl translation tool. Therefore, possible errors cannot be completely excluded.

Aid support for Ukraine refugees by Salvatorians in Poland

We all know the heartbreaking images from the war in Ukraine. Most of the refugees or displaced persons went or are still going to Poland. The Lay Salvatorians and the Salvatorian sisters have established some aid support for these people and we have asked Sylwia Tempel a Lay Salvatorian from Poland to share some pieces of information about these aid initiatives with us:

 

On March 24th the Salvatorian Sisters at the provincial house received 8 refugees from Kharkov – parents with 5 children and one older woman. The building has been renovated and refurnished before the crisis, so the Sisters have dedicated it to the residential needs of refugees. Sister Adriana Kieloch SDS has been serving as a translator at the local administration level. Sister Adriana spent 14 years in Ukraine and understands not only the language but also the people. She serves at the municipal social service agency in helping refugees legally register their presence so that they can obtain proper identification as well as rights to employment, insurance benefits, and child support. Sister Adriana explained to me that it takes 30 minutes to register a single refugee. Photographs of the provincial house welcome can be found at the following link: Continue Reading

Video message of the General Committee – Video mensaje del Comité General

English

Have a look at the video message of the General Committee on the occasion of the Beatification of Fr. Francis Jordan.

 

 

 

In case you have trouble following the subtitles here below these lines the whole text in English and Spanish.

Español

Vea el video-mensaje del Comité General con motivo de la beatificación del P. Francisco Jordán.

 

 

 

En caso de que tengas problemas para seguir los subtítulos aquí debajo de estas líneas el texto completo en inglés y español.

Continue Reading

A few words on the passing of Fr. Paulus Blum SDS

I would like to write a few words here on the passing of Fr. Paulus Blum since unfortunately, no one from his Salvatorian Lay circle in Germany has done so so far. So I can only take some data from the official death letter and complete it with my own memories.

As a pastor, as a teacher, and as a musician, Fr. Paul proclaimed the Good News in such a way that it reached people in a wholesome way. For this, Fr. Paul worked and worked with all his strength. These words are to read at the beginning of the death announcing – an that is true.

I personally learned him to know about 30 years ago, first by exchanging letters and afterward by personal meetings. He was a kind of human who guided one soon into a comfortable and brotherly atmosphere, who tried to meet other ones on an equal level.

He was born in the area around the Bodensee and came there in contact with the Salvatorians, who attracted him to stay and become a priest. His big love was music and he studied it with graduation from the music academy of Stuttgart. Over a long time, he was a teacher for music and religion at the Gymnasium of Bad Wurzach. Through him, several generations of students have discovered music for themselves and have taken a serious look at the Christian faith. With the school choir, he set unforgettable musical highlights with musicals, singing plays, and church concerts. Until a year ago, Fr. Paul taught various instruments and especially the organ. Many women and men who play in the parishes Sunday after Sunday today not only learned the instrument from him but also found access to church music. Continue Reading