Let us continue to serve the Triune God all our lives with joy, to obey him, to love him above all.   Trust and Dare   December 31; MT 714

Stained glass by Mayumi Sasaki

2005 The Provinces of Baltimore, Wilton and Chicago joined to form the Atlantic-Midwest Province.

1981 The Region of Japan decided to send sisters to Nepal.

May the dear God, who helped so well this year, be our help and strength in the coming year also; we confidently hope and pray for this.  Trust and Dare   December 30; MT 2688

One who broke through the darkness by Mary Ann Osborne, SSND

All the works of God proceed slowly and in pain; but then, their roots are the sturdier and their flowering the lovelier.   Trust and Dare   December 29; MT 2277

M. Almeda Schricker
General Superior 1928-1955

1955 M. Almeda Schricker, sixth General Superior, died in Munich.

All good begins small.  Therefore, let us not shy away from and fear a beginning, however small and poor it may be.  The Almighty will lead his cause further from the crib; heaven and earth are under his command.   Trust and Dare   December 28; MT 780

Wall painting in church at Pedro J. Caballero (Paraguay) by Sisters Glenmary and Christella

1966 Miriam Sheila Wilson, Juliette Marie Parlow, and Macrina Militello opened the first mission in Asuncion, Paraguay. 

May the divine child, Jesus, at whose crib we have laid all the wishes of our hearts, fulfill, in the new year of grace, whatever serves his honor and glory.    Trust and Dare   December 27; MT 2773

All is Calm by Mary Ann Osborne, SSND

1923 Cardinal Protector van Rossum urged Cardinal Faulhaber of Munich to begin the preparation for the Beatification of M. Theresa.

Let us, in these days especially go to the crib of Jesus with the poor shepherds and the holy wise men.  With them let us also offer homage and sacrifice to him, so that we may share in the peace of God which the angels announced to all of good will on the fields of Bethlehem.   Trust and Dare   December 26; MT 4517

                        

Mother Theresa was the model for this village woman

who is part of the annual presepio/nativity scene at St. Peter's Basilica, Rome.

The shepherds at Bethlehem went in all simplicity to find Jesus and they found him - but how?    Trust and Dare   December 25; MT 101 

The name of Jesus is . . . a name above all names; in it our salvation, our happiness rest.   Trust and Dare   December 24; MT 4523 

1850 Bishop John Martin Henni blessed the chapel in the SSND house in Milwaukee. Until March of 1851 the Bishop himself served as chaplain for the SSND community.

Advent Prayer Intention

Synodal Church/Pilgrims of Hope, ending of the Jubilee 2025 

Triune God, we are approaching the end of this year of Jubilee, which has been a time of spiritual renewal, forgiveness and pilgrimage. May the hope it has enkindled in our hearts continue to support all members of the Church as we walk together on the path to becoming a truly Synodal Church.

Cordial greetings upon the approach of the birthday of our dear Lord Jesus.  I wish you true love of God and neighbor, renewed zeal in your vocation, and loyalty in the service of the Lord; then there will be honor to God, and grace, peace, salvation, and blessing for us. 

Trust and Dare   December 23; MT 949

One Who Broke Through the Darkness by Mary Ann Osborne, SSND

1899 Twelve children died in a fire that occurred in connection with a Christmas play at S. Francis Solanus, Quincy, IL. One child’s costume caught fire. As she ran through the other children, they also caught fire. Sister Theotima Detroyer had both her hands amputated as a result of burns sustained while trying to put out the flames on the children.  S. Theotima was born in Paris, Ontario. She was sent to St. Agatha, Ontario after the fire to be present to orphan children. The blacksmith in St. Agatha made hands/arms for her so she could hold a cup. She is buried in St. Agatha.

Advent Prayer Intention
Province of Africa

Loving God, with great love and joy, our sisters in the Province of Africa respond daily to the urgent needs of your people. Strengthen them in their commitment to be educators in all they are and do. Bless them with courage as they strive to create unity and peace wherever they are called. Amen.

O God, through the light of the Holy Spirit, . . . permit me ever more to see your infinite lovableness. Trust and Dare   December 22; MT 3

Image from Brazil

Advent Prayer Intention

Postulants

Loving God, bless our postulants with good health and openness to Your will. Renew their spirits and deepen their trust in you. Bless their formators as they guide their journey with wisdom and let Christ’s coming awaken joy and steadfast faith within their hearts. Amen.

O Jesus, I want to work hard at humility and love and become gentle, so that your image may become more and more radiant in me.  Trust and Dare   December 21; MT 2

Image from Poland

1782 George Michael Wittmann was ordained a priest at Regensburg.

Advent Prayer Intention
Prowincja Polska / Polish Province

For the Sisters of the Polish Province that they will be able to read the signs of the time and respond with generosity to God’s call.

 

Let us humble ourselves with Mary and walk in lowliness before the Lord!  Then the Lord will also turn his eyes towards us and one day give us the reward of the humble - everlasting joy.   Trust and Dare   December 20; MT 5199

Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash

1944 Mother Almeda Schricker, general superior (1928-1955), sent a letter to the congregation telling of the bombing of the Munich Motherhouse.

UN International Human Solidarity Day

Advent Prayer Intention

People among whom we minister, especially those on the margins

We pray for stronger cooperation among nations today, the UN International Human Solidarity Day. Solidarity challenges the wealthy and privileged to help those with the least resources to eradicate poverty IN ALL ITS FORMS. May we act courageously, calling forth political will to eliminate poverty and promote social development within the poorest areas within our world.

How could we be renewed as we are destined to be by God himself, if we did not receive the Incarnate One and become one with him?  Trust and Dare   December 19; MT 2

Image from Gorizia, Italy

2004 S. M. Imma Mack, SSND was awarded the distinction of "Femme Chevalier" in the French Legion of Honor for her acts of heroism and compassion to those imprisoned in Dachau, Germany during World War II. There were many French citizens at Dachau.

Advent Prayer Intention
SSND Groups of Association, Colleagues, and Partners

We bring before God in a special way today all of those who have joined us in responding to God’s call expressed in the charism of Blessed Theresa: associates, partners, colleagues and Missionaries of Mother Theresa. May they know of our appreciation and admiration for them and may they be greatly blessed each day.

As members of Jesus Christ, we have the great task of becoming like him, the holy person, the first born of humanity.  Trust and Dare   December 18; MT 2

International Migrants Day

1864 M. Theresa petitioned the Archbishop of Munich for exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the motherhouse from 5am to 8pm. Her petition was granted on December 23 and Exposition began December 25.

Advent Prayer Intention
Migrants and Refugees

God of Love, you who also experienced persecution and exile, help us to welcome into your merciful love all those who are forced to leave their homes because of war, persecution, and natural disasters. May we be signs of your presence, welcome, and love. 

Because of our wounded nature we cannot become new beings through our own effort; there must be a helper who is totally one with God and, becomes one with forlorn humanity. . . . Therefore, our God has shown mercy to us and sent Christ, his Son, who is identical to him in nature, and has let him become human.  Trust and Dare   December 17; MT 3

Munich Motherhouse interior (1944)

1944 During the night of December 17, the entire Anger Convent (the Motherhouse of the Bavarian Province) and the 13th-century St. James Church, was destroyed by incendiary and explosive bombs. The sisters survived in an air-raid shelter in the basement of the school building. There was nothing left to save from the earlier buildings. It was impossible to clear away the ruins and build a new convent until after 1950. 

1982 Commission of Cardinals proclaimed Mother Theresa a woman of heroic virtue.
 

 

Advent Prayer Intention
   Atlantic-Midwest Province

Bless our Sisters of the Atlantic-Midwest Province. Renew their spirits as they shine with the light of Christ. Bless our associates, lay collaborators, volunteers, benefactors, and friends, that together they may build communities of hope and communion. Grant them wisdom, unity, and perseverance as they make Your love known in the world.

The human race has fallen away from God.  This accounts for the very real fact of the general sinfulness of humankind.  If people are to be again brought back to God and reunited with him, they must be restored to their original dignity.   Trust and Dare   December 16; MT 3 

Needlework banner

1981 First African Assembly of SSNDs opened in Nsawam, Ghana.

Advent Prayer Intention

Grace of ecological conversion (Congregational Laudato Si' Commitment)

Lord, awaken in us a renewed commitment to care for the earth and each other, to create a just and peaceful world without hunger, poverty, violence and war. Grant us discerning hearts to examine our lifestyles in the spirit of integral ecology, responding with urgency for the healing and restoration of all that you created.

     

No time is more suitable for practicing humility than the holy time of Advent, in which we celebrate the mystery of the incarnation, which is and remains always a mystery of deepest humility.   Trust and Dare   December 15; MT 5013

Original Motherhouse in Milwaukee

1850 M. Caroline Friess, Emmanuela and Aloysia Schmid, Zita Wittmann and Candidate Theresa Scholl (later M. Clara) arrived in Milwaukee, WI. With them was a Miss Casanova, niece of Bishop Henni, who had come from Switzerland to keep house for her uncle. She had traveled with M. Caroline from Europe.

Advent Prayer Intention
    Magyar Tartomány  / Hungarian Province (MG)

May ever more abundant graces be with the sisters of the Hungarian Province and their colleagues in ministry.  We gratefully recall their many years of faithful witness and loving service to the people of God.  May they be blessed with even greater faith and courage as they move into the future.

For  

Christian souls cannot become as perfect as God; they remain creatures.  They can, however, draw near to the infinite perfection of God and that, through Jesus.    Trust and Dare   December 14; MT 2

Image from Ghana

Advent Prayer Intention

Novices and the novitiate community

Loving God, bless the SSND novices and the novitiate community. May Advent deepen their hope, and may contemplation open their hearts and guide their discernment. Bless the formators and those who accompany them with courage as they model God's love and the call to discipleship. 

Human beings are human beings, and God is God. Trust and Dare   December 13; MT 2037

Image from  Munich

Advent Prayer Intention

Bayerische Provinz/Distrikte Österreich-Italien und Tschechoslowakei/Bavarian Province/Districts Austria-Italy and Czechoslovakia (BY/ÖR-IT & CE)

We pray in gratitude for the loving fidelity of our sisters in the Bavarian Province and the Districts of Austria-Italy and Czechoslovakia. May they receive the graces they most need at this time of transition to the future Province of Europe. Bless them for their strong witness of unity, a source of strength for the whole congregation.

A God lives, full of kindness and love, the friend of the poor! Trust and Dare   December 12; MT 819

Artist: Mary Ann Osborne, SSND (CP)

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

1838 The Louis Mission Society was established in Munich to give financial assistance to Catholic missions of America and Asia.

Advent Prayer Intention

Those discerning a vocation to religious life

Loving God, You have called me to life. Lead those discerning religious life to choose the path of life You have planned for them. Open their hearts to listen to Your call, guide them with Your Holy Spirit, show your path and give them the courage to follow it.  Enkindle in their heart the desire to make the world a better place.

Of what profit is it if we gain the whole world and thereby injure our souls?  For a light, taken from a lantern and carried in the open, no matter how carefully guarded, will so easily and often be blown out by the wind.   Trust and Dare   December 11; MT 185 

Artist: S. Romana Zidar (Slovenia)
Mother Theresa with a group of children
as the community of sisters, past and present, look on.

Advent Prayer Intention
Slovenska Provinca  / Slovenian Province (SI)

Gracious God, we lift up the Slovenian Province to your loving care. Bless its mission, strengthen its unity, and inspire its members with courage and compassion. May Your Spirit guide their service, deepen their faith, and renew their commitment to your will. Let their witness shine with hope and grace.

Truly, when the need is greatest, then God’s help is also always nearest!  Should we not willingly offer our hands to help where help is still possible?  Trust and Dare December 10; MT 780

 Human Rights Day

Advent Prayer Intention
 Dignity of Life and the Care of All Creation

                             

Loving God, in this time of global unrest and fear, we pray for the grace to reaffirm the dignity of all life and to accept our interdependence with one another and the whole of creation. May we recognize opportunities in our everyday lives to live these values.

No angel is able to count the blessings which even on a single day, God gives to a person.   Trust and Dare   December 9; MT 3

1640 St. Peter Fourier died in exile in France. 

Advent Prayer Intention

Temporary professed Sisters in our congregation

and those who accompany them.

Lord, we entrust to you our temporary professed sisters and their directors. Guide them as they build on their first love to rediscover the joy of following Christ and look to the future with confidence and hope. Transform us into fountains of Life and Hope, supporting and inspiring one another to remain faithful.

 

I recommend you to the Holy Spirit through the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin, and I entrust you forever to her blessed hands. Ziegler, p. 273   December 8

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

                                   

Generalate chapel

2012 Inauguration of the  Province of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Advent Prayer Intention
Congregation and Call of the 25th General Chapter

Lord, we thank you for the sacred call of the 25th General Chapter. Unite our congregation in faith, wisdom, and love. May Your Spirit guide our discernment, renew our mission, and deepen our commitment to serve. Bless our journey with grace, courage, and fidelity to your divine will. Amen.