Otvoren internacionalni novicijat

Dear Sisters,
For the whole week before the feast, we had many things to do:  arranging, cleaning, painting, but also prayer, including a day of prayer at Tre Fontane and waiting…  Saturday evening we joined an International Office of Readings in the main chapel, and the next morning there was a solemn mass. At the end of Mass, the priest blessed the religious dresses and medals for the new novices.

Drage sestre,
Cijeli tjedan prije blagdana imale smo mnogo toga za raditi: uređivale smo, čistile, maljale ali i molile uključujući i dan molitve u Tre fontane i čekale smo. U subotu navečer smo se priključile međunarodnoj Službi čitanja u glavnoj kapeli a slijedećeg jutra je bila svečana misa. Na kraju mise svećenik je blagoslovio redovnička odijela i medaljice za novakinje.

Actually, on this day, we had two celebrations: the first was the acceptance of two postulants to the novitiate and then the opening ceremony of the International novitiate. A simple and touching ceremony had been prepared.
Sr. Alice Montgomery, vicar, welcomed us at 11:30 in the chapel. There was a large gathering of sisters: some of the general councilors, the Generalate community, both groups of tertians, Italian sisters from via Nomentana 34, the student sisters from India and Africa, and our dear guest Sr. Blandina Angelovicova, novice mistress from Slovakia.
First the provincials Sr. Marina Zittera and Sr. Mateja Koršič accepted their postulants Maria Margarete and Maja into the International novitiate. Sr. Maja read the passage from the Luke about the healing of Jairus' daughter in Slovenian, and the whole novitiate community sang Psalm 16 in German. Then each provincial gave a short address after which they gave the new novices symbols: the veil, Constitutions of our Institute in their languages and in English, Angela's Writings in English and the medal of St. Angela and St. Ursula. The medal is the common symbol of the International novitiate. Our two novices from Slovenia Sr. Andreja and Sr. Ursa also received the Constitutions and the Writings of St Angela in English as well as the medals of St Angela and St. Ursula.
After this ceremony, we went in the procession led by the cross bearer to the second floor, where the International novitiate is now located (where the French tertianship was in the past). Our mistress Sr. Anka offered a blessing prayer and solemnly opened the International novitiate with the cutting of a ribbon. Sr. Marie-Bruno Dufosse , prioress of the Generalate community handed her the scissors. Then Sr. Anka blessed all the rooms, and we gathered in the community room. Sr. Alice adressed us and   explained that the desire expressed at the meeting of all the European provincials in Prague in April 2011 has now been realized. She thanked our provinces who received a challenge and went beyond our borders. Congratulations and photos followed.
In the corridor near the dining room we had a snack and »aperitivo« before the festive dinner. The celebration continued during the meal, especially at the end of the meal when sisters present sang or danced something typical of their country.
We are very thankful for this day. We really felt that we are in the heart of our Roman Union and the Church. This is a big gift for us and it is possible we don't fully understand it. We can do this because of your prayers, good wishes, different kinds of gifts and bonds. We are really thankful to each one who has been with us and supported us along our way. We ask for your prayer that we can continue what we have begun.
May the spirit of St. Angela and St. Ursula keep us united to God’s will and to each other.
With love,
The Sisters from the Novitiate

Ustvari, imale smo dvije svečanosti toga dana: Prva je bila primitak dviju postulantica u novicijat  a druga svečanost otvorenja  međunarodnog novicijata. Bila  je pripravljena  jednostavna ali dirljiva svečanost.
Sr. Alice Montgomery vikarica, poželila nam je dobrodošlicu u 11.30 u kapeli. Skupilo se mnogo sestara; neke članice Generalnog vijeća, zajednica u generalatu, obadvije grupe probanistica, sestre Talijanke iz Via Nomentana 34, sestre studentice iz Indije i Afrike i naša draga gošća s.Blandina Angelovicova, magistra novakinja iz Slovačke.
Iza svečanosti smo u procesiji s križem išli na drugi kat gdje je sada smješten međunarodni novicijat (na mjestu gdje su nekoć bile francuske probanistice) . Naša magistra, s.Anka izmolila je molitvu blagoslova i svečano otvorila međunarodni novicijat rezanjem vrpce. S.Anka je blagoslovila sve prostorije a tada smo se sabrale u zajedničkoj sobi. S. Alice nas je pozdravila i objasnila nam,  da je želja evropskih provincijalki na sastanku u Pragu u travnju 2011, sada ostvarena. Zahvalila je našim provincijama koje su prihvatile izazovi otišlepreko naših granica. Slijedila su čestitanja i fotografiranje.
U hodniku  blizu blagovaone.imale smo zakusku i aperitiv prije svečanog ručka. Proslava se nastavila za vrijeme ručka, posebno prikraju ručka kad su prisutne sestre  pjevale ili otplesale nešto tipično za njihovu zemlju.
Vrlo smo zahvalne za ovaj dan. Osjetile smo da smo u srcu Rimske Unije i Crkve. Ovo je za nas veliki dar i moguće je da ga u potpunosti niti ne razumijemo.