“Missionaries for a Time” creates bridge-builders between cultures
“Missionaries for a Time” gives young women from Germany an
opportunity to have some missionary and inter-cultural experience with a
community of sisters by committing themselves to approximately one year in
another culture. These women, often right out of secondary school, become
bridge-builders between persons of different continents, cultures, and socio-economic
backgrounds. On their return, they become spokespersons for the people with
whom they have served. At home, they share their experiences and witness
to the fact that a worldwide Church of love is possible.
These young missionaries come from all over Germany and have served with the Sisters of Notre Dame in Uganda, Papua New Guinea, and Brazil. A Sister of Notre Dame from the Vechta province coordinates the program and accompanies the participants through the time of preparation, during their stay, and afterwards. Nearly 20 different religious congregations are involved in the “Missionary for a Time” program, and there is good collaboration between them to give the optimum of preparation and support to the volunteers.
Extensive preparation helps the participants become acquainted with the
land in which they will live and the stark contrast with their native culture.
They prepare to share the lives of the people they will serve, to learn
what
their
service will require and discover the rewards of missionary work.
The intensive preparation begins with an orientation seminar and various
religious experiences to acquaint the young people with the program and
help them to
come to a decision about being missionaries. Once the decision is made,
practical details are handled with the support of the person in charge:
learning the
language and obtaining insurance, acquiring tickets, medical injections
and credit cards. Shortly before their departure, the missionaries attend
a two-week
seminar in which they once again examine their motivation and actively
prepare themselves to encounter a new culture.
One important feature of the preparation is the time, usually a week, during
which the participants live in a religious community in Germany to become
acquainted with religious life and the congregation with whom they will serve
in the foreign country. The program in Vechta gives these missionaries a
chance to work with a large community of sisters at the provincial centre
(Marienhain), in addition to sharing life with a smaller group of sisters
at Alt-Marienhain. They meet to re-examine their personal motivation and
spiritual resources and to learn important aspects of the life of a Sister
of Notre Dame. They are also given concrete details about the work they will
do. The sisters find this week with the young women very moving and a special
enrichment.
Prior to the departure of the missionaries, a missioning ceremony is held
in their parish community or in our provincial house. This creates an opportunity
for missionary awareness and helps people recognize that every baptized
person is sent by Christ, is therefore a missionary and that each Christian
community
has a mission to fulfill. Thus, it is the community that sends the missionaries.
The atmosphere of the missioning ceremony is one of great gratitude and
joy.
During the time overseas, the missionaries share the life of the place
to which they are assigned, giving of themselves and receiving from the
people
there. They keep in contact with the sister in Germany responsible for
the program.
After their return to Germany, weekend meetings are organised to give
them an opportunity to evaluate and to share their experiences. Returned
missionaries
meet in groups in their home areas or they can get together from all
over Germany twice a year to discuss the political and social realities
which
Germany or the developing countries are being confronted with: new
forms of poverty, asylum seekers, women's rights and emancipation, indebted
countries, debt remission campaign etc. Many are very active in the
places
and parishes
where they live, working for the idea of One World in which justice,
peace and solidarity are possible, inspired by the dream of the Kingdom
of God.
More information is available (in German) at: http://www.missionarin-auf-zeit.de
