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100 Years Convent Maria Hilf in Bühl

GRATITUDE - JOY - HOPE

The year 2019 is a special year for our Convent Maria Hilf in Bühl, because it can celebrate its 100th birthday!

The sisters and all those who are feel attached with them may rejoice. Besides the joy, a strong feeling of gratitude moves us. First of all our gratitude go to God who has accompanied the sisters in many situations in these hundred years: sometimes it was challenging, sometimes discouraging, but always hopeful. We the Sisters are also grateful to our co-workers for their hard work, loyalty and solidarity - today and in all the past years. In gratitude we remember our superiors, their courage and their thoughtfulness - from the beginning and also today. We thank our spiritual directors, fellow sisters, friends and so many people of the population!

Our joy is also, well founded in many ways. The convent and its members mastered the early year’s difficulty by the founding of the convent and the province. They experienced the great arrival of young women, who also – wanted to dedicate their lives to the needy - according to the example of our Foundress Blessed Mother Alphonse Mary. They did it as Sisters of the Divine Saviour and we are trying to do it till today, as well as our Indian sisters who began their religious life with us for many years ago and in the meantime working in their homeland in social projects with beneficial effect.

In the meantime, our province of Baden-Hessen has been amalgamated with the other German-speaking provinces of our congregation to form the province of Germany and Austria, with the seat in Nuremberg. Out of the necessity to bundle our human resources, a good cooperation of mutual help and support has developed. Today, increasingly we work together with co-workers and have handed over various leadership tasks to them. Our elderly sisters can organize their life in serenity according to their possibilities and even now, still they are involved in the Church and society. These are just some of the reasons that fill us with grateful joy.

That is why we had a solemn thanksgiving Eucharistic celebration in the Convent Church on 28th April, together with Rt. Rev Rainer Klug em. Auxiliary Bishop as representative for Archbishop Stephan Burger of Freiburg, and Father Frano Prcela, the Representative for consecrated life for the Diocese of Mainz and as representative for Bishop Prof. Dr. Peter Kohlgraf, with Chaplain Fr. Bernhard Weber and other priests, representatives of public life, neighbouring religious communities, relatives and friends.

Afterwards, Sr. Monika Heuser, Superior General, stated in her speech the beginning of our congregation, our spirituality, the importance of the sisters for the former province Baden-Hessen and our mission today. In the messages of Father Frano, Mr. Hubert Schnurr the Mayor of Bühl and Mr. Andreas Leipert the director of the institution St. Joseph’s Hospital Balserische Stiftung, Gießen, they expressed their gratitude to Sr. Rosa Fischer, Provincial Superior and to all the Sisters for their service before and today. The jubilee should also be seen as a sign of hope for the people. At the end, Chaplain Fr. Bernhard Weber gave his historical lecture; he assured us that the goodness that came and still comes from the convent of Maria Hilf and its sisters will bear fruit. In addition to gratitude and joy, hope should be also linked to this feast day, signalled us em. Auxiliary Bishop Rt. Rev. Rainer Klug.

Sr. Etelka Metzger

Remark: We thank Mr. Hermann Seiler, who has kindly provided us the photos of the jubilee celebration!