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Gsn 235 July 2010
Gsn 235 July 2010
Good Shepherd News Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd
“Encountering our Shared History” 16th July —6th August 2010
Mother House -Angers
Encountering our shared history ‐ Mother House Page 1‐2
100 yrs. Jubilee of St. Joseph School ‐ Salzburg OLC/GS Community Experience ‐ Caen
Page 3 ‐ 4 East Asia Province
Page 5‐6 Events in our sector of Senegal
Page 7 Asia Pacific JP workshop 12– 15 june 2010
Girls Education “An End to poverty” Page 8‐9
Experience of Yolanda Sanchez RGS ‐ New york Page 10
Interview of Betty Lapeyre MDO Like young olive branches ‐ Central America
Page 11‐13
First row, from left to right: Angela Fahy,congregational leader OLC, Brigid Lawlor Congregational leader RGS and Mrs.
Maureen Jenkins Facilitator.
One hundred and twenty one participants (RGS, OLC, and friends) travelled from all parts of the world to begin the sessions of shared history of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, at the Maison‐Mere in Angers, France. Sr. Brigid Lawlor, RGS, Congregational Leader, gave a very inspiring address using the image of ships arriving from all over the world, Sr. Brigid encouraged us to “let zeal be the ship that carries you on” (St. Mary Euphrasia).Sr. Angela Fahy, OLC, Congregational Leader, then addressed the group. She continued on the theme of welcome, saying that St. John Eudes and St. Mary Euphrasia also welcome us to this sacred place. She believes that St. John Eudes rejoiced in heaven when St. Mary Euphrasia established the Generalate. St. John Eudes was a man of great zeal and compassion and St. Mary Euphrasia understood this also. Sr. Angela asked that we all be at home in this place, to listen, to speak and to be at peace within. In this way, she wishes that we may more fully grasp the mind and heart of God.
From left to right Martha Theresa Gomez olc, Aesun Hyun cgs,Johanna Maria Yong rgs and Cruzcelia Gomez olc(Central Team)
First Row left Josefina Lopez olc (Central team) and Elena Jalop cbp
What is inside
Gsn 235 2 July 2010
Marie Françoise MESTRY, Communications Coordinator
Casa Generalizia, Suore del Buon Pastore, Via Raffaello Sardiello 20‐ 00165 Roma, Italia
Email: [email protected] [email protected] Good Shepherd News
“Encountering our Shared History”
Sister Odile Laugier RGS
Sr.MarieFrançoise Le Brizault
In 2009,the Process Planning Committee(PPC) established a Committee on History and
Spirituality. Sr. Odile Laugier, RGS and
Sr.MarieFrançoise Le Brizault, OLC are members of this
committee. They both helped in the organisation of this session.
The PPC foresee that this will be a time of formation for the participants so that they will be able to reproduce the session in their Unit or Region in the months following the workshop. A prayer has been written for the Journey of Enrichment which will be prayed by all sisters and friends throughout the world for the next year.
OLC and RGS sisters in Caen for the Eucharist celebration.
Eucharist celebration in Caen by the Eudist priests.
Sr.Colette Houdelet OLC, left with Sr.MarieFrançoise Le
Brizaut OLC in Ri
Left: Brigid Lawlor Congregational leader RGS with Angela Fahy Congregational leader OLC in Ri.
St. Mary Euphrasia in her Conference about the Annals (Conf. 65 p. 483) states: « No one will forget the name of our Venerable Father John Eudes. Your hymn of thanksgiving will rise ceaselessly to praise God for having inspired this saintly priest to create our Institute, one of the masterpieces of zeal for the salvation of souls. You all ought to know the beginnings of the Institute formed by him. »
St. John Eudes St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
Gsn 235 3 July 2010
Journey of Enrichment 100 Years Jubilee of St. Joseph School, Salzburg
May 15, 2009
On September 16, 1908 the Catholic Private School was opened under the leadership of the OLC Sisters. 100 years later there is in St. Joseph a school for Kindergarten, Business College and a school for medical administration and medical management of HLW. In all these years countless students come and go and many work for the
service of the church and our country, explained the Archbishop, Dr. Alois Kothgasser and appealed for the formation of
the Heart. He said “with all the information, Global networking and Intelligence we should not forget to put the Heart in the middle of the people. Straight from school we should respect that the Heart will not be stunted. What we accomplished in 100 years in the school will be continued. We pray that God will give us the grace that the Heart, Brain and Hand will be developed in the service of God and the people.”After a good lunch all were invited to the school for a ceremony. The Director Mag. Reinhold Freinbichler presented a power‐point presentation of the 100 years History. Towards the end he presented the development of the school: From 2009‐2010 there is an offer from the school for medical administration and school for medical management of HLW for a comprehensive range of training.
This is for Austria an Understandable school concept to realize, said Director Mag. Freinbichler. At the end, Sr. Maria Gratia Schneeweiss, Unit Leader gave the Director Mag. Reinhold Freinbichler a big bunch of flowers as a sign of gratitude for his creativity and prudent work for St. Joseph’s School.
Sr. M. Gratia Schneeweiss, Province Leader of Austria, Switzerland and Czech Republic offering a rose to each of the 3 OLC Sisters from France as a sign of gratitude to the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge
for the foundation of the St. Joseph School.
Young and Old celebrate a special Jubilee in St. Joseph: 100 years Jubilee of the School in Hellbrunner Street, Salzburg Girls and Boys in Kindergarten welcomed Archbishop Dr. Alois Kothgasser, Guest of Honour, the public, students, teachers, guests and naturally the Good Shepherd Sisters with the song “We celebrate today a Feast…” which opened the Jubilee Day. Among these we will also celebrate Sr. M. Theresia Stelzer’s 100 yrs and the presence of three Sisters from Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge in France.
From left to right: Marie Benoit Jacques Le Seigneur OLC, Regina Toenissen CGS, Marie Emmanuel Lambert, OLC. Madeleine Marie Le Cam OLC, Elena Jalop CGS
Gsn 235 4 July 2010
The students will live an inde‐pendent community life but will also have the opportunity for sharing and for common prayer with the Sisters.
Last year, there were some changes in the community. At present there are three French Sisters: one OLC Sister, Sister Colette Houdelet, and 2 Good Shepherd Sisters, Sister Denise Deschamps and Sister Sonia de Carlan. Our leader, Sister Anne‐Marie Klopstein, is from OLC. She does not live with us, but instead she resides at the Cor‐melles le Royal community.
In September 2010, another Sis‐ter from OLC, either from Kenya or from Mexico, will join us. The community is in charge of the youth centre as well as welcom‐ing the Eudist Family members who wish to have a time of re‐newal at the house of St. Jean Eudes. We sometimes have to face the difficulties which are linked to our different histories.
However, it is beautiful to ex‐perience the life of the two con‐gregations. There is no doubt that we share the same charism, and we have the same way of communicating to people in dif‐ficulty.
Sisters of RGS /OLC Caen France
Journey of Enrichment Joint project OLC /RGS
OLC/GS Intercongregational Community Experience in Caen
From left to right: Standing: Gloria Minerva Huerta OLC, Denise Deschamps RGS, Colette Houdelet OLC Sitting: Sonia de Carlan RGS.
From left to right: Denise Deschamps RGS, Cécile Lionnet OLC, Sonia de Carlan,RGS, Anne Marie Klopstein OLC and Colette Houdelet OLC.
In September 2008, an intercon‐gregational community was cre‐ated in Caen: Our Lady of Char‐ity and the Good Shepherd. In the beginning, Sister Sonia de Carlan from Good Shepherd came for one year to study the life and writings of St Jean Eu‐des.
She was living with the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity in a commu‐nity located in the town centre
of Caen, near the house of St. Jean Eudes. Later, the idea emerged of creating a small welcome house for four young students in the house of St. Jean Eudes.
On the March 25, 2009, the pro‐ject was accepted and approved by our two Congregations. The project has been delayed, but the centre will be opened in September, 2010.
Gsn 235 5 July 2010
East Asia Province
GOLDEN JUBILEE BLESSINGS Accept, O Lord, from your throne above, my everlasting canticle of love.
working in residential care and in the administration center in Chunchon. In 1996 Sister Bon was missioned to Thailand where she served as provincial secretary until 2008. She now teaches English and helps in the different ministries in Bangkok.
Sr. Bon made her novitiate and h e r F i r s t Profession in Los A n g e l e s , California. She then returned to
the Philippines and worked in
In 1866 during the life time of SME, the Good S h e p h e r d Mission in Burma ( M y a n m a r ) began. Sr. Joan
was one of the first native Burmese Sisters to join the Congregation. She made her novitiate and her First Profession
in Singapore and returned to Myanmar to work in the different ministries. She made her Final Profession in 1965. In the same year, all the mission schools were nationalized and the missionaries were expelled. Our missionary Sisters wrote in the Annals “Good‐bye to the Land of Pagodas, Good‐bye to the Land of Peacocks, Good‐bye to our Beloved Burma (Myanmar). At that time there were only ten Burmese Sisters, and among them Sr. Joan was the only perpetually professed Sister.
Our Sisters left Myanmar and went to Rome, England and India. While waiting to return, they did their professional studies in India. After the turbulent period they returned to Myanmar and the re‐founding of our mission began. Sr. Joan was among the group of Sisters who returned for the refounding of our Mission. The refounding Sisters had a very special experience. It was a Paschal Experience of death and resurrection.
Baguio City as a group mother. Sister made her perpetual profession in 1968 in Quezon City ‐ Philippines and was missioned to Korea where she worked as a residential coordinator until 1973. In 1973 Sister was missioned to Hong Kong and worked in the different ministries. She was re‐missioned to Korea in 1984,
Sr. Mary Bonaventure Mirasol 28 August 2010
Sr. Mary Joan Andrews 21 April 2010
Laying the Foundation Stone in Cambodia
On the 31 May we laid the foundation stone in Cambodia. About 150 of our Cambodian women, girls and children were present for the ceremony. It was a simple prayerful service.
The foundation stone was blessed and symbolically placed in the ground. After the blessing we invited the women and children to offer their trees and plants that they would like to see growing in their new center. We take this opportunity to thank all our Sisters and Benefactors for their great concern and support of our project in Cambodia. As we laid the Foundation Stone we
prayed with deep gratitude for all our Benefactors.
(From Left to Right) Michelle, Supaporn, Jiemjit,
Kevin, Kanyanee
Gsn 235 6 July 2010
Preparation for Final Profession
Our temporary professed Sisters from Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam began their 3 month preparation in Pattaya, Thailand. Sr. Juliana Devoy from the North East Asia Province gave an eight day session on Good Shepherd Spirituality. The preparation for final profession will include a 30 day retreat which will be directed by Sr. Elizabeth Lim RGS and Sr. Therese Chye RGS from the Singapore Malaysia Province. The temporary professed Sisters will make their final profession in August in their own countries. We ask you to remember them in your prayers.
Missioned to the Spirituality Center, Angers…..
It was my personal experience as a novice with the Good Shepherd missionaries in Thailand that awakened in me the desire to be like them one day. In fact, I felt deeply called to become a missionary for the first time during my novitiate. From that time on, my missionary zeal kept burning in me. Now after 10 years in the Congregation, our Shepherd God has prepared a GREAT mission for me. I am really
excited to be a member of our Mother House Community. This is a dream I had never dreamt of! I am just trying to imagine what it is like being in the Mother House, the place where our Mother Foundress started her great mission with and for the poor and the most abandoned, and it is also the place where each of us, the Good Shepherd people, find the beginning of our life's journey as Shepherdesses. It is truly beyond my imagination! I pray
that our Mother Foundress will intercede for me to have enough courage and zeal to carry out my mission.
Sr. Rebecca Kay Thi oo
The idea for a Global Catholic AIDS Network first emerged at a meeting convened in Geneva in 2006 and attended by Catholic organizations with major engagement in the global response to AIDS. The need for such a network was stressed again at several meetings, such as the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City in 2008 and ICAAP in Bali, Indonesia in August 2009. In May, 2010 Sr. Pranee Siti RGS and Antonia Symonds, a lay partner, from the Nongkhai Community in Thailand, attended the first workshop of the Asia‐
Pacific Catholic HIV/AIDS Network, at the Camillian Pastoral Care Center in Bangkok. The four‐day workshop was attended by 89 participants involved in AIDS ministries from 15 countries in the Asia Pacific region. Following the workshop, 5 participants from Timor Leste, China and Japan, returned with Sr. Pranee and Antonia to Nongkhai for a further four day exposure in the Good Shepherd HIV/AIDS programmes. The guests participated in an interchange of information with the GS Outreach
Staff, a dialogue with nurses working with our patients in the Nongkhai Hospital, visits to different projects for people living with HIV/AIDS. The challenges of working with those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS are of course different in each country, but our common response must be the same: through our presence and using a holistic approach, to provide the medical support necessary but at the same time, to give dignity, hope, a sense of belonging and the surety of being loved.
Responding to the challenges of HIV/AIDS
Gsn 235 7 July 2010
Sector of Senegal
EVENTS IN OUR SECTOR OF SENEGAL
Standing from left to right: Maria, Marie Noël, Hilaria, Juanita, Carmela, Philomène. kneeling from left to right: Germaine, Andréa, Jeanne, Eugénie, Emma, Brigitte and Mariam.
On April 24, 2010 at the same time that we celebrated the 175th anniversary of the Generalate, the 70th anniversary of the canonization of St. Mary Euphrasia and the 10th anniversary of the Lay Associates in Senegal, we had the joy of welcoming a new member, Philomène Thiaw, who made her First Profession.
As we do each year, we come to share the main events of the marvelous history that the Lord writes daily with us in the mission in Senegal. We give thanks to our faithful God who teaches us to be witnesses of his tenderness day after day in community and in the apostolate. Moments of Joy and of Formation Departure for studies: In September, 2009, Sr. Yvonne Bambara left for Canada to study for a masters degree in social service. Return from studies: Sr. Germaine Diatta after 3 years of study in Canada and Sr. Marie Noël Tendeng after 5 years of study in France returned to Senegal in June and in August, 2009. Arrivals: We welcomed with joy 2 missionaries – Sr. Mariam Fadl (from Egypt) and Sr. Hilaria Puthirikkal (from India) We had the echo of the Congregational Chapter 2009 on October 24 and 25, 2009 in Dakar. On March 7, 2010, we had an experience of recollection in the Sector animated by 3 Sisters (Jeanne Ndene, Juanita Renos Dano and Hilaria Puthirikkal) who had participated in the session “Journeying Together Toward Transformation”. The entrance of Virginia Silga (from Burkina Faso) into the noviciate in France on March 22, 2010 was a source of joy.
From May 25 to June 2, we had the canonical visit of Sr. Armelle Dehennault. This was a moment of intense reflection for us on the restructuring of our communities and our apostolates. We had a celebration when we received our new Constitutions.
First Profession of Philomène Thiaw
We have the joy to announce to you that the preparations for the foundation in Burkina Faso are well underway. We recommend this project to your prayers and we wait for you as missionaries. Sad Events We experienced a very painful event: the call of the Lord into eternity of our dear Sister Marie Renée Moci on January 10, 2010. She was one of the foundresses of Senegal. Yes, one of our great baobab trees has left us. May the Lord grant her the peace and the reward promised for all the good that she brought to the people of Senegal and may she continue to pray for us from above.
The departure of courageous, devoted missionaries. Sister Marie Marthe, after 30 years in Senegal, returned to France on April 10, 2010. Sister Carmela Nora Rodriquez, after 20 years, returned to Peru on July 5. We are very grateful for their service and presence in the mission. May the Lord grant them the grace and the health to continue the mission. United with you in the big family of the Good Shepherd around the world. Your Sisters in Senegal. Left Sr Magdalena Franciscus with
Virginia Silga
Gsn 235 8 July 2010
Asia Pacific Justice and Peace Workshop Madonna Heights, Kuala Lumpur: 12 ‐15 June 2010
Between 12th and 15th June 2010, 25 Good Shepherd Justice and Peace contact persons and representatives met at Madonna Heights, Kuala Lumpur for a four day workshop. Present also were Srs Maria Rose, Province leader of India/Nepal, the Justice and Peace link person with the Asia Pacific Circle, Sr. Joan Lopez, Province leader of Singapore/Malaysia, Sr. Winifred, the Congregation’s NGO representative at the UN and Sr. Sutisa Utalun, the NGO designate for the Region. Sr. Stella from Saipan was also invited to be a participant. The theme of the workshop was: Creating New Pathways for Justice in the Asia Pacific Region. There were three objectives: 1. To establish a clear and strong sense of identity as the Good Shepherd Asia Pacific Justice and Peace Network. 2. To develop an overview of the issues of current concern in the different countries in the region and to share something of the rich diversity of the cultures in Asia Pacific. 3. To provide a venue for discussion of current issues around the four
justice priorities of the region: Migration, Anti‐trafficking, Economic Justice and Care for the Earth. To articulate a clear statement of principles and common actions as the Good Shepherd Asia Pacific Justice and Peace Network. During the four days of the workshop, participants listened and learned: From the reports from each of the countries in the Region. From Rosario Bella Guzman from the IBON Foundation as she gave a comprehensive overview of the situation in the Asia Pacific Region from the perspective of the Regions four priority issues; From Judith Koh who spoke on “Power, Voice and Rights: A Turning Point for Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific”; From Sr Winifred Doherty who gave a very clear and engaging insight into how our special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the UN actually works for us. The challenge for participants was to bring their experience and all they were hearing in the workshop days
to consideration of action on the four regional priorities of human trafficking, migration, economic justice/poverty and ecological justice. In workshop groups they studied causes and effects and proposed action plans which were finally narrowed down to four concrete plans for each group:
Participants in working groups. Human Trafficking: A comprehensive program of awareness raising actions targeted at the community as a whole. Migrants: A program of awareness raising and advocacy targeted at employers and employer groups. Poverty/Economic Justice: A strategy aimed at ensuring fair and just employment practices in all Good Shepherd communities, organizations and projects in our region, as part of a process of ensuring good practice in our own facilities before tackling unjust practices in the wider community. Ecological Justice: Awareness raising activities targeted at Good Shepherd communities, agencies and projects and also at the wider community. A member of the Core Team will work with each issue group to assist in keeping up the momentum to action. Continued on page 9
Participants of the worshop
Creating New
Pathways for Justice in the Asia Pacific
Region.
Gsn 235 9 July 2010
“Girl’s Education:an end to Poverty” April 2010
Dear Ms. Doherty, Let me express my sincere gratitude for your participation in our Briefing “Girl’s Education: An End to Poverty?” Your opening statement on the work of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Ethiopia was a powerful and encouraging example of how progress for girls and women can be achieved through individual efforts to promote girl’s education. The pictorial expose and personal stories of these girls, growing up and becoming leaders in their local communities demonstrated very clearly that the investment in girl’s education produces progress and development not only for the individual woman but also for her community, her country and by extension the continent in which she lives. This was further underscored by your remark that education also helps to prevent the exploitation and marginalization of girls and women for example through prostitution, female genital mutilation, early marriage and or teen pregnancy. This example will hopefully serve as an example for our NGO community and inspire them to do their part
in achieving further progress for girl’s education. Thank you again for your participation, and please enjoy the attached photos of the event. Sincerely,
Sister Winifred Doherty, Good Shepherd NGO Representative in New York participated in a panel on “Girl’s Education, an end to poverty” in April 2010. Here is the letter she received from the Department of public information.
Asia Pacific Justice and Peace Workshop
Empowering women in Ethiopia
http://www.cnewa.org/source‐images/mag‐images/magimages‐35‐3/0509_ethiowomen_p2W/index.html
http://marieheleneh.wordpress.com
http://winifredd.wordpress.com
In the four days there was time also for relaxation, fun and enjoyment of one another’s cultures in the Solidarity Night, the Malay Cultural Show and other
outings that were planned for the participants by Gloria Bon, the justice contact person in Malaysia. A debt of gratitude is owed to the Singapore/Malaysia Province and the Madonna Heights community for hosting the workshop and to the Good Shepherd partners who generously gave their time and work to make things run smoothly, effectively and enjoyably. Participants left Madonna Heights with a renewed sense of
commitment and energy for their mission as justice and peace contact persons. Asia Pacific Core Team: (Mrs Gloria Bon and Sisters Maureen Catabian, Madonna Wimaladasa, Anne Manning and Sutisa Utalun)
Left Gloria Bon and Teresa Simons
Gsn 235 10 July 2010
GOOD SHEPHERD INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE AND PEACE OFFICE INTERNSHIP DISCOVERING THE UNITED NATIONS AND SOMETHING ELSE…
Yolanda Sanchez RGS GSIJP
Communications Coordinator
I wanted to share my experience of six months of Internship at the Good Shepherd International Justice and Peace Office in New York. I started on January 29th 2010 and will complete on July 25th. My experience has two aspects: my work at the GSIJP office and the United Nations and my life in the community at Maspeth. I will begin by sharing my life in community. When I arrived, the community consisted of Sister Eileen (who is the leader), Sister Ellen (provincial leader), and Sisters Karen, Rosalyn, Thomas, Marta Iris (from Nicaragua) and Marie Helene Halligon (France) both of whom have returned to their countries. A first step was to begin to understand the language and keep up with my new community. I found the Sisters very open, welcoming and understanding, especially when I first arrived and did not speak very good English. A community living intense times of prayer and sharing especially at dinner (when we are all at home) was a great support to me. During the day everyone was out at their own work.
I can say I was integrated into this community. During this time I had the opportunity to know of and hear about the different ministries of the sisters: National Advocacy Center; Child Care and Development; Pastoral Services (Ecumenical Involvement, Pastoral Counseling, Spiritual Direction); Residential Services for women and children in difficult situations, victims of sexual abuse, and domestic violence. I also had the opportunity to meet and participate in a sale of Handcrafting Justice and learn about the beautiful work done with the help of many Good Shepherd volunteers. The work at the Good Shepherd International Justice and Peace Office and the United Nations was a great experience. I participated in different meetings: UN Commission Meeting ‐ Commissions on Social Development, Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Sustainable Development – and NGO Committee Meetings which included Working Group on Girls and Advocacy, NGO Committee on Social Development, NGO Committee on Financing for Development, NGO Committee on Migration, and other networks e.g. Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (Network). Other meetings and training areas in which I participated were: Orientation to the United Nations, preparation for Commission Meeting, participation in Beijing +15, meetings of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), The Permanent Forum of Indigenous Peoples, together with a Workshops on Communication and visits to the following United Nations Permanent Missions of Colombia, Canada, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of Congo My internship has been a time of seeing and living the work done in the GSIJP Office. I know some of the
different conventions and protocols, that maybe a big help in our ministry and mission. All that I have been exposed to and have learned are valuable tools to further our mission with women and girls particularly those trafficked, forced to migrate or oppressed by abject poverty. One point I want to emphasize is the value of networking and collaborating with different NGO’s both religious congregations and civil society groups. I have much to say and share. I cannot finish without highlighting the richness of working in teams, completing tasks entrusted to me and taking initiatives. I did my work with love, took responsibility and had a great desire to learn. One great achievement has been the improvement of my English verbal skills. I can only thank God for this very rewarding experience and for all I’ve had the opportunity to learn. I thank God for my Province of Bogota that allowed me to have this time and for the Sisters whose words of encouragement sustained me. I thank God for the Province of New York and my special community of Maspeth. I thank Winifred for her teaching and her great patience with me. For each person I met during this time I ask God’s blessing and I entrust to God my new assignment as Communications Coordinator in the GSIJP office which I will begin in September 2010 Yolanda Sanchez
Gsn 235 11 July 2010
An Interview of Betty Lapeyre by Sr. Marie Françoise Mestry
“I also enormously appreciated the concept of working to help people in need in the poorest regions of the world.”
What was involved in the internship?
It needed to have a duration of 6 month. It began in January 2010 and finished in July 2010. It took place in the Mission Development Office whose role is to support the Good Shepherd missions in Asia, Africa and South America. My role within the Office can be defined as Program Assistant. What activities did you carry out? The activities can be classified in 4 wide fields. Elaboration and the revision of pro‐jects and of reports: This was definitely the most time consuming of the tasks. I worked on 7 countries (Angola, Brazil, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Pakistan) and composed and/or revised 5 reports and 5 project proposals. In concrete terms, after receiving the project or report sent by the Sisters in the field, I had to study the file, verify that all the necessary documents are present, add necessary the
and cultures, it was with great pleasure that I was responsible for many translations. I worked in 5 different languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. The translations took on various forms: PowerPoint, official documents, on the Foundation’s website and projects/reports; as well as different themes and naturally some required specific vocabulary (for example financial terminology etc.)
Research Obviously the Internet was a great support tool for my work. I worked at length on the subject of the human trafficking for the projects in Brazil and India. Given that it is a very specific field and that something with which I was not familiar, I carried out extensive research on official sites (such as the UN, CIA) or within official reports to obtain key information on the subject.
What are you studying at University and how did you hear about this internship?
My name is Betty Lapeyre, I am 21 and I come from Lyon, France. I am currently enrolled in Master 1 of Management Intercultural Communication at the Faculty of Translation and International Relations, Catholic University, Lyon. During my 4th year I participated in an internship in the 2nd semester a professional internship in Italy in a NGO or association…
Being personally interested by the domain of the development, languages and international relations, I began researching this sector.
Then, I enrolled in one of Lyons association "Pasa Por te", that is in charge of finding internships for students abroad. Thus, I chose this internship with the Mission Development Office in Rome, in the Generalate of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
information to fill out the proposal, or again to reorganize the content in accordance with the donor’s expectations. Communication: I worked as much with internal communications as external. In terms of internal communications: I put together various official letters to send to the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Africa, Asia or South America to request information, to reply to their requests and to send correspondence to the whole Congregation (for example, to inform the Sisters of Sister Mary Claude Naddaff who was awarded the prize of 2010 International Women of Courage). Regarding external Communi ‐ cations: I put together some articles (on the catastrophe in Haiti for example), I added news concerning the Sisters of the Good Sisters throughout the world and updated the news on missions in certain countries (Brazil for example) on the Foundation’s website. Translation
Being a lover of foreign languages
Betty Lapeyre trainee at the Mission Development Office
Gsn 235 12 July 2010
Interview of Betty Lapeyre
Last March 20, 2010, three young women, Elga Marina Lopez (from Honduras) Sara Galindo (Peru‐Costa Rica) and Elizabeth Aragon (Nicaragua) made their First Profession of Vows in the Province of Central America. Their life is like young olive branches as they consecrated themselves to the Lord after a period of formation and the ceremony was celebrated simultaneously in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Their formation was in the Interprovincial Novitiate in El Salvador and Paraguay. On April 24, feast of St. Mary Euphrasia, there was another joyous occasion when Sr. Sandra Icabalceta, a Nicaraguan, pronounced her Perpetual Vows after an enriching juniorate in the interprovincial formation. In these festive celebrations, the Sisters, accompanied by their families, “entered the temple” full of joy, their faces serene and their eyes
fixed on Him in whom they have trusted. The feast then continued joyfully, for as the Neo‐Catechumenates of Honduras said, “A new spouse of the Lord deserves a grand feast.” While we recall that “the harvest is great and the laborers are few,” we admire these young women who said YES and gave their life for the Kingdom so that “others may have life in abundance.” They desire to be a risen and merciful presence in a world marked by so many signs of death. We know that the heart of Mary Euphrasia vibrated joyfully with ours at this beautiful response of love. We ask blessings from the Lord for Sandra, Elizabeth, Sara and Elga Marina in this new stage of their life. May St. Mary Euphrasia and St. John Eudes accompany their steps and may Mary, Mother of our congregation, help them reach the grace of fidelity every day of their life.
MESSAGES TO MY SISTERS IN THE CONGREGATION
Sandra Icabalceta – Nicaragua Final vows
“On this day of my Final Vows, I thank each one for accompanying me during the whole process of initial formation. I felt your fervent prayers so strongly, thank you for all the moments of encounters, for your example, for the smiles, and the words of encouragement.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd has conquered my heart. Love to all!”
“LIKE YOUNG OLIVE BRANCHES” Central America
What do you consider to be the positive elements of this experience? I experienced many positive elements during my internship. First of all, from a professional standpoint, between my arrival in the office and the end of the internship, I learned so much especially in the areas of the development and humanitarian issues. In addition, I learned to organize my work and to prioritize. I also learned so much from a linguistic point of view, notably to create documents in a foreign language. Finally, I discovered work in an international context and learned to manage the cultural and linguistic differences in the work place. But there were equally positive elements from a personal point of view. Being my first
experience in a professional environment, I discovered work in an office and how to interact with my colleagues, notably with my boss Lidia, with whom I organized weekly meetings to exchange our ideas and to define the work to be done. I also enormously appreciated the concept of working to help people in need in the poorest regions of the world. Finally, I think that this experience allowed me to widen my vision of the world and to respect difference and diversity. In fact, working in an organization
composed principally of Religious Sisters was unknown to me and it allowed me to discover another very enriching and human‐centered reality. Do you think that your experience in the Mission Development Office will be beneficial to your career? I believe that this professional experience in the Mission Development office will be beneficial for my future as it allowed me to gain insight into the development sector. In fact, I identified very much with the values inherent to this sector: assistance to the people who most need it, respect for others, perseverance and courage of the Sisters in the field... Finally, I think that it gave me a good idea of what it means to work in international context, including languages and communication. And I wish to continue on this road…
Gsn 235 13 July 2010
Good Shepherd News
While each unit is encouraged to send articles anytime during the year, we have planned that there are specific editions when each unit is asked to submit an article so that at the end of the year all the units have been part of Good Shepherd News.
Please send articles on or
before the 5th of each month. Here is the suggested schedule:
January Commissions, CLT, Bogota, Bolivia/Chile, South Africa
February Argentina/Uruguay, Lebanon/
Syria,Mexico March
Belgium/France/Magyarorszag, Mid‐North America, Egypt/Sudan
April Philippines, Portugal, Peru, Australia/
Aoteraoa/New Zealand May
Spain, The Isles, Angola/ Mozambique, Medellin
June Centro America, Northeast
Asia July
East Asìa, Senegal August
Italia/Malta , Singapore/ Malaysia, Deutschland
September Nederland, New York, Canada,
Ecuador October
Sudeste de America Latina,Sri Lanka/ Pakistan, Venezuela
November
Japan, Kenya, Great Britain,
Österreich/Schweiz/Czech Rep
December
India/Nepal, Indonesia, Ireland/
Ethiopia
Calendar 2010
Good Shepherd News Special thanks to the following for the translations
Adriana Peréz, Mexico; Delia Rodriguez Perú; Yolanda Sanchez, Colombia; Graciela Mendez, Argentina; Narcissa Vivanco, Equador; Helen Anne sand, USA; Rosario Ortiz, Spain; Maria Janina M.Ponte, Venezuela; Mary James Wilson, Philippines; Pilar Martínez, Claire Alessandri, Elaine Raher, Generalate; Marie Hélène Halligon, Michel Ferrer, France;
Eddy Astruc, Leila Hurgobin, Mauritius
MESSAGES TO MY SISTERS IN THE CONGREGATION
Elizabeth Aragón ‐ nicaragüense
“Greetings, dear sisters! On this very special day, I should say “My beloved is mine and I am my Beloved’s” I am full of joy, peace and gratitude to God for paying attention to my littleness and making me part of His Plan. Thanks to every Sister for your prayers and words of affection. Thank you for the accompaniment, the support and for being an important part of my formation. Thanks to You, Good Shepherd, for choosing me and trusting me to continue your work. And to you, Mother Euphrasia for welcoming me with open arms and showing me how to be a lamb before being a Shepherd, and thus manifest the humanity and the merciful love of Jesus Good Shepherd.”
Egla Marina López hondureña “Thanks to all the sisters for the help offered. Their dedication, sacrifices and love has sown the seed of gratitude in my heart. The witness of the sisters in the different communities is unforgettable , especially those in Germania where I had the most beautiful experience of my life. I enjoyed this great day and felt so loved by God, by my sisters, my family and friends from the NeoCatechumenate and our village neighbors. Everything was an experience of happiness and joy, of enthusiasm and dreams from which I am drawing the strength for my new life as a professed sister. In you, Jesus the Good Shepherd has shown me His love and mercy!
Sara Beatriz Galindo, Costa Rica Dear Sisters, let us love ever more each day with Jesus Good Shepherd. Let us deepen our love, return to the fount of His Heart. Let us drink Life in the Word and have a powerful experience of God. Let us discover life from Him, as the world today imposes its relativism, trying to obscure God’s presence in the life of persons. Society challenges us to give true witness. The Heart of Jesus lives among us and impels us to search for the lost
sheep, especially for the most difficult. Today, more than ever, I am filled with hope, loving profoundly my Good Shepherd vocation.
