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A strong desire for going to the Mission was the opportunity…

2020-01-11
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 I was born in Austria in 1932, and have 10 brothers and sisters. We were a happy family. However, in my schooling years, I could not attend the school daily. Because of the second world war, there were less teachers, and I could attend only few lessons.
The first time I felt that I wanted to go to “the missions abroad” was in the middle of my teen, when I saw some photos of sisters and the Children in Africa in the mission magazine called Stadt Gottes (Kingdom of God), published by Divine Word Missionaries. These images remained in me all the time.
 
After that, a friend of mine, who attended Sunday Mass together with me said that she was going to join a convent. That was the convent in my home town and was not the mission congregation but a local congregation (a religious order, not going to the foreign land, but doing the apostolate in the country). Sisters took care of the sick and the elderly in that area. Until then, I had never thought of joining a religious congregation, but when recalling the photo of sisters with the African children, “going to the mission abroad” suddenly became alive in me.
 
My parish priest belonged to Augustinians (Ordo Sancti Augustini, O.S.A.). When I told him about my desire to join the congregation and I did not know what to do, he introduced me Mission Congregation of the Servants of the Holy Spirit (SSpS) to me saying that it was a good congregation with mission spirituality. And he wrote for me an introducing letter to the head-quarters of the Holy Spirit Sisters in Stokerau, Austria. I had never been there, and there were no relatives. I was happy, but at the same time, leaving home was sad and painful since those days, once entering a religious order, one couldn't go back home again.
Sisters studying for mission sending
When I arrived at Stockerau, I felt that it was my place. In the fourth year after my first vows, I was sent to study in Steyl, Netherlands, which was the founding place of the Holy Spirit Sisters. It was necessary to learn the teaching of the Catholic Church properly in order to go to mission countries and teach the children.
All six of us got mission appointment to different countries. Mine was to Japan. It was very shocking to me. I sent a letter to the Generalate in Rome, asking what I could do in Japan and, by all means, I would not be able to go. However, the reply was, “Do not worry but GO. Japan province will take care of you whatever is necessary”.
 
It took one month by ship from Austria to reach Hong Kong. From there, I got separated from the other two sisters who were heading to the Philippines, and I became alone. I arrived at Tokyo by plane. It was January, 1960.
The first impression of Japan was that there were still traces of defeat from the war. There was plenty of work to do, and I was not given opportunity to go to the School and learn Japanese. So, I learned Japanese from Japanese sisters and staff by working with them. Holy Spirit Sisters came to Japan in 1908. Started in Akita, Sisters were already in Aichi Prefecture, Kanazawa and Tokyo; working at Hospitals, Kindergartens, and at School education and many staff were working with us.
 Later on, I got an opportunity to study Japanese in Tokyo for a year. I also studied cooking and got a certificate, then worked mainly in the hospital kitchen.
First sisters sent to South Korea from Japan in 1987
After doing missionary service in Japan over 25 years, I was sent to Korea in 1987. It was to start a new community of the Holy Spirit sisters in Korea. There were many Catholics in Korea and the sisters were well accepted. Through patience, carefulness and love of the sisters, the communities grew faster, got vocations, and then we could send Korean sisters to other countries. After
fulfilling the mission in Korea for several years, I returned to Japan Province. I helped with the household work in the convent until I moved to Bethania community (a community for elderly).
Jesus, the Lord of Mission, has been blessing our patience and hard work. I am sincerely grateful that I could overcome many hardships, not because of my abilities, but my faith in God and freely given grace of vocation from God.
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