Sr Mary Drum reflected on the gospel call of these Easter weeks and the spirit of our beginnings here in Australia. The following is an excerpt. Speaking of our Founder, Fr Hubert Linckens, MSC and his vision, she said, “Thus, for our founder, integral to our call is to have the Nationality of Love.
As our current constitutions say of our mission, “In the light of the Gospel, we are to respond to the needs of our day and assume the risks of this challenge.”
So although the congregation was only founded in 1900, since the need was urgent the first Sisters sailed for the Marshall Islands and New Britain in 1902, just two years after their foundation.
Thus, the beginning of our Congregation here in Australia was in response to the need for rest and recuperation for our Missionary Sisters who had been working in the New Britain /New Ireland area of P.N.G. for just over a quarter of a century.
It is impossible here to recount in detail all that happened in the succeeding years……………. responding to the needs of the day, in diverse ways in many contexts. And this too was in keeping with a key belief of our founder who held that:
Times change, but wise are those who go along with the present, evaluate it, understand it and utilize it.
Now- as the 90th anniversary year of our sisters arrival in Australia draws to a close we can look back with wonder and gratitude :
* wonder – at all that has been accomplished in spite of difficulties and our human limitations
* gratitude – to all who have faithfully accompanied and helped our Sisters through the years: former members of the Congregation; family members; nursing and hospital staff; school staff; parents; parishioners; priests; other religious congregations, past pupils; friends; advisors and our dear deceased members.
And above all *gratitude – to God – who shared with us the love of the Heart of Jesus as the inspiration and the foundation of all.
2019 brings a new time and new challenges for us as a Province, as well as challenges for our Australian society and for our world. But, we seek to go forward to the future with courage and confidence trusting in God’s providence praying that the Heart of Jesus will be loved everywhere – forever. Alleluia ! Alleluia !”
