The Monastery Vine is a blog by the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Norfolk. Nebraska. The purpose of this blog is to share with you various topics of interest to various Sisters.
At the end of the day, the goal is to share with you our life, who we are, what we do, and show you what the Lord is working in and through us to the world.
Showing posts with label Sr. Rosann Ocken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sr. Rosann Ocken. Show all posts
Loving greetings from Paradise!Well!The weather and surroundings are about as perfect as one can imagine.
The sun shines gently; I think because it is “winter” now.Temps range usually between 75 and 83.The humidity is generally around 50 %.It rains at least something every day.Sometimes the rains are very strong, but
mostly, it is a nice shower.
This first photo is the front of the convent.The second photo is of the front yard looking
away from the convent.You see we have
such nice green and beautiful flowers.The third photo is the view we have from the back of the house out to
Lake Victoria.
We had our official (once-in-six-years) visitation from our
leadership in Rome.The photo below is
taken of the two “Romans” with our community.Two of our sisters are missing from the photo because they are out of
the country.
This gives you a sense of our community.There is only one Postulant in the photo (on
the left).The other five are in Kenya
having their formation (Postulancy and Novitiate) there.
We took our guests to “The Source of the Nile”.It is just 20 minutes-drive and a small boat
ride away.The photos are on the next
page.It is an amazing experience.I feel like I’m at the naval of the earth!!!
The visitation has taken up most of our energy.
The visitors left on Thursday, so we are only now trying to
get into a normal sense of life here.On
the whole, it is going far better than I imagined.
I am sure your prayers are helping us.Please keep them coming!I will tell you more about the ministries as
I get more acquainted.For now…to thank
you for your loving support and prayers and to let you know that things are
going well-enough. For today…almost time for prayer.Love and prayers to all of you!
(While on home leave Sr. Rosann Ocken, Prioress of Peramiho Priory, sat down with Sr. Inviolata and talked about the work of the sisters in Tanzania-Peramiho Priory. If you would like to learn more about the work the sisters are doing check out www.mbsmissionaries.org.)
The Missionary Benedictine Sisters are doing amazing work
all over the world, but need partners who want to do good. The sisters in
Norfolk try to help our sisters in foreign missions to access partners and
opportunities to help with their missionary work. The sisters are working hard
to be the hands and feet of Christ all over the world.
If someone would like to donate to Sr. Rosann’s mission in
Peramiho they can send donations directly to the Immaculata Monastery with a
note specifying where they want it to go or by going online to mbsmissionaries.org and donating there.
The online donation page is completely secure and goes directly to the sisters.
If others don’t have the resources to share Sr. Rosann says,
“I really do believe all the prayers that are offered just storm heaven for us
and that is so important. I really appreciate the prayers. If people want to
connect with us in friendship and promise us their prayers and spiritual
support that means the world to me.”
(While on home leave Sr. Rosann Ocken, Prioress of Peramiho Priory, sat down with Sr. Inviolata and talked about the work of the sisters in Tanzania-Peramiho Priory. If you would like to learn more about the work the sisters are doing check out www.mbsmissionaries.org.)
The Sisters in Peramiho have a new project that they are
excited to get started on! The sisters run St. Anna’s health center in Uwemba
and do a lot of work with prenatal care and early childhood development. As of
right now, when a woman has complications in her pregnancy and labor she must
travel 40-60 minutes to another hospital for a Cesarean section. With
conditions the way they are, many women and children are dying as a result.
The government wants to create a safer environment for women
to have the operation. They are allowing smaller health centers to create safe
and clean operating rooms to have cesarean sections. The sisters are leading
the cause in the area with creating a Cesarean section department in Uwemba.
One sister will begin schooling in August to further her education to become an
Assistant Medical Officer. She then will be able to do the Cesarean sections
and other minor surgeries.
With the help of an organization in the Netherlands, the sisters
will have some funding to start this project. The Sisters’ hope is to begin
construction in one year and be fully functioning in two years.
(While on home leave Sr. Rosann Ocken, Prioress of Peramiho Priory, sat down with Sr. Inviolata and talked about the work of the sisters in Tanzania-Peramiho Priory. One of their major ministries is the Orphanages where they take care of 80 children. If you would like to learn more about the work the sisters are doing check out www.mbsmissionaries.org.)
For the sisters the cost of running the orphanages is
extremely high. With the decline of German benefactors and the rising costs of
living, the sisters’ expenses are also going up. They have been able to manage
because Sr. Fromunda had enough reserves to keep them going. The sisters depend
on the help of other people to take care of the children alongside the sisters.
The sisters have the role of covering every aspect of cost
of living for the orphans. The cost to cover room and board is $1 per child per
day. That is $80 a day for just room and board, and does not include
healthcare, education and other expenses. The costs are not like those in the
United States, but still are extremely high for the area of Tanzania.
(While on home leave Sr. Rosann Ocken, Prioress of Peramiho Priory, sat down with Sr. Inviolata and talked about the work of the sisters in Tanzania-Peramiho Priory. One of their major ministries is the Orphanages where they take care of 80 children. If you would like to learn more about the work the sisters are doing check out www.mbsmissionaries.org.)
For two young people the Benedictine Sisters are the family
they never had. Having stayed with the sisters in the orphanage from birth,
both have been blessed to find the love and care they needed. For Blessing
Benedict she was found with no connections to her family. The sisters took her
in and adopted her.When legalizing her
paperwork they asked her what she would like her last name to be. Proudly she
told them, “Benedict! I belong to the family of the Benedictine Sisters.” In
Latin Benedict means blessed.
For Marko Kapinga giving back to the sisters who gave him so
much is important. Marko and his siblings have lived at the orphanage since
birth. Their parents were lepers. Marko did exceptionally well in school and
was given the opportunity to go to Catholic University by Sr. Fromunda. He
became a teacher and is now back at the mission teaching the orphans.
Sr. Rosann says that when you see exceptional children if we
have the funds we will do the best we can to educate them. It’s for the good of
the person, but also good for the nation. These children appreciate so much and
they have opportunities they would never have otherwise.
(While on home leave Sr. Rosann Ocken, Prioress of Peramiho Priory, sat down with Sr. Inviolata and talked about the work of the sisters in Tanzania-Peramiho Priory. One of their major ministries is the Orphanages where they take care of 80 children. If you would like to learn more about the work the sisters are doing check out www.mbsmissionaries.org.)
One difficulty with the orphanage is the government takes no
responsibility with orphans. They do not even help cover the cost of education.
The costs to raise them then lands on the sisters that take them in. They must
pay for shelter, food, healthcare, clothing and education. The expenses are
constantly growing.
The sisters work with the social workers in the area to
bring the children that are in need into the orphanage.The families sometimes can’t sustain the
child because of the loss of the mother. The temperatures in Mjimwema get down
to freezing and without a special bond, like the bond between a mother and
child, the children could die. The families are encouraged to visit and bond
with the children while they are at the orphanage before they go back home.
(While on home leave Sr. Rosann Ocken, Prioress of Peramiho Priory, sat down with Sr. Inviolata and talked about the work of the sisters in Tanzania-Peramiho Priory. One of their major ministries is the Orphanages where they take care of 80 children. If you would like to learn more about the work the sisters are doing check out www.mbsmissionaries.org.)
Many years ago Sr. Fromunda started an orphanage in Peramiho
for children of lepers and HIV victims. At one time Sr. Fromunda had 130
orphans funded by German benefactors. Funds from these benefactors have begun
to decline due to the age of the benefactors.
There are now three orphanages that the sisters tend to. The
sisters have begun to decrease the number of orphans they take in, in order to
give higher quality care to those children already with them.
They have recently built a new orphanage in Mjimwema because
conditions at the original orphanage were not good. The area that the
orphanages are at has one of the highest rates of HIV in Tanzania at 22%.
On average the sisters have 20 infants at all times in St.
Anna’s Orphanage in Uwemba. Age ranges from Day one to 2-3 years old. After
three years old the children will go to the Good Shepherd Orphanage in Mjimwema.
The sisters have begun to phase out their Morogoro Orphanage which currently
has approximately 20 children who are continuing their high school or
vocational training education.
(While on home leave Sr. Rosann Ocken, Prioress of Peramiho Priory, sat down with Sr. Inviolata and talked about the work of the sisters in Tanzania-Peramiho Priory.)
The sisters in Peramiho work in many different ministries
around the area. Sr. Rosann explained some of these ministries and they include:
Care for Lepers
In the early years, care for leprosy patients was a major
concern. Because of fear of contamination, lepers were ostracized from their
villages.By 1911 the sisters had
established the leprosy village in Morogoro.Today, treatment of leprosy has changed dramatically and patients remain
with their families while treated as outpatients.However, 40-some elderly residents remain in
Morogoro, as it is the only home they have had for decades.The Sisters also assist another 40 elderly
lepers in the neighboring village of Letisha with monthly food rations.
Care for Orphans
Care for orphaned and vulnerable children began immediately
with the arrival of the early missionaries as they ransomed slave
children.Currently we have three
centers for orphaned and vulnerable children:
1. St. Anna’s Orphanage in Uwemba cares for twenty
infants.Poverty, the high prevalence of
HIV-AIDS and complications of sickness or childbirth leave the children
motherless or totally orphaned.The
sisters and staff see the children through the critical years of infancy and,
when possible, return them to their extended families.
2. Good Shepherd Orphanage in Mjimwema is newly built to
care for 48 children beginning with preschoolers.We focus on the total care and development of
each child, physical, spiritual and emotional.
3. Morogoro Orphanage currently holds approximately 20
children who are continuing their high school or vocational training
education.
Education
Education has consistently remained a top priority of the
sisters throughout the decades. Today the community continues to value this
ministry.
1. Peramiho Girls Secondary School was founded in the 1960s
as one of the first secondary schools to educate girls.Today, the boarding school serves over 300
girls in six levels and remains one of the highest-ranking schools for girls in
the nation.
2. St. Joseph Nursing School in Peramiho was founded by Sr.
Tetwigis following her arrival to Tanzania in 1949.Today our sisters continue to offer superior
education to students in two nursing programs (Level A and Level B Nursing).
3. Dressmaking Vocational Training School in Peramiho offers
young women expert training in women and children’s clothing.This three-year program lays a foundation for
these women who want to establish their careers as seamstresses.
4. St. Gabriel’s Vocational Training School in Uwemba offers
sewing, cooking and overall domestic training to young women.The three-year program focuses on area rural
women who have few options for success.
5. Electrical Vocational Training We are grateful to have a
sister involved in the electrical training school in Peramiho.
6. Good Shepherd Kindergarten in Mjimwema (Songea) is our
newest development.With confidence that
early-childhood education establishes a foundation for learning, in 2014 the
community opened the new school offering English-medium Montessori
training.When the school is fully
established, it will hold 150 children, ages 3-5.
Health Care
Quality health care remains a major challenge in Tanzania.
HIV-AIDS and malaria remain special challenges throughout Tanzania.Our sisters serve the sick primarily in two
locations.
1. St. Joseph Hospital in Peramiho is a 400+-bed facility
owned by the Missionary Benedictine Monks.Our sisters work closely with the administration to provide the best
possible care in the conditions in rural southwest Tanzania.
2. St. Anna’s Health Center in the mountainous area of
Uwemba serves the local people.The
government has recently allowed health centers to have a minor surgery in order
to save the lives of mothers and children. Our current project is to establish
a new surgery suite at St. Anna’s.
Pastoral
In all of our ministries, sharing the love and light of
Christ is our primary purpose.The
sisters are also involved in Basic Christian Communities, catechesis, youth
ministry, etc.
Protection of life at all levels is a high priority, be that
through our existing ministries or through other avenues.
(While
on home leave Sr. Rosann Ocken, Prioress of Peramiho Priory, sat down with Sr.
Inviolata and talked about the work of the sisters in Tanzania-Peramiho Priory.
Over the next few week we will explore that work in a series of blog posts and
videos.)
For the past seven years Sr. Rosann has been missioned to
Tanzania as their Prioress. What has stood out most for her is the joy of the
people. They have a wonderful gift of celebration and a sense of family. It
gives Sr. Rosann an opportunity to do whatever she can for the people of
Tanzania.
Sr. Rosann had very little time to adjust to the new
culture, language and poverty of Tanzania. It was a very stressful time, but
she jumped in with both feet ready to take on the task. She had never been
exposed to that much poverty before and was bombarded with her sense of
responsibility and why God had sent her there.
The first year she was there Sr. Rosann tried to learn as
much as she could of the language. She can do basic language, but still needs
translators for official business and written communication. It’s not easy and
makes relating to the people much more difficult. With the help and love of the
sisters they are making it work and making great progress.
While on home leave Sr. Rosann Ocken, Prioress of Peramiho Priory, sat down with Sr. Inviolata and talked about the work of the sisters in Tanzania-Peramiho Priory. Over the next few weeks we will explore that work in a series of blog posts and videos. One of their major ministries is the Orphanages where they take care of 80 children. If you would like to learn more about the work the sisters are doing check out www.mbsmissionaries.org.
