At the beginning of the celebration, Superior General, Sr. Regina Pröls, welcomed the parents, brother and two nephews of our postulant Daniela, as well as the fellow sisters who were and are her companions. Numbers in the house chapel of the mother house were limited due to the Corona precautions. The sisters from the Motherhouse convent were able to participate via the house system.
A central element of the celebration was the clothing of the new novice. Father Dietmar Brüggemann ofm blessed the religious habit which Sr. Regina handed over to the postulant. On handing over the Rule and Constitutions, Father Dietmar recalled that this book contains the accumulated experience of many generations of St. Francis Sisters. Then Daniela withdrew to put on the religious habit.
Eagerly awaited, she returned to the chapel with her dress and white veil (and white face mask). Sr. Regina accepted her into the novitiate and announced the name under which Daniela will walk before the Lord in the future: "From now on you will be called Sr. Jona Marie and under this name you will be accepted into the community of the St. Francis Sisters of Vierzehnheiligen". On this way Sr. Jona Marie is accompanied by Sr. Franziska, the novitiate mistress.
In normal times, the acceptance is followed by the sign of peace - an embrace with which all the sisters present welcome the novice. However, the current situation did not allow this. Nevertheless, the sisters of the motherhouse found a touching sign of their joy and solidarity: Sr. Gunthilde handed over a bouquet with dove-shaped cards with good wishes.
The reading from the Book of Jonah brought home the story of the prophet. His prayer shows a deep experience of God. Father Dietmar also referred to this in his sermon. He related the story of Jonah to our presence, to Sr. Jona Marie and to our life. As "Expedition Kingdom of God" he summarised that God can be experienced in the depths.
By the way: Sr. Jona Marie is one of the two everyday story writers.
Now she will move to the novitiate convent. There Sr. Anna, Sr. Franziska, Sr. Veronika and Sr. Magdalena are already waiting for her. A new phase will begin and from time to time there will certainly be something to read in the everyday stories.