Sister Rosemary Schmalz

Sister Rosemary Schmalz

Sister Rosemary ministered 38 years teaching mathematics and training future teachers of mathematics. After retiring from this ministry, she served as General Secretary for seven years. Currently, she updates the Congregation's member database, serves when needed at Linden Leaf Gifts, experiments with vegan recipes, and dabbles in art.

Grateful for the gifts of each day

The days have gently slipped by, and I have only a few more weeks with my loving sisters in this small village on this beautiful island of Sri Lanka.
We walked, climbed, and gazed, almost always in the hot sun. To enter into the area around any of the shrines, one had to remove shoes and hat, which meant that one was even more vulnerable to the blazing sun and the hot paving stones and sand that surrounded the shrines. At the end of each day, we were exhausted but grateful for its gifts.

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Elections and papal visit in Sri Lanka

Sister Rosemary Schmalz, who is ministering in Sri Lanka, attended a papal Mass at Galle Face Green, an expanse of beach often used for such gatherings. The pope celebrated Mass and also canonized Joseph Vaz. Father Vaz was a priest from Goa, India who came to Sri Lanka under cover during the Dutch persecution of Catholics here.

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Cards and Christmas carols

So Advent has arrived. There is a lovely Advent wreath in the chapel and another in the church. To my surprise, the novices don't know "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." The prominent Advent song here seems to be "O Come, Divine Messiah," which they sing quite slowly. I taught the novices "Stay Awake, Be Ready," a children's Advent song that includes some clapping. I invite you to look it up and make a joyful noise.

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