Merciful Brothers of Maria Hilf
The Brothers of Charity of Mary Help ( lat. : Fratres Misericordiae Mariae Auxiliatricis , religious symbol : FMMA ) are a 1850 by Blessed Peter Friedhofen in Weitersburg in Koblenz , founded Catholic congregation .
history
The first parent company was in the old town of Koblenz . The Peter Friedhofen Chapel named after its founder was built here in 1854 . In 2013 the religious order wants to return to its first mother house, today's Peter-Friedhofen-Haus, in Koblenz. The aim of the community is to be there for sick, old, handicapped and socially disadvantaged people and to realize the Augustinian community of faith, life and work as a “small church”. The headquarters of the community is in Trier . There is the General Motherhouse with the seat of the Superior General. There are also conventions in Germany in Koblenz, Paderborn and Zemmer (Schönfelderhof). There are further branches in Luxembourg City, Strasbourg (France), Lucerne (Switzerland), Maringá (Brazil), Ipoh (Malaysia) and Singapore.
The order members live according to the Augustine rule . The model is the community of life and property of the first Christians in Jerusalem.
Some statements from the Constitutions of the Brothers of Mercy of Maria Hilf
- Christ cared about the poor, the weak and the sick on earth. In his name and commission, we brothers continue this ministry here and today. (Lf 201)
- As Brothers of Mercy we are in the middle of the world. We strive to be a living testimony to the merciful love of God and to make it credible to the sick in particular. This is how Christ's presence should become visible through us. (Lf 208)
- Since we have given ourselves completely to God through profession, we now also use all of our abilities, strengths and interests to ensure that (...) his kingdom of love is spreading more and more on earth. (Lf 212)
- Where trust, warm benevolence and genuine friendship are at home in the fraternal community, we find our home and the place to overcome crises and stresses. (Lf 312)
- Through the vow of poverty we promise the Lord that we will seek and live by that attitude. Out of love for him, we commit ourselves to a simple, undemanding way of life and also renounce the free disposal of earthly goods. (Lf 315)
- Our life in community leads us, like the first Christians, to common possession of spiritual and material goods. (Lf 317)
- By sharing experiences in the spiritual life, we give our brothers and sisters a share in the gifts of God that we have received ourselves. (Lf 318)
- To the extent that each individual strives to recognize and live the will of God, Christ will also be present in the community and show it the paths that he has determined for our community for the present day. (Lf 326)
- Own initiative and happy, responsible cooperation are not contrary to the ideal of obedience; rather, we see in them the prerequisites for fruitful activity in our community. (Lf 330)
- Through living communion with Christ we are at the same time in living communion with our brothers. (Lf 402)
- The same calling, the common path and the one goal have brought us together as a community of brothers. Following Christ can only be fully realized with us in and as a community. (Lf 501)
- Love arouses mutual respect and trust in one another and leads to the affirmation of the values and personality of the brotherhood. It also helps us to share our limits and weaknesses with one another. (Lf 502)
- As a fraternal communion - with the Lord in the middle - we are a representation of the church in which Christ continues his work of redemption and leads to perfection. (Lf 503)
- Every brother is jointly responsible for actively contributing to the fact that family community life can unfold simply and warmly in an atmosphere of security. (Lf 506)
- Our religious ideal demands from us a constant effort to become more and more human and more and more Christian. (Lf 603)
- The house community should strive to be one heart and one soul in happy togetherness in praying, working, suffering and sharing their goods and following the example of the first Christians at the time of the apostles. (Lf 729)
assignment
Since the founding of the Congregation, the brothers, and with them many of the co-workers, have been fulfilling their mission in the work and care for sick, disabled, old and disadvantaged people. The Congregation of the Barmherzige Brüder von Maria-Hilf is today in the legal form of the Barmherzige Brüder Trier eV ( BBT-Gruppe ) the carrier of numerous hospitals and care facilities, for example the hospital of the Barmherzigen Brüder in Trier and the facilities for the elderly and the disabled Brothers in Saffig (Eifel). The brothers feel responsible for carrying out Jesus' salvation mission through unconditional and active love for God and neighbor. In addition, they see their mission in the realization of the Augustinian community of faith, work and life as well as in the practice of hospitality.
vow
The so-called three “evangelical counsels” (poverty, obedience and celibate chastity) show that people cannot find the ultimate and perfect fulfillment of their great longings in earthly things alone. In this way they keep open to God and to fellow human beings.
- Poverty: free from worrying about property and security
- Obedience: free from selfish turning around
- Celibate chastity: free from the pursuit of recognition and love because one knows oneself to be loved by God
membership
If a young man feels called into the community, it is first of all a matter of getting to know the community to see whether a life as a Merciful Brother of Maria-Hilf can be the way to fulfill life for him. The aim should be that the candidate's trust in God's promise - "I am with you ... wherever you go" (( Gen 28.15 EU )) - grows so that an attitude of honesty towards oneself arises, in which he can search freely for God's will for his life path. With mutual consent, the 6-month probationary period, the postulate, begins after the decision has been made . This is followed by the 2-year novitiate period as an introduction to religious life under the guidance of the novice master. The novitiate ends with the taking of the temporary religious vows for 2 and then for 3 years. After these 5 years, in which the personal and religious maturity is deepened and a professional education, further training or further education is due, the perpetual profession is made in order to bind oneself finally to God and the community.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Merciful Brothers return to the old town in: Rhein-Zeitung , 9 September 2011