"His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself and became as men are."  (Phil 2, 6-7)

"Unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest." (J 12,24)

"This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know." (Mk 4,26-27)

DEAR SISTERS AND BROTHERS IN CHRIST,

At the end of this year thanks is sounding in our hearts to the good God, who promoted the growth of the Kingdom of God within us and among us. "Night and day, while we were sleeping or awake", the seed of his Word was slowly sprouting and growing in us. It was a year blessed by mysterious interior dying and growth. A Year of Hope stemming from Christ's assurance that, if the grain dies, it does not remain a single grain, but will bring a rich harvest. Our individual and personal review and deepening of our relationship with Christ was the most important thing for us this year and it brought us closer to God and to one another. It was a time of deep and intensive listening to the heartbeat of Jesus and Mary, a time of silent interior prayer spent in solitude or in Community.

Community spiritual exercises were divided into two stages: the first five days we had in June: We listened to lectures by two speakers recorded on CD: "Spiritual accompaniment and the school of listening" (Fr. Krzysztof Grzywocz) and "Towards interior silence, meditation and adoration" (Fr. M. Jacques de Belsunce). The second part of the spiritual exercises we have planned for the end of October and we have invited Fr. Vaclav Hypius, CSsR, an experienced and longtime Master of Novices, who carefully prepared for us very valuable biblical lectures on the shepherd David and his difficult journey to the royal throne.

Days of Recollection we focused on "How to improve ourselves each day, our relationship with God and others" (subtitle of the book of the well-known Polish Jesuit Krzysztof Osuch: "The general and particular examen of conscience").

Common lectures in the Community we resumed at the start of the academic year 2009/2010. We chose Fr. Mark Kotynski, CSsR and his reflections on the journey of contemplation according to Saint John of the Cross on CD, which our Sisters from Bielsko Biala sent us.  We thank them for sharing these lectures with us.

In addition, Sr. Ludmila completed this year a two-year school for formators led by Polish Salvatorian Fathers. Sr. Lenka completed in Nitra a half-year course on spiritual accompaniment led by Fr. Bernard Mišovic, SJ.

On 25^th March our community increased: Maria Volková from Bratislava came to us as postulant: 20 years old, a girl full of drive and enthusiasm for our spirituality. She joined our novice Zuzana Liščáková, who began her canonical Novitiate on 6^th August. These are two young healthy and viable "wheat seeds" growing up on the soil of our Community and announcing a future harvest.

For the major events that have happened in the life of our Community, we have chosen the following to reflect on:

WINTER - SPRING

• On 9^th February we felt very much afflicted by the message of the death of Sr. Lucia's father. Apart from Sr. Lucia there were Sr. Monika, Fr. Martin Zanovit, Fr. Vaclav Hypius, Fr. Pavol Sendrej and Br. Jozef Mihok as representatives of Redemptorist Family at the funeral ceremony. A month later - on 15^th March - Mons. Jan Zentko, Episcopal Vicar of the Spis Diocese died suddenly, a great Friend and Protector of our Community. The following day his uncle died, the oldest priest of our Diocese, Rev. Stefan Vasilik, who for many years lived in Kežmarok. On the day of their funerals we celebrated the office for the deceased and we offered Masses for the salvation of their souls during the year. In our prayers their memories still remain alive and we hope that they are accompanying us from heaven.
•  In March was published the first Slovak translation of the book of Maria Celeste: Trattenimenti - The Dialogue between the Soul and Jesus, it's Spouse, translated from Spanish by sr. Eva. According to the latest information the editor is already planning the second edition. The book met with acceptance, we got a response from various parts of Slovakia, which shows the interest of people in spiritual literature of this kind.
• On 18^th April around the whole of Slovakia flew the news about the election of the new Archbishop of Trnava: Fr. Robert Bezák CSsR, a former Redemptorist Vice-provincial of the Bratislava Vice-Province. It was both joyful and sad news for us and our Redemptorist Family in Slovakia, as we have to say farewell to a very valuable person and our friend. The Episcopal ordination ceremony held on 6th June in Trnava was attended also by our sisters, sr. Martina and sr. Monika.
• With great diligence and tenacity we sewed liturgical stoles for the General Chapter which recently ended in Rome. We accompanied our Fathers with prayers during the Chapter itself. Congratulations to the new Father General - Fr. Michael Brehl from the Province of Edmonton - Toronto and to the new General government. May they be blessed abundantly with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The election of a new General and plenary sessions we followed with interest through the internet. We thank the organizers for such an opportunity.
• This year we sewed habits "from a distance" not only for fathers from Ireland but also for Novices from Zimbabwe.

SUMMER

• In connection with the year of priests our community decided to pray more for priests and the holy priestly vocation. We decided to pray for them every day with our faithful and in the community, we extended our adoration for the whole Thursday afternoon and every first Thursday we have introduced nightly adoration. Diocesan priests from various parts of Slovakia are increasingly coming to our monastery, looking for spiritual rest and renewal of their strength. We are pleased that we can share our space near the Heart of Jesus with them. Our daily prayer steadfastly supports also the ongoing Second Diocesan Synod in our Diocese Spiš.
• In summer we managed in cooperation with a group of local Roma people to cultivate a whole-fenced enclosure garden. How much it enlivened our hearts when after four years of partial adjustments, we can really heave a sigh of relief and finally fully enjoy the beautiful blooming garden. It is balsam for our souls.
• As in the next year will end a 5 ½-year warranty on construction work of the Monastery, a building firm SEMOS made this summer a number of minor or major repairs. We also had to take care of the wooden elements in our garden (arbor and all the doors in the enclosure wall), which have eroded through time. We have realized that the period of construction begins to replace the period of repairs and maintenance, which also requires considerable financial resources. We decided that in the next year we would like to fence and adjust the remainder of the monastery complex and we believe that with God's help we will get the necessary funds for doing this.
• This summer the cloudburst and following flooding were a big surprise to us. Although we are situated on a hill, our cellars were flooded. Water was pouring down from the upper forest across the whole garden. Fortunately, damage was not on a large scale.
• A precious gift for our community was a two-day visit by Fr. Sabatino Majorano, Professor at the Alphonsian Academy in Rome, in July. During the lectures he gave us, the memories of our formation time spent in Poland were relived and the younger sisters were inflamed with an even greater desire to know more deeply our spirituality and roots.
• On 1^st August we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the religious profession of our Sr. Eva.
• Some days later the whole Slovak nation experienced a disaster, which affected 20 miners in Handlová. With our prayer we tried to mitigate the pain of their closest relatives.
• On 3^rd August, we managed to launch our new website. We would like to continue with improvements and amendments to it and in that way we hope to be closer to the people of our time and bring them the good news of God's love.
• On 28^th August we received - thanks to the initiative of Rev. Maroš Lovič - the relics of St. John Maria Vianney and St. Francis de Sales. They were brought directly from France for the Trnava diocese by Archbishop Robert Bezák, CSSR.
• This year has also been blessed by many visitors. Those who visited us included:
  • sr. Ewa D., sr.Kazimiera and sr. Urszula of Bielsko-Biala, sr. Jarmila, sr. Helena D. and sr. Alena of Vranov - Lomnica,
  • sr. Margaret, sr. Elena, sr. Anastasia and sr. Natasha along with Fr. Volodimir Hruza CSsR, deacons Andryj Salyha, Myron Schevchuk from the Ukraine and br. Robert Muller of Gars, who came to the priestly ordination of our Redemptorist John Zoričák coming from the nearby village Zdiar. A week later we were visited by Fr. Janusz Turek, CSsR, Novice Master of Munich Province and Fr. Jomon Joseph Thondickakazhiyil, Redemptorist from India, both actually residing in Innsbruck.
  • Further on Fr. Krzysztof Wons, SDS, Director of the School of Formation in Poland visited with his Mother
  • Sr. Magdalena Schumman, OSsR, from Lauterach lived with us for three weeks in August'
  • Fr. Edmund Hipp,CSsR, Provincial of the Munich Province together with his Vicar. Fr. Peter Renju, CSsR.
  • Fr. Boleslaw Slota, CSsR and Fr. Stanislaw Odroniec, CSsR of Bielsko Biala visited us this year several times.

AUTUMN

• We gained several new friends:
  • On 30^th August we had the opportunity to know Mr. Wim Schipper from Holland, who stopped by during his cycling tour from the northern most to the southern most tip of Europe. It was a very interesting meeting. We learned a lot about our sisters from the former monastery in Sambeek, which for over 20 years is managed by a group of laymen. Mr. Wim was in the group of the first ones to undertake this work. His journey through Europe was connected with a collection for the reconstruction of the monastery church roof. Mr. Wim brought to us a greeting from sr. M. Cecilia OssR living in Boxmeer.
  • On 14^th September we met with Mrs. Kathy Kloczek and her friend Mrs.Carol Homanics from U.S.A. Mrs. Kathy belonged to a group of Lay Associates of our Sisters in Fort Erie Monastery (Canada), which was closed this year. Since being very close to our Sisters, she knew about us from the circulars letters and she was always very interested in life and events in Slovakia, since both have roots here. The aim of her first trip to Europe and Slovakia was to find her distant relatives. Mrs. Kathy also brought us greetings from the Sisters "beyond the ocean", for which we thank them warmly.
  • On 15^th September we were visited by Mrs. Helena Kordová-Wildeová, a native of Kežmarok. With great interest we listened to the testimony of her personal meeting with Blessed Sister Zdenka, who helped in a prison hospital and she spoke about her about life experiences that hit the family of Zdenka during communist persecution. Despite her difficulties and advanced age she is still exuding peace, love and goodness. We are grateful Mrs. Darina Nevická, her longtime friend, who mediated this precious meeting.
  • Through Mrs. Laffersova, we have established contacts with people with hearing impairment. Our meetings with them are enriching for us, they open our hearts wider and make us sensitive and attentive to the people for whom daily life is not so simple and easy.

• In September our faithful altar server Lukas Trajčík came to take his leave of us: because he joined the Redemptorists. He started postulancy in the Monastery of Podolínec. We accompany him in our prayer on his journey of vocational discernment.
• In early October - we were invited by our friends from Kežmarok - to an annual summer activity (the cooking of goulash in our semi-enclosure garden) with a little change: instead of goulash our experienced cooks prepared traditional Slovak gnocchi and potato-curd boiled on the natural fire.
• The Day of the Enclosed Sister (21^st November) we celebrated with our auxiliary bishop: Mons. Stefan Secka and the new church year 2010, we began with Our Lady of Peace, during the Advent Tridium led by Fr. Philippe Mascarell from the French Community of Beatitudes from France, for us and a group of lay people.

Finally, we would like to thank wholeheartedly all of You - all our Relatives, Benefactors, Friends and You, our beloved Redemptorists Fathers, Brothers, Novices and Students for your continued support and care - especially to You, Fr. Martin, Chaplain of our Monastery Church.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was fertile ground in which God sowed his Word, intercede for all of us and ask for the grace of humble openness and acceptance of the Gift from heaven, which is Jesus Christ, our God and Redeemer.  She may as a good Mother and Teacher always accompany us as we follow Christ.

                                                               Your Sister Redemptoristines from Kežmarok