Two foreign volunteers, Sr. Johanna Stadler (until 15.5.2005) and Susanne Stauffer (until 29.8.2005) are still with us.
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter No. 24 - Two angels made from flesh and blood
Two foreign volunteers, Sr. Johanna Stadler (until 15.5.2005) and
Susanne
Stauffer (until 29.8.2005) are still with us.
21.1.2005: We celebrate the birthday of our foreign volunteer
Susanne Stauffer.
24.1.2005: Bongimpilo Susanne is baptised in danger of death.
26.3.2005: Meagen, Jody, Cameron, Jade, Gerald, Siyabonga, Njabulo, John and
Sihle from Blessed Gérard's Children's Home are baptised
during the Easter Vigil Liturgy at Blessed Gérard's Church.
2.4.2005: 18°° Holy Mass for the dying Pope John Paul II at the chapel of
Blessed Gérard's Care Centre. The Holy Father died at 2137 in the Vatican.
16.6.2005: Farewell of principal caregiver Sandy Porter of
Blessed Gérard's Children's Home and welcome of
Susanne Stauffer as the new principal caregiver.
22. - 30.7.2005: Dr. Andreas Heinze and his wife
Martine Sutter from Beinheim/France
come back to volunteer at Blessed Gérard's Care Centre.
5.8.2005: Children from Blessed Gérard's Children's Home are invited to go to
Brian's Circus.
15.8. - 29.8.2005: Susanne Stauffer's parents come to visit us.
29.8.2005: Susanne Stauffer and her parents depart.
27.10.2005: Susanne Stauffer comes back to
Blessed Gérard's Children's Home
to continue her task as principal caregiver for another year.
29.10. - 12.11.2005: Monika Reimer from München/Germany comes to volunteer at
Blessed Gérard's Care Centre.
9.11.2005: Susanne Stauffer
symbolically hands over the donations she had collected for us, when she was at
home in Ebnath/Germany.
16.11.2005: S'fundo's grandmother is found and takes
him home after he came to us on 3.9.2005.
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter No. 25 -
S'fundo
10 January 2006: Children from Blessed Gérard's Children's Home visiting the
nativity scene outside Blessed Gérard's Church.
11 January 2006: Blessed Gérard's Children's Home received a donation from
Susanne Stauffer's home village Ebnath / Germany
12 January 2006: Back-to-School preparations for
Blessed Gérard's Children's Home.
13 January 2006: Children from Blessed Gérard's Children's Home on an
educational tour to Mariannhill Monastery
21 January 2006: Birthday Celebration for Susanne Stauffer
6 April 2006: Children from Blessed Gérard's Children's Home made a cardboard
castle and present it to Aunty Clare. (last picture of
Clare
Kalkwarf ) See Clare
Kalkwarf's last picture
15 April 2006: We start digging the grave for
Clare Kalkwarf in the presence of
her son Leon and her brother Graham Sprake and his wife Sue.
15 April 2006: Easter Vigil Service with Baptism at
Blessed Gérard's Church with
baptism of Mxolisi, Mpilwenhle, Siyabonga, Nthuthuko and Nothando from
Blessed Gérard's Children's Home.
18 April 2006: Funeral Service
for Clare Kalkwarf at Blessed Gérard's Care Centre
19 April 2006: The Kalkwarf family
plants a tree next to Clare Kalkwarf's grave - in the presence of the
children of Blessed Gérard's Children's Home - as she had wished in a codicil to
her last will and testament.
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter No. 26 - We carry on with Clare Kalkwarf's life work
20 April 2006: Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of the Dedicated Members:
Decisions:
Susanne Stauffer also takes on the responsibilities of the Vice-Manager of the Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard and of Blessed Gérard's Care Centre.
21 - 29 April 2006: Susanne Stauffer goes on home leave
15 May 2006: 6th
anniversary of Blessed Gérard's Children's Home
20 May 2006: Sr. Flicka Will with patients and colleagues at Blessed Gérard's
Hospice
11 June 2006: Outing with children of Blessed Gérard's Children's Home to Durban
Harbour
25 June 2006: St. John's Feast with conferral of the epaulettes to the new (candidate and acting)
dedicated members of the Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard, Father Sipho,
Deacon Thomas Müller and Miss Susanne Stauffer.
23 July 2006: Birthday Celebration for Angelika Müller
13 August 2006: Outing with children of Blessed Gérard's Children's Home to
uShaka Marine World in Durban
27 August 2006: Outing with Johannes Lagleder and children of
Blessed Gérard's Children's Home to Gateway in Umhlanga Rocks
5 September 2006: Another abandoned baby girl (we call her Magdalena Zulu) is
introduced to her new "parent" Susanne Stauffer, the project Co-ordinator of
Blessed Gérard's Children's Home
18 September 2006: Sibusiso (Zulu for Benedict) was the name we chose for a
social orphan who came to us just 2 hours after his birth. Susanne Stauffer
introduces him to the other children in Blessed Gérard's Children's Home.
29 September 2006: Susanne Stauffer competes in Zulu Dancing with the top of the
crop ... celebrating her visa extension.
30 September 2006: Susanne Stauffer, Deacon and Mrs Müller and Fr
Gérard make a thanksgiving pilgrimage to Oetting,
Lourdes
and Centocow (all in South Africa) for the fact that
Miss Stauffer was allowed to stay with us.
1 October 2006: Children from Blessed Gérard's Children's Home make an outing to Flagfarm Animal Farm.
15 October 2006: Celebration of the Feast of Blessed Gérard
During the anniversary function Susanne Stauffer was presented the
President's Award 2006
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter
No. 26 - Blessed Gérard's Feast 2006 - Anniversary Function commemorating 10
years Blessed Gérard's Church and Blessed Gérard's Care Centre
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter
No. 26 - Blessed Gérard's Feast 2006 - The Anniversary Function was followed by
Lunch and entertainment for young and old
16 October 2006: The new study room and dining room of
Blessed Gérard's
Children's Home are used for the first time.
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter No. 26 - Christmas Wishes 2006
2 January 2007: A child is discharged from
Blessed Gérard's
Children's Home
14 January 2007: "Mother" Susanne Stauffer at
a Sunday outing with Children of Blessed Gérard's Children's Home to Umhlanga
Rocks.
17 January 2007: "Back to school", also for children of
Blessed
Gérard's Children's Home.
20 January 2007: Susanne Stauffer celebrates her birthday with "her" children.
21 January 2007: On Sunday outing with children of
Blessed
Gérard's Children's Home to Ballito.
28 January 2007: On a Sunday Outing of Children of
Blessed
Gérard's Children's Home.
18 February 2007: On Sunday Outing with children of
Blessed
Gérard's Children's Home:
19 February 2007: Sibusiso who had been with us from the day of his birth - his
mother had failed to abort him and threatened to kill him after birth - is discharged from
Blessed
Gérard's Children's Home. His aunt collected him with the Social Worker.
11 March 2007: This is no toothpaste advert, just happy children and their
"mother" at a Sunday Outing in Durban.
15 April 2007: Eight children of Blessed Gerard's
Children's Home (Magdalena, Dumisile, Lethiwe, Sipho, Evander, Tamia, Jamie and
Jonade) were baptised.
7 June 2007: Meeting of the Councils of the Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard and
Blessed Gérard's Care Centre:
Father Gerard resigned from his office as Administrator of Goods of the
Brotherhood of Blessed Gerard. Susanne Stauffer is elected to take over the
financial management of the Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard.
18 - 26 June 2007: Visit (retreat/volunteering/sightseeing) of 15 delegates
of Malteser Hilfsdienst Germany
24 June 2007: Solemnity of St. John
Festive Holy Mass with Investiture of Father Sipho Titus, Miss Susanne Stauffer and
Deacon Thomas Müller as Dedicated Members of the
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter No.
27 - Investiture of the new Dedicated members
28 June 2007: Farewell from our old "Secondary Emergency Vehicle" (SEV) ,
which we had traded in when we bought
our new "Home Care Vehicle" (HCV).
3 September 2007: Our Sipho Qeda from Blessed Gerard's Children's Home passes
away at Stanger Hospital after long sickness.
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter No. 27 - A
gift from heaven
7 September 2007: We celebrate the Funeral Mass for Sipho Qeda from our
Children's Home at Blessed Gerard's Church, then we bury him at the cemetery
of Inkamana Abbey.
18 September 2007: Marcelle Joubert from HPCA visits us to help us with
Hospice statistics.
16 - 24 November 2007: Our member Gregor Tautz from Germany visits us
again. It was because of his article "Eine neue Heimat für die Aids-Waisenkinder von Mandini"
from 30 June 2002 in the Regensburg Diocesan Newspaper, that Miss Susanne
Stauffer decided to come to us. Mr. Tautz records several interviews about our
work and made many pictures, which he will use for public relations in radio and
press in Germany.
21 November 2007: Our unbeatable trio: Carolyn Nunn
(secretary), Susanne Stauffer (administrator) & Caroline Beaumont (member of
management committee)
24 December 2007: Carol Singing and Christmas gifts for the patients in Blessed
Gérard's Hospice
24 December 2007: The "family" of our Children's Home on Christmas Eve
25 December 2007: 25 children from Blessed Gérard's Children's Home make a
Christmas outing to Hluhluwe Game Reserve
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter No. 27 - Christmas Wishes 2007
11 January 2008: 2230 hrs: Blessed Gérard's
Children's Home is full again. The last vacancy was taken over
by Mbali Susanna - as we called her -
today. Mbali's
mother had visited her ex-boyfriend, laid Mbali onto his
bed and disappeared. According to the police report the boyfriend has no idea
where his ex-girlfriend stays now, whether or not he is the real father and he
is in no position to look after the child because he has neither an income nor
knows how to deal with a new born. The police had sent him to the government
social workers and the social worker simply told him that she could not hulp him
either. So it is us again, who - for the child's sake - are propared to look
after her and we fell in love with her at an instant. How elase could it be?
16 January 2008: Back to school (The
academic year starts in January in South Africa). The
children of Blessed Gérard's Children's home are on their way to school.
21 January 2008: We celebrate Susanne Stauffer's
birthday.
1 February 2008: Prominent visitors: Abbot Gottfried Sieber O.S.B.
and Father Leo Eireiner
O.S.B.
pay us a visit. Being Benedictines they are especially
enthusiastic about our Sibusiso (that is
Zulu for "Benedict").
5 - 19 February 2008: The Order of Malta, whose South African
Relief Organisation we are, performs a visitation
(Financial audit and performance supervision). One of the visitators
is Dr. Marie Theres
Benner of Malteser International.
21 February 2008: (Biennial) "AGM"
of the Dedicated Members of the
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard with election of the
new Executive Council:
Miss Susanne Stauffer
was re-elected as the Administrator of Goods.
We Miss Stauffer for her good work in the past period of
office and congratulate to her re-election. The new Executive Council is
elected for a period of two years.
Susanne Stauffer is also appointed as the project coordinator of Blessed Gérard’s Bursary Fund, Blessed Gérard's Poor Sick Fund and Blessed Gérard's Relief Fund
23 February 2008: A great day:
"Extension No. 1"
of our Children's Home is being
occupied. Susanne Stauffer moves into the new section
with eight of our children.
26 March - 17 April 2008: Susanne Stauffer goes on home leave to Ebnath / Germany. She was already rather occupied with fundraising and public relations appointments even before she left us.
10 April 2008: Parishioners from Ebnath
in Germany, the home of Susanne Stauffer, found the "Missionskreis Mandeni"
to support our work.
5 June 2008: The occupancy of our Children's
Home had reached an all-times-high of 44: The house of
this family had burnt down. The parents found shelter with relatives but they
had no space for the children. The three children really
enjoyed spending three days with their class-mates, as they go to school
together with some of the children of our Children's Home.
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter No. 28 - Letters
to the management of the Brotherhood of Blessed Gerard
15 July 2008: A highly enjoyable day: We finally
succeeded to have fifteen more children of Blessed Gérard's Children's Home
(Ntuthuko, Mbali, Slondeko, Mpilwenhle, Mxolisi, Brian, Gérard, Lethiwe, Phiwa, Sihle, Hope, Bongani, Flora, Nhlanhla and Dumisile.)
officially placed with us by the Commissioner of Child Welfare
after nine years of fighting inefficient bureaucracy persistently but in
vain.
21 July 2008: We thank Brian Boswell's Circus, which granted our children free
entry to their show.
22 July 2008: Children of Blessed Gérard's Children's Home wish Mrs. Angelika
Müller "Happy Birthday"!
8 August 2008: Wiseman Qinisani Zulu takes over the Project Management of
Blessed Gérard's First Aid & Emergency
Service and of Blessed Gérard's Disaster
Relief Project from Father Gérard.
18 August 2008: After the Executive Council had decided that not only Project
Co-ordinators, but also members of the Management Committee may wear a blue
braid on their epaulettes Caroline Beaumont and Corolyn Nunn are presented with
the new epaulettes.
19 August - 12 September 2008: Our members Hubert and Rosa Stauffer, the parents
of Susanne Stauffer, come for a visit.
12 October 2008: We celebrate Blessed Gérard's Feast:
our new heads of department
our new project administrator are appointed
and Susanne Stauffer receives the Badge of Honour of the Brotherhood of Blessed
Gérard.
See article: Blessed Gérard's Feast 2008
1 December 2008: World AIDS Day. Susanne Stauffer, Dr. Nzimande, Victor Himunchul and Wiseman Zulu attended functions at Nampak factories in iSithebe. The employees of Nampak had been donating gifts for Blessed Gérard's Children's Home and they topped it up with a visit at Blessed Gérard's Children's Home in the afternoon, where the employees had at least equally as much fun playing with our children at our playground as our children had. The Nampak employees were so impressed how well run Blessed Gérard's Children's Home is that they spontaneously pledged their continued support also in future.
15 December 2008: Farewell from Susanne Stauffer at Blessed Gérard's Care Centre
16 December 2008: Susanne Stauffer returns to Germany after more than four years
of most dedicated voluntary service at Mandeni.
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter No. 28 - Merry Christmas 2008
Brotherhood of Blessed Gérard - Newsletter No. 28 - Thanks to Susanne Stauffer
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