Katharina Kasper Festival Celebrated with Gratitude and Joy
With deep gratitude and great joy, we celebrated our Katharina Kasper Festival in the convent park together with around 500 friends, supporters, companions and faithful. Held on the feast of the Assumption of Mary, the anniversary of the founding of our Congregation, the celebration was a special highlight of our 175th Jubilee Year and a wonderful opportunity to look back with gratitude on our shared history and heritage.
The close connection between our foundress, Saint Katharina Kasper, and our Congregation was already deeply felt during the outdoor festive Mass. The Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Father Winfried Karbach, Father Ralf Plogmann and Father Elmar Busse. The choir Chorazón, conducted by Benjamin Kästner, together with Hildegard Schäfer-Breit, provided the solemn musical accompaniment.
In his address, Father Plogmann highlighted the profound significance of the day. Exactly 175 years after the foundation of our Congregation on the Feast of the Assumption, the celebration gave visible expression to the strong bond with our foundress and with all the Sisters who, for more than a century and three quarters, have served people in need and those seeking help across four continents. In his homily, Father Karbach recalled that Katharina’s work grew from her deep inner values and that countless Sisters have continued to write the story of our Congregation throughout the generations.
Following the liturgy, the “Festival of Encounter” brought together people of all ages. Our monastery park became a lively place of meeting, conversation and community, with a wide range of activities and offerings for children, young people, families and adults. Delicious food and refreshments ensured that everyone was well looked after throughout the day.
The Generalate was also represented with its own information stand. Visitors had the opportunity to discover more about the Congregation’s international mission and the different countries in which the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ are present and serving. A special feature of the stand was the “Donation Tree”, inviting visitors to support the work of our Sisters and their ministries among people in need around the world.
The Friends of Katharina Kasper India were also represented with their own stand, offering visitors an opportunity to learn more about their work and their connection to Saint Katharina Kasper and the Congregation. Together, the two stands highlighted the international reach of Katharina Kasper’s legacy and the many people who continue to be inspired by her life and mission.
The festive day concluded with a prayerful Vespers in our monastery church, where we gathered once more in thanksgiving and brought the celebrations to a peaceful close.
