SMR Projects Development Office

2008-09-03 Dear Sisters,

The General Chapter of 2007 “recommended that the General Council create a Development Office where issues like grants, projects/works of the congregation can be developed.”

In May 2008 the General Council created a team for the development office. Today, we are happy to introduce ourselves to you a little. We will no doubt be counting on your collaboration at various times and ask you for your prayers as we begin to discover what the projects development office means for our congregation.

Stephanie Coughlan: Team Leader


At the moment I am living in a small community in Ballinlough, Cork, Ireland. It is a community of six sisters, two of whom work fulltime in the parish, one is involved in retreat work and the other two are in the house.


This community welcomed me with great generosity when I returned from Rome. For the past year I have had time to rest and rediscover Ireland and especially Cork City of which I am a native. I have been doing remote organisation of the third years of 2009 and 2010. Each week with another sister, Pauline from the Douglas, Cork community, I visit the geriatric unit of the local hospital to spend time with the patients doing stimulating activities.

I think it is imperative for us as a congregation to establish the development office in order to have a more organised approach to the projects of the congregation. Even though the primary task of the office will be to seek grants, it is equally important for making us aware of the projects our sisters are involved in. These projects touch the lives of the people among whom our sisters live and work and it is important that we become more and more aware of them so that we can encourage others to become involved in our mission of Reparation with Mary and our ministries, the expression of making the tenderness love of God know.


Rosa Vizcay: Collaborator for Latin America {Colombia/Panama/Peru/Mexico/Guatemala/Cuba}


My name is Rosa Vizcay, I am Spanish, and I was born in Pamplona. In 1988 I arrived in Panama as a lay missionary and worked there until 1999 in a very abandoned country area, of the province of Colon, where the sisters had a community (Chagres). It was there that I met the sisters and shared life and the mission with them. In 1999 I entered the Congregation. Recently I returned to Panama, I am now in the community of Cañita, where I am doing the synthesis year.


We are three sisters in the Cañita community: Vielka Rivera, (Panama). Carmelita Chavez, (Mexico) and me. Our community welcomes young women who are doing a community experience before the pre-novitiate.
It is a rural community, surrounded by beautiful tropical scenery and inserted in a simple rural village.
In community we have taken the option to accompany the rural communities, offering our charism in a simple welcoming presence, attentive to the reality and available to the people.
We support the formation of the leaders, both among the young as well as among the evangelizers and the women etc…
However, what I feel we do above all is to share life, problems and hope with the people and from there we welcome and offer life.

I have lived for many years in poor and unjust realities, in Panama as well as in Guatemala and Peru. This has touches my life deeply and I believe in solidarity as a way of building the Reign of God, which now, in this world translates into a more just society, where men and women can live with dignity as sons and daughters of God. I believe there are people of solidarity everywhere in the world who, many times do not know how to orientate or concretize this solidarity. I also feel there are people who possess great richness in their lifestyle, attitudes and options which do good things for others and I hope that together with you we can open concrete ways of justice and solidarity. I feel that the collaboration in this project offers me a very concrete way of making our charism of communion-reparation present.

Marie Françoise Romaine Ravaoarisoa: Collaborator for the Region of Madagascar


Madagascar is a large island of the African continent; it is the 4th largest island in the world after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo. It is 592 000Km2 in diameter, bordered on the West by the Mozambique canal and on the East by the Indian Ocean. At the moment, the population is 18 million divided into 6 provinces: Antananarivo (capital) Fianarantsoa, Tuléar, Majunga, Toamasina et Diego.

There are 22 dioceses in Madagascar, the work of reparation extents into 4 dioceses those of: Fianarantsoa one community, Toamasina three communities, the city of Toamasina, Illaka-est and Marolambo, Antananarivo has two communities, Mandroseza the regional house and Ankadindratombo and the newest foundation is in Antsirabe (2008).

I am in the community of Mandroseza, the regional house. The mission confided to me by the congregation is regional bursar. I also accompany young people in the diocese of Antananarivo who are searching in relation to religious life; I am a member of the vocation promotion team. At the moment I am occupied with the construction of the fence and the house of Antsirabe.


I would like participate for development of our charisma in the different places, especially those who asked us. Because by enter in this team, our many project will be advance. It is also the formation for me, to know more our realty and for the other. In this moment I’m the bursar, the collaboration help me in my charge. I can bring my part for the development our many projects as region of Madagascar.

Frances Nantale: Collaborator for Uganda, Kenya, Congo


I am Sr. Frances Nantale smr, living in Entebbe (you will see it on the attachment where it is situated on the map of Uganda), it is near the Airport, about 3 minutes drive.


We are surrounded by Lake Victoria.

I'm the regional bursar of Uganda/Kenya since the beginning of this year.
I have a Degree in Social Ministry and - in Tangaza College - Kenya.
I responded positively to become part of the development office team because I'm always obedient when asked to do something;
- Being a regional bursar I need a wider knowledge of how to go about so many things, how to develop our region, how did other regions/province develop or how can we develop together? Always two heads are better than one. I also want to help my sisters in the region in each community to be self reliant
-I love the Internationality, sharing our different context, helping one another.
- Was happy to work with you because you know our reality and you want us to develop.
- If others can do it how about me God will take care.


Bitgitta Tuvesson: Resource person to look for funds from other organisations


I live in Sweden, just north of Stockholm. Approximately 2% of the population of the country is Catholic. The area covered by our parish is fairly large, approximately 50 km by 200. The only Catholic Church is situated in one of the towns of the parish where the two OMI priests also live. To assure a presence, we live in another town, where there are many Catholics. Thanks to ecumenical hospitality, the Sunday mass is celebrated in a Lutheran center. As with all the Catholic Churches of the country, our parish is very international. The vast majority of people are refugees from many countries of the world.

I have pastoral responsibility for the Catholics of our town, I am also responsible for the parish office and I am a member of various parish and diocesan councils. We are three SMR sisters, one sister is ill in a nursing home, and two are in community, in a rented apartment.

Despite not having the time and having too much to do, I accepted to be a member of the team because I find this work to be extremely important. For me, it is a responsibility and a duty of solidarity to do all we can to ease the effects of poverty in our world.

Julie Williams: Resource person to look for funds from other organisations


My name is Julie Williams and I am an employee at Sister of Mary Reparatrix Convent in Riverview, Michigan.


I came to work for the convent in May, 2001 as a part-time caregiver for some of the older, infirmed sisters. In October, 2003 I was offered a full-time employment position with the sisters. I am an accountant and almost all of my previous work experience has been in the field of business. My tasks at this community include payroll, minor accounting tasks, building and grounds maintenance, shopping and filling in for other staff positions as needed. I have also received training in grant writing. I have been working on grant funds solicitation for a number of the projects sponsored by the sisters in parts of Africa, Madagascar and Mexico.

I have become familiar with the work the sisters are doing in severely economically depressed areas. I am eager to be of assistance to these sisters in attempting to obtain funding and promoting the works of their projects.

On a more personal note, I am a widow with three wonderful sons. My sons are all grown and married and have blessed me with six (soon to be seven) grandchildren. This year I completed the RCIA program at St. Alfred Catholic Church and on March 23rd, I made my Confirmation.