29th General Chapter of Franciscan Sisters FJCM
“Go forth! Be a blessing in the heart of the world.”
Elected for a term of six years, the General Council has the responsibility to be an important unifying bond within the Congregation and to keep the spirit of the foundation not only alive but to give it always a new and deeper dimension. The Members of the General Council complement each other in their work as a team. They follow attentively developments within the Congregation, in Religious life, the Church, and the world, in order to discern the directions necessary today.
From the left to right
Sr. M. Emmanuela Sitorus, General Councilor
Sr. M. Emmanuela Sitorus is from the Immaculate Conception Province of Indonesia. Prior to her election as a General Councilor, she lived and worked for 10 years in Malawi/East Africa as a teacher of St. Francis School for AIDS Orphans, a project of the German Province.
Sr. M. Magdalena Schmitz, General Superior
Sr M. Magdalena Schmitz belongs to the Sacred Heart Province of Germany. Prior to her election as General Directress, she served in Rome as Assistant General Superior for 6 years. Previously she worked as a nurse and as the Director of Nursing. She was in the meantime involved with activities in vocational pastoral work, and from 1994 to 2009 she took over the Formation responsibilities for the young Romanian Sisters. Since 2007 she has led the Romania Area within the German Province.
Sr. Alice Drewek, General Assistant
Sr Alice Drewek belongs to the St. Clara Province of the United States. During the General Chapter in 2015 she was elected as the General Assistant. Previously she worked as Sponsorship board member of the US Province for their Health Care Institutions and Housing projects. She has experiences in Provincial Leadership, in Fundraising for the AIDS project “Canticle Place” of the US Province and in ecological Agriculture.
Sr. M. Johanna Harke, General Councilor
Sr. M. Johanna Harke belongs to the Sacred Heart Province of Germany. Prior to her election as a General Councilor, she served as medical doctor in a group practice, and since the German Provincial Chapter 2011 she belonged to the Province Council as Councilor. Her experiences include also many years of nursing in intensive care.