Sr. Pamela Buchner makes lifetime profession of vows in Cologne, Germany – link to video

[This article was updated Oct. 3, 2020 with a link to a video of portions of the celebration in Germany]

By Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News

Sr. Pamela Buchner – who was baptized and confirmed in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon – made her lifetime profession of vows as a Sister of the Monastic Communities of Jerusalem at a Eucharistic celebration Saturday, Sept. 26 at St. Martin the Great Church in Cologne, Germany.

Auxiliary Bishop Rolf Steinhäuser of the Archdiocese of Cologne presided at the celebration.

Sr. Pamela was baptized by the late Msgr. Michael Koch at St. Philip Neri Parish in Saskatoon.

In a recent message to Bishop Mark Hagemoen, Sr. Pamela wrote: “I am a sheep of your flock, in exile, far away from the wheat fields and unending skies for almost 20 years. But I know that I will always be a daughter of the Church of Saskatoon, even though I profess my vows in the Church of Cologne.”

She added: “My prayer and thanksgiving for my baptism received in St. Philip Neri parish and that I renew my consecration to God.”

General Prioress Sr. Rosalba and the Sisters of the Monastic Communities of Jerusalem, invited all to pray for Sr. Pamela Buchner as she made her vows on the Feast of the Canadian Martyrs.

Founded after the Second Vatican Council in Paris by Pierre-Marie Delfieux (1934-2013), the Communities of Jerusalem are also located in communities in France, Italy and Canada (Montréal, 2004).

In addition to monastic branches of consecrated religious women (sisters) and men (brothers), the Communities of Jerusalem also include lay communities.

According to the Cologne community’s website, founder Fr. Pierre-Marie Delfieux withdrew from the turmoil of 1960s Paris into the Sahara desert for two years, where he came to understand that “deserts” of loneliness, anonymity and violence exist in large cities, alongside the beauty and creativity of human beings created by God.

Members therefore seek to live “in the heart of cities, in the heart of God” with worship and prayer at the centre of their evangelizing presence ad outreach. Living in community in the cities and working secular jobs, the consecrated sisters and brothers join in communal prayer three times throughout the day.

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