MAY 2019 – MAY 2020 LAUNCHING of THE YEAR OF ABBOT FRANCIS PFANNER

It was on the 18th of May 2019 when the Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill (CMM), the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood (CPS), and the faithful of Umzimkulu Diocese, Kokstad Diocese, Mariannhill Diocese, Archdiocese of Durban and other dioceses came together in South Africa to celebrate the life and works of Abbot Francis Pfanner and to launch a special year commemmorating his 110th Death Anniversary.

It was on the 18th of May 2019 when the Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill (CMM), the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood (CPS), and the faithful of Umzimkulu Diocese, Kokstad Diocese, Mariannhill Diocese, Archdiocese of Durban and other dioceses came together in South Africa to celebrate the life and works of Abbot Francis Pfanner and to launch a special year commemmorating his 110th Death Anniversary.

During the Fourth Week of Lent,

the Gospels show Jesus Christ healing

the sick and giving sight

to the blind, and revealing His unity with the Father,

emphasising that faith in His word brings life

and spiritual light. At the same time, growing

opposition to Jesus and the example of Saint Joseph

highlight the contrast between those who

trust God’s plan and those who resist it.

Third Week of Lent
God’s call to conversion
God patiently calls us to conversion. He invites us to bear fruit through humility, forgiveness, and faithful love.
As we continue our Lenten journey, we are encouraged to trust in God’s mercy, forgive others, and live our faith sincerely each day.

We give thanks for the gift of women in the world.
As religious women, we are called to witness God’s love through service, compassion, courage, and fidelity to our mission.

May our lives continue to be a sign of hope, justice, and dedication, especially to those who are most in need.

Happy Women’s Day.

The Second Week of Lent 2026
emphasizes that true transformation
begins within. Just as Jesus revealed
His glory after inviting the disciples
to climb the mountain and listen to the Father’s voice, Lent calls us to step out of comfort and grow through prayer, silence, and honesty. It is not an escape from reality but a preparation to face it with faith and courage. This season invites us to open our hearts, listen more deeply, trust more fully, and walk faithfully toward Easter.

We are invited to follow
Christ more closely.
In His humanity, Jesus
was tempted but did not give in.
The devil presented every
possible option to make
He succumbed, yet He remained
steadfast and faithful
to the Father. This reminds us
that we are not called to
rely on ourselves or to
gratify our own abilities.
Instead, we are invited to
trust in God’s constant
help and His faithful
presence, especially in
moments of temptation.

Lent provides us with a perfect opportunity to
“begin again” in our lives as religious women.

Our lives as CPS are rooted in the
continual flow of life, death and resurrection
– the continual dying
and rising with Jesus –
in our own lives and in the lives of those
to whom we minister and meet daily.
But before we can be women of reconciliation
for those to whom we minister and encounter,
we must first be women of reconciliation
among ourselves.

“If no one goes, I go!”
These courageous words of our Founder,
continue to echo in our hearts today.
They remind us that our vocation as
Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood
is rooted in availability, sacrifice and love
without limit.

In this lent season, we are invited to
renew our personal response to Christ,
to go where we are needed, 
to serve even in difficulty and 
to offer ourselves more
deeply to God’s service.

lent is our time to say again,
with faith and courage…

Lord, I go!

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