03/16/12 Sister Germaine Hustedde was the featured presenter for March’s Lampen Lecture at Ancilla College. She spoke about her experiences founding Caring Place, a home for boys in Mitunguu, Kenya. Sr. Germaine is a Poor Handmaid of Jesus Christ. Her service has also included a number of years in Germany and India.

 

The presentation began with a brief geography lesson describing the region of Africa around Kenya and the country’s climate, natural resources, and landscape. As Sr. Germaine discussed the food that grows in Kenya, she began talking about the many homeless boys who eat scraps of food just to survive. When she encountered these boys in Kenya, she explained, the boys expressed the desire for schooling and “expected” her to make it happen.

 

Sr. Germaine also took time to detail some of the problems the boys faced. Many of the boys at Caring Place do not know their parents or if their parents are alive. The boys do not know when their birthdays are or how old they are. The boys had difficulty in getting settled into life at Caring Place, Sr. Germaine noted.  They had learned to take care of themselves, and now they needed to learn simple skills for living with others; for example, using good eating manners.  Sister Germaine called the sessions she had with the boys “Taming Sessions.”

 

Sr. Carleen Wrasman, Ancilla College’s Coordinator of Mission Integration and Campus Ministry, commented, “Sister Germaine spoke with enthusiasm, ready to speak to anyone who would listen.  The good of the boys was in her bones.” Sr. Carleen also noted that the lecture was “well-attended and well-received.”

 

This Lampen Lecture was a free lecture open to the public and was held in Room 231 at Ancilla College. The series was named for Sr. Joel Lampen, the first president of Ancilla College, who opened the doors of Ancilla to the local community.

 

The Lampen Lecture Series was designed to combine the universality of the Catholic Church, the international character of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, who sponsor Ancilla College, and the Earth Charter to promote thinking beyond one’s own experiences and interests.

 

Ancilla College is a Catholic, two-year, co-educational, liberal arts college in Donaldson, Indiana sponsored by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.