On this extraordinary occasion, the team that visited St. Elisabeth's Elderly Home received diplomas of merit from the Roman Catholic diocesan bishop László Böcskei and pastor József Rajna, director of Caritas Catolica Association. These were emotional moments for everyone, giving us the opportunity to express our gratitude and recall memories together. Freundeskreis Villingen-Schwenningen is one of the oldest and most persistent supporters of Caritas Catolica, regularly providing us with materials for the care of the elderly and sick, as well as material and financial support for a wide range of social activities, from elderly homes to home care and social kitchens. For decades, they have been collecting monetary donations and second-hand products in their parish, which they send with regular humanitarian shipments to partner organizations in Romania. They are one of our few sponsors who not only support us remotely, but also visit us regularly, inform themselves about our real needs, and try to help wherever they can, based on personal contact. They stood shoulder to shoulder with us during the pandemic, supporting our team with expensive air purifiers and other protective equipment to ensure continuity of social activity.
Recalling the beginnings, Mrs. Irmgard Rösch told us that she first joined an aid shipment to Romania as a journalist in 1991, and this experience had such an impact on her that she lured her husband to join her next humanitarian trip. "At first, a doctor from Oradea, Dr. Corbu, helped us cross the border, later we met Dr. Kecskeméti through him and we started supporting the children's clinic he runs, as well as the large orphanage near the stadium. We have encountered a lot of suffering and we have seen that help is needed in many places. So after we got home with my husband, we set up a foundation that has been running ever since and tried to collect donations in a targeted way" – she recalls.
When asked about her motivation, Mrs. Rösch said that in more than three decades she had never felt the charitable activity as a burden. "If a person learns to put aside her own self-interest and begins to act selflessly for the good of others, she will experience true divine providence and she will receive back more from life" – she said. The German sponsor, who has witnessed and facilitated many positive changes in Oradea and in the country since the nineties, has always acted out of conviction of faith and tried to play an active role, not only at her foundation, but also in the life of the local parish community. As she pointed out, charity can be chosen as the main theme of anyone's life, even from an early age, because they will experience a lot of joy and satisfaction if they follow this path. "The most important thing is to put your heart into what you do", added Ms. Rösch, who recently celebrated her 89th birthday and has no plans to retire because she wants to continue helping others as long as she has strength. For this, we wish her good health and God's blessing.
