Latest news with #Monika
Herald Malaysia
22-07-2025
- General
- Herald Malaysia
Bridgettine sisters in Sweden: Finding joy among jars of jam
For more than 40 years, Sister Monika has been living in Vadstena, Sweden, with the Bridgettine Sisters, a Catholic congregation with a long history and Nordic roots. Her vocational journey took her on an unusual path to the convent, impacted by a Swedish football goalkeeper who changed her life. Jul 22, 2025 Sr. Monika meets with visitors at the Bridgettine's convent in Vadstena, Sweden By Mario Galgano – Vadstena, Sweden'My name is Sister Monika. And as you will quickly discover, I am German.' That's how the conversation with the 70-year-old sister began. For over four decades, she has lived in Sweden, in the Bridgettine convent in Vadstena, a small city on Lake Vättern. She lives with seven other sisters, from Sweden, Germany, Finland, and the Netherlands. The group at the convent reveals much about how ecclesial vocations have changed. 'One of our novices is older than me,' affirmed Sister Monika. Today, the convent is no longer a place for young students but a place where women often seek out in a second phase of their life. 'Perhaps it is a woman's second career,' she said. Even the community's composition reflects an evolution: for the first time the Swedish sisters make up the majority. At first it was different, she recounted. At one point, the Order – founded by Saint Bridget of Sweden in the 14th century – was not officially authorized in the country. 'Up until 1957 founding a convent was forbidden,' she explained. Only a decision from the Reichstag finally permitted religious life in Sweden. Until then, the house in Vadstena was officially declared a nursing home for the elderly. Theologically, the Bridgettines base their life on three elements: the Rule of St. Augustine, the Constitutions of St. Bridget, and modern adaptations that derive from these. The Order's spirituality is clear. 'Christ's suffering is important to us,' said Sr. Monika. Their daily prayer structure follows a Marian perspective. The sisters see Jesus' life through Mary's eyes, and each day of the week has a different theme, from angels to the Trinity. One of St. Bridget's main objectives was to allow men and women to work together. Although in the past monks and nuns lived in separate places, they worked together spiritually. In the Blauen Church of Vadstena, this was clear from an architectonic perspective: there were separate choirs, but one shared place of worship. Another key aspect is service to others: listening, prayer, conversation. 'We receive many prayer requests, or people come wanting to talk,' she continued. Silent witness works, and sometimes it's about very practical things. 'Today we packed nearly 4,000 jars of jam into cardboard boxes, and I enjoyed doing that.' Joy is the fifth point which characterizes the Bridgettine's spirituality. Sr. Monika talks about it when she talks about her work in the Eden guest house. Once, she started to clean the bathrooms there. 'This became a pleasure,' she noted. It is the community that makes even tough and unpleasant work tolerable and reasonable. But how did a woman from Coesfel, in Westphalia, Germany, end up in Sweden, in a convent? The beginning of her vocational journey was unexpectedly secular: football. During the 1974 World Cup, she noticed the goalkeeper of the national Swedish team, Ronnie Hellström. 'I fell in love with him,' she shared, smiling. From there, her fascination with Sweden grew. 'I pursued history studies with a focus on Nordic history and, thanks to one of my parents' university friends, a Catholic bishop in Sweden at the time, I came to Vadstena to learn the language,' she said. 'I met young Catholics who transmitted their faith to me in a convincing and thoughtful way. This struck me and brought me back to the faith.' 'The fact that in the end I myself entered was an interior development,' recounted Sr. Monika. 'It was envy towards another woman who had asked to be admitted to the convent that made me realize: I want it too . Years later, for my silver jubilee, I received a special surprise. My fellow sisters had invited Ronnie Hellström, the man whose mere presence on television had brought me down this path. He arrived. The priest announced during Mass: 'Sometimes a vocation passes through the penalty box.' He turned and laughed'. Hellström remained in contact with the community. When he became sick with cancer, he decided to be buried in Vadstena. Today, his tomb is in the cemetery near the convent. Sr. Monika noted that the Catholic Church in Sweden today is seen in a much different way than before. There are many Catholics working in the fields of culture and science who are respected for their attitude. Even in the prison, Catholic pastoral care has proven practicable. She is especially struck by a past project: 'The convent in prison' is a form of spiritual accompaniment for inmates seeking to reintegrate into society. Although the relapse rate was low, the project was interrupted. Over the years, life in the convent has become a profound and daily commitment for Sr. Monika. 'Whatever the task, it has become a joy,' she affirmed. This attitude permeates her entire life. Among jars of jam, moments of prayer, and a cemetery visited by football fans, it is clear that God's paths are not always straight but sometimes pass right through the penalty box.--Vatican News
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Time of India
Telangana HC junks villa association's claim over neighbouring land, cites no legal right
Hyderabad: Questioning why a villa association with five dedicated park areas would attempt to encroach on adjacent private land, Justice T Vinod Kumar of the Telangana high court has dismissed the claim made by the Villa Springs House Owners Association over eight guntas of land at Kowkur near Alwal. The disputed land belongs to landowners B Mutyalu and others, who originally held 11 acres, a portion of which — 7.29 acres — was sold to a developer who built the Villa Springs project, comprising 110 villas. The remaining land was sold in parts, and V Monika Devi acquired two acres and five guntas from this leftover extent. Despite having no documented rights, some association members, including Nixon Nathan, allegedly began pressuring Monika and her staff to surrender eight guntas of her land for use as a play area. The association even approached a magistrate court in Medchal Malkajgiri and obtained an injunction order against Monika. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad Challenging this, she moved the district court, which ruled in her favour, holding that the association's claim was untenable and unsupported by any legal right. The association then filed a civil revision petition in the high court. Justice Vinod Kumar summoned the land records and directed the original landowners, their legal heirs, and the developer to appear and present the facts. All parties clarified that the villa association had no claim over Monika's land. The developer informed the court that all common areas, including roads and five parks, were handed over to the GHMC after project completion. The association claimed to have used the disputed land as a play area for 17 years based on an MoU signed in 2015, but the judge found that it was an unregistered document, lacking legal validity. Moreover, it only permitted temporary use of three guntas, not eight, and even that was revoked by the landowner before the land was sold to Monika. Further weakening the association's case, the court said that association leaders, including Nixon Nathan, are facing eight criminal FIRs related to assault and vandalism on Monika's property — matters currently being heard by a separate bench. Finding no merit or legal basis in the association's plea, Justice Vinod Kumar dismissed the revision petition, stating that the association had failed to establish any grounds for interference by the high court.
The Hindu
21-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Stick to stipulated deadline, Tirunelveli Corporation Commissioner tells officials and contractors
Corporation Commissioner Monika Rana, who inspected some of the ongoing development works in Palayamkottai and Thatchanallur zones of the urban civic body on Monday, instructed officials and contractors to stick to the stipulated deadline for completing the projects with superior quality. Since the clogged sewage channels near the water tank at Samathanapuram in Palayamkottai Zone would cause instant flooding during downpours on the Tiruchendur Road and along the Pothunala Street, Dr. Monika inspected the drainage channels at this spots and asked the officials to regularly clean these channels to avert flooding. When the Commissioner visited the Ramasamy Temple and the road connecting this temple and LIC Divisional Office near VOC Ground, she appealed to the public and the traders running roadside eateries not to leave the garbage getting generated in their shops on the road and dump it in the nearby drainage channels. She also instructed the officials to ensure cleanliness along this busy road by constantly monitoring the traders. 'Those who defy the Corporation's instructions and discard waste on the roads or dump it in the drainage channels should be taken to task if the repeated appeals go in vain,' she said. When she inspected the ongoing works at Children's Park, swimming pool, skating rink, walkers' path etc., all under the Smart City Mission near Bharathi School, the Commissioner asked the officials and the contractors to complete the projects assigned to them within the stipulated deadline. 'Any compromise on quality will be viewed very seriously as it will land you in legal complications besides blacklisting,' the Commissioner warned. Superintending Engineer Kannan and Assistant Commissioners Purandira Das and Johnson Devasahayam accompanied the Commissioner during the inspection.
Irish Independent
11-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Meet the Mayo couple who turned an old post office into a booming coffee shop
Padraic, son of Eugene and grandson of Pake, followed in their footsteps – with one major difference. Instead of handing out letters and parcels, Padraic serves teas, lattés and scones in a post office that has been reimagined by him and his partner, Monika Rutkowska. Padraic and Monika aren't the first people who, at some point during Covid, took time to pause and reflect on life, thought, 'Why not?' and opened a business. Something like this is exactly what Kiltimagh needed. 'A lot of people have said to us, especially older people, that this is their new pub,' Padraic tells the Irish Independent. 'Before, if they wanted to meet up, the only place to go was the pub, even if it was during the day for a coffee. But now they have this, and they really appreciate that. It's nice, especially with me being from Mayo, to give that option to the community.' On Main Street alone, five different buildings have received planning permission for residential (2) and commercial redevelopment (3) since 2019. In early 2023, the town that lost its post office gained a coffee shop when Padraic and Monika opened Postbox Coffee – a name which nods to the little green landmark outside the front door. They started with coffees, teas and pastries before expanding their offering to sandwiches, scrambled eggs and other lunches prepared by their chef, Michal Wesolowski. Where possible, they use locally sourced ingredients from suppliers with their names chalked on a board placed tastefully beneath the big green 'An Post' sign. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more 'Our eggs come from literally behind that building,' says Padraic, pointing across the road in the direction of West-A-Wake Eggs. 'The meat for the sausage rolls from that building there,' says Monika, pointing out the window to Conlon's Butchers. Their clientele is split between locals and passerbys. A typical week goes something like this. 'The first two hours is 90pc takeaways, it's commuters going to work,' says Padraic. 'We have got the same 30 or 40 customers every day. You set your watch for when they are going to come in every day, and you know exactly what they want. Then after, about 10 o'clock, it changes more to a sit-down, people meeting up for coffee and teas and then it moves onto lunchtime. It's a bit of a mix.' In another life, long before becoming business partners, Padraic and Monika became life partners in Spain while they worked for Ryanair. 'Love brought me to Ireland,' smiles Monika, who's originally from Poland. They then moved to Dublin, but never really settled. 'He was always dreaming of coming back home one day to Mayo,' explains Monika. That day came in 2020, when Padraic and Monika decided during lockdown to spend six weeks in Kiltimagh. 'We saw this building for sale,' says Padraic, 'and kind of - I jokingly said it - why don't we buy it and open something in it, that planted the seed I guess.' Both of them worked in bars in their youth, but neither had ever run a business. But having their own coffee shop was still something they always talked about, according to Monika. 'When we were going places in Spain and Ireland or all around the world on your holidays, [I'd say] 'If I had a place like that, I'd do it like that' or 'I love this' or 'I love that' and 'I'd love to do that'. Then we saw this place and was like 'Why don't we do it here?'' So they bought the post office and spent the first year turning the upstairs into their living quarters. The second year was spent on turning the post office into their dream coffee shop. Because they needed change-of-use planning permission, that took quite a bit longer than expected. 'Everything had to go from scratch, new wiring, new plumbing, new fire regulations. It wasn't as easy as just buying it and putting a lick of paint on it and doing it up,' explains Padraic. 'It gave us a lot of time to plan and dream and imagine it and try and think,' adds Monika, pointing to the eye-catching mural of a shadow-cloaked Sliabh Cairn – they call it 'The Mountain' in Kiltimagh. It all adds to the melisma of freshness and familiarity that's built and maintained their customer base over the past 18 months. 'A load of locals have a connection to this place. When they came in for the first time it was such a nostalgia for them being in the post office, which is why we kept the sign.' Few are as connected to the post office as Padraic himself. His grandfather Pake did his rounds on a High Nelly and a Honda 50. His son, Eugene, did the same on four wheels. His son, Padraic – when not working his other day job – has a 30-second-long commute that involves descending a flight of stairs. What did Dad make of what Padraic did to the old post office, we can't help but wonder. 'He was a bit, I would say, nervous about it, maybe, us taking the risk of opening a business in a small town,' says Padraic. 'Once we kind of started the work we showed that we were committed and serious to it, especially once we opened. He is in every second day for a cappuccino himself.'
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
CBI gets custody of accused in Rs 1.44 crore cheating case, over 2 decades after she fled to US
More than two decades after she fled to the United States, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday took custody of Monika Kapoor, who allegedly committed an import-export fraud of around Rs 1.44 crore. A CBI team is returning to India with Kapoor following her extradition. According to the CBI, Kapoor is an accused in an import-export fraud case that came to light in 2002 and has been on the run since then. 'Monika, proprietor of M/s Monika Overseas in conspiracy with her brothers; Rajan Khanna and Rajiv Khanna forged export documents, including shipping bills, invoices and bank certificates of export and realization in 1998. On the basis of forged documents, they had obtained six replenishment (rep.) licenses for import of duty-free gold worth Rs 2.36 crore,' a CBI spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday. Kapoor and her brothers sold the replenishment licences to one M/s Deep Exports, Ahmedabad, on a premium, as per the statement. 'Later, M/s Deep Exports utilized the same licenses and imported duty free gold which caused loss to the government exchequer to the extent of Rs 1.44 crore in 1998,' the spokesperson added. After Kapoor failed to join the investigation and the trial, she was declared a proclaimed offender by a trial court on February 13, 2006. The court had also issued an open non-bailable warrant against her on April 26, 2010. A red corner notice was issued against her, and the CBI on October 19, 2010, sent an extradition request to the US authorities. 'After completing the investigation, the chargesheet was filed on March 31, 2004 against Monika, Rajan and Rajeev under IPC sections of cheating, fraud, criminal conspiracy. The Saket Court vide order dated December 20, 2017 had convicted Rajan and Rajeev,' the CBI spokesperson said. 'This extradition marks a major breakthrough in the pursuit of justice and reiterates CBI's commitment to bringing fugitives to face the law in India, irrespective of international boundaries,' the spokesperson added. Kapoor will be produced before the court concerned and face trial, the CBI spokesperson said, adding that the central agency remains steadfast in its mission to combat economic crimes and will pursue all legal avenues to ensure that the fugitives are brought to justice.
