Yesterday, we were honored to welcome Brother Jürgen Neitzert from Düsseldorf’s Firminusklause soup kitchen to ISR.
Brother Jürgen Neitzert, originally from Germany’s Eifel region, joined the Franciscan Order as a lay brother at the age of 19. Trained as a nurse, he devoted several decades to various ministries, including the care of elderly friars, service on justice and peace commissions, refugee relief projects, and interreligious dialogue. He also spent 23 years working with young people in Cologne before serving as General Definitor in Rome. Since 2022, he has led the Firminusklause soup kitchen in Düsseldorf, where they support around 200 people every day. Brother Jürgen speaks German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and Turkish.
During his visit, he shared powerful insights on poverty, human dignity, and Franciscan values, deeply inspiring students and staff alike.
The day began with a heartwarming welcome from our Kindergarten children, followed by an engaging exchange with the ISR Management Team. The highlight of the visit was Brother Jürgen’s presentation to our Grade 10 students, teachers, and staff. Throughout his presentation, Brother Jürgen emphasized unity and compassion over division: “It doesn’t matter which religion volunteers belong to – only that they wish to help others.” In his closing words to students, he urged them to take responsibility as active citizens: “You may not run a soup kitchen, but as voters, professionals, and community members, you can stand up for others. Support those who put the common good first.” He concluded with a heartfelt reminder: “Don’t just focus on negative news – there is so much love and care in the world. See the positive and act on it!”
After the presentation and the meaningful Q&A session, Brother Jürgen met our CAS Coordinator, André Urban, and SLC Advisor, Samantha McGee, and discussed meaningful opportunities for ISR students to support the Firminusklause. Topics discussed included student internship opportunities at the soup kitchen. Furthermore, our SLC Students will support organizing food donations, focusing on staple items such as rice, pasta, and lentils. In addition, the idea of a community event was discussed, uniting students, parents, teachers, and staff in support of the soup kitchen.

Brother Jürgen’s visit beautifully reflected ISR’s commitment to community service and social engagement within our curriculum, demonstrating how small acts of compassion can create a meaningful impact in our diverse society. We sincerely thank Brother Jürgen for his time and his inspiring presentation. We look forward to many more inspiring moments and future collaboration to come!

Following her visit as part of the ISR Open House in mid-October, Mrs. Reinhold agreed to share more about the Rhein-Kreis Neuss, her position, and her career path with the secondary school students of ISR. After a brief presentation, the young people were allowed to ask her interesting questions, including what they could do today to get involved. “Talk About Democracy” was Mrs. Reinhold’s clear response. After her lecture, she also visited the ISR Winter Wonderland Market at ISR and enjoyed the festive Christmas carols performed by our fifth-grade students.

 We wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mrs. Reinhold for her visit, the insightful information she provided, and the time she took.

On Monday, we welcomed the Turkish Consul General in Düsseldorf, Mr. Ali İhsan İzbul, to ISR once again for a special Turkish Breakfast prepared by our dedicated Turkish Community at ISR. The morning began with a warm greeting from our Turkish students, who presented a handmade sign to the Consul General. Our ISR Management Team also extended a heartfelt welcome to our esteemed guest.

The event was made even more special by the presence of around 40 families from our Turkish Community at ISR, who came together to organize a delightful Turkish Breakfast. Before the meal, Mr. Soliman, Proprietor of ISR, welcomed the Consul General and our Turkish Community, highlighting the strong cohesion and international spirit at ISR. Adding a personal touch to the event, our Turkish students prepared profiles about themselves in Turkish, sharing what they like the most about ISR. This heartwarming gesture showcased the strong connection our students feel to both their heritage and our ISR Community.

We extend our sincere gratitude to Consul General İzbul for taking the time to visit ISR and engage with our Turkish Community. Furthermore, we wish to thank our Turkish Community representative Ms. Kaya, as well as all families and teachers who supported this wonderful event.

A huge thank you also goes to our dedicated Turkish Community at ISR, who organized the delicious food for this special get-together for all to enjoy. We look forward to continued exchanges and partnerships that enhance the global perspective within our ISR Community!

Last Friday, we were once again honored to welcome Chinese Consul General Du to ISR. On this visit, Mr. Du was joined by some of his colleagues including the Head of Division for Bilateral Relations, Mr. Kou, the Head of Division for Internal Affairs, Ms. Shang, the Coordinator for Bilateral Cooperation and Cultural Exchanges, Mr. Wu, and Protocol, Ms. Zhang.

The Diplomatic Team was warmly welcomed to ISR by a group of children from our kindergarten as well as our ISR Management Team. Consul General Du then gave an inspiring Career Talk to our Upper School Students, Staff and select Parents in which he outlined his career as a diplomat. He was then kind enough to answer questions from the interested audience regarding his experiences as a diplomat.

For the second part of the event, our Upper School Students broke off into two smaller groups for a more informal session with the visiting diplomats. Our students were able to ask further questions about possible careers in diplomacy and enjoyed the informative discussion.

We wish to thank our honored guests, Chinese General Consul Du, Ms. Shang, Mr. Kou, Mr. Wu, and Ms. Zhang for visiting us and taking the time to discuss careers in diplomacy with our students and guests. We would also like to thank our Chinese Community Representative, Ms. Hofmann, for publicizing and attending the event. It was a wonderful success with our students who are now excited about the possibility of a career in diplomacy!