Our session, which commenced on February 20, is nearing its conclusion, and we are delighted to share with you the latest updates.
During our session, Sister Cécile Renouard shed light on the pressing issue of ecology and lifestyle, emphasizing the causes and consequences of climate change while offering practical solutions and encouraging proactive engagement in environmental stewardship. Sister Sandra delved into the intricate connection between Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation, and Solidarity (JIPC-S) with our prophetic mission and Christian life, emphasising the social vision of Marie Eugénie's project and drawing insights from biblical references, Church documents, and our rule of life.
Sister Véronique Thiébaut orchestrated a pilgrimage to Preisch, guiding us through the historical tapestry of our Congregation and the profound experiences of our foundress, Marie Eugenie. We delved into foundational spiritual principles such as the Incarnation, the Kingdom, Adoration, and Joyful Detachment, grounding ourselves in the essence of our Charisma. Following this, we embarked on a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Marie Eugénie in Metz, Thionville, and Preisch, immersing ourselves in her journey and visiting significant sites such as the cathedral of Metz and the church of Saint Ségolène, where Marie Eugénie made her first communion, thereby embodying the essence of our founding mother's experiences.
Addressing the economic dimension of our Assumption life, Sister Cécile Franquin emphasized responsible asset management and the importance of discernment before any purchase, underscoring the link between our economic practices, Charisma, and mission. Sister Mercedes Mendez explored the integration of new information and communication technologies (ICT) in consecrated life, offering guidance on informed use and introducing us to the Congregation's online resources.
We were immersed in a profound spiritual journey during an eight-day retreat led by Sr. Sigrun, a member of the Congregation of Saint Andrew based in England. This retreat invited us to reflect on opening our hearts to Christ's presence. Through prayer and contemplation, we sought to deepen our intimate relationship with Him, allowing His words to resonate within us. This sacred time of reflection was marked by moments of grace and gratitude as we embraced the presence of Christ in our lives. Following retirement, we engaged in a session on the formula of vows led by Sister Isabelle, illuminating our commitments to follow Christ.
On Sunday 21 April, we walked through Paris to visit communities of the Assumption family. We began with the Adveniat community of the AA, joined by Father Benoît Grière, former Superior General of the Augustinian of the Assumption, who presided at the Mass.
Alongside Little Sisters of the Assumption preparing for perpetual vows, we also spent time with the Oblate Sisters of the Assumption, fostering fraternal bonds and joyful camaraderie. This day of communal sharing, prayer, and exchange was a cherished highlight, deepening our sense of belonging within our Assumption family.
Later, Sister Hélène Bureau guided us with passion through the historical context of Marie Eugénie's time, inviting us to appreciate and embrace the significance of our era. Our exploration extended to apostolic life with Sister Isabelle Eugenia, who emphasized virtues such as faith, love, hope, creativity, zeal, conviction, and initiative as essential to our mission. This session challenged us to maintain balance across the three poles of our lives.
Our three-day immersion in communities across the Province of France offered valuable insights into each sisterhood's unique dynamics and apostolic work. Through heartfelt conversations and shared experiences, we gained a profound appreciation for the dedication and spirit that defines their daily lives.
We followed Mother Marie Eugenie's footsteps in Paris on our Foundation Day under Sr. Veronique's guidance. As we walked in Marie Eugénie’s path, we were transported back in time, imagining her challenges and the vision propelling her. Each landmark we encountered held significance, deepening our understanding of the legacy she left behind. It was a humbling experience, reminding us of the profound impact one individual can have in shaping history.
We gathered for a discernment session on Zoom with Sr. Vicenta, after watching the film "Of men and gods". We talked about the importance and the need for personal and community discernment. Sr Vicenta reminded us that discernment is an ongoing process that requires us to be patient with ourselves and create space for deeper understanding.
Finally, our recent session with Sisters Isabelle and Sandra was profoundly enriching. It provided a space for personal reflection and spiritual growth, enrichment it has bestowed upon us. Engaging in personal projects and personal re-reading allowed us to envision the path we hope to embark on in terms of our prayer life, community life, and apostolic life.
As we look back on this journey, we are grateful for the international community experience and for the opportunities for learning, reflection, and spiritual growth it has afforded us. We carry forward the lessons and insights gained with renewed zeal and commitment to our vocation and mission. Thank you for your prayers, love, and companionship on this transformative journey.
Christ is alive! He is truly risen Hallelujah! Hallelujah! He fills us with his joy.”
Very dear sisters, it is in the joy of the risen Christ that the international community of sessionists joins you through this second circular to share with you our experiences.
Religious consecration, a gift to be seized throughout our lives
After the celebration of the great feast of Saint Marie Eugénie, we opened a new page in our journey. Sister Martine Tapsoba from West Africa Province by zoom gave a talk on the theme of “religious consecration». She helped us recognize that it is God, the first who loved and called us through his mercy. Consecrated to Him through Baptism, we are set apart for Him by vows. This encourages us to move forward without fear because Christ is faithful to his covenant.
This context of consecration helped us to immerse ourselves in the rule of life to nourish ourselves with what is specific to us. Sister Sandra enlightened us on the richness of our Rule of Life, which is the fruit of a long journey of work and discernment. We read through the prologue, the norms and the successive Generalates which had the responsibility of keeping the charism alive. This is a call for us to deepen this document which contains our whole life.
Later on, Sister Paola discussed the vow of obedience which she defined it as a deep listening. After going over the Bible and the Rule of Life with her, we realised that the vow of obedience is detachment from oneself in order to enter into the will of God, following the example of Christ. It is a path that leads to the light, freedom and to joy.
It is therefore in this attitude of profound listening that we deepened the vow of poverty with Sister Leela. It was an opportunity to return to the source, the experience of Marie Eugénie which is the absolute of God above the securities offered by the world. We had a very broad vision of the vow of poverty in its four dimensions: intellectual, social, affective and spiritual poverty. n this way, we are called to creative fidelity in responding to it.
The vow of chastity was introduced by Sister Laure of the Congregation of the Immaculate Conception on the Anthropology of the vow of chastity. Thanks to her, we have made a distinction between the virtue of chastity, which is a way of living relationships and the vow of chastity which consists of making a choice to orient one's capacity to love for the Kingdom.
Sister Katrin then deepened this vow in the Rule of Life. We realised that chastity is a lifelong apprenticeship and that choosing Christ is renewed every day. The Holy Spirit purifies our hearts and makes us more and more free to love. We keep the image of Mary and Joseph as our model of chastity. What a coincidence to learn this on the feast day of st. Joseph March 19 lived with joy !
Joy and humility a treasure for our congregation
For unveiling this great treasure, Sister Eugenie Guadalupe of Mexico referred to the thought of Marie Eugénie: “humility is the foundation of all spiritual life and to be in joy is to be anchored in Christ. »We feel, there, a deep desire to take care of our relationship with Christ and the Virgin Mary in order to learn from them the virtues of humility and joy.
Community, Epiphany of God's Love!
Sister Marthe Marie brought us into community life. We felt encouraged to take care of our community life which is like a fragile vase. Indeed, community is a gift from God; the place where we find Christ. She urged us to create quality time and space in community to learn to love.
Jouarre Abbey
At the beginning of Holy Week, after two intensive weeks on our consecration, we went off to the Benedictine Monastery, 70 km from Paris, to discover our monastic roots. This experience enlightened us even more on the meaning of the liturgy of the Assumption, which is our characteristic note and the celebration of our freedom. In the same context our sister Isabelle helped us to grasp the great necessity to enter into a deep relationship with Jesus through the care we must give to personal prayer. “We have chosen a radical life that requires us to accept what is lacking, letting ourselves be touched by God's love in prayer.” These words of Sister Isabelle join us in our following of Christ and our hearts burn with Love for our dead and resurrected Lord.
The Easter Triduum lived in a climate of silence and the Office of Darkness celebrated in the great chapel of Auteuil with the participation of many lay people from the parish was a profound ecclesial experience.
On Easter Day, we met the Risen Christ at the heart of a liturgy prepared with care and creativity. The weather was beautiful on that day too. Seeing the greenery blooming on the trees and the pretty flowers in the garden is a wonderful way to praise the Risen Christ. All these experiences root us deeper in the love of Christ and the joy of belonging to the Assumption.
Thank you for your prayers which accompany us, in this important moment in our following of Christ.
Joyful Easter Season !!!
Dear sisters, we wish you a fruitful Lenten season and a very happy feast with our Mother, Saint Marie Eugenie. We are the International Community of Religious of the Assumption who are preparing for Final Vows. We are in Auteuil, Paris, in the Mother House of the Congregation and we are united by the desire to continue giving our lives to the Lord who calls us and invites us to be artisans of his Kingdom with the motto of our Session: “My gaze is fixed on Jesus Christ and the extension of his Kingdom.” (St. Marie Eugenie)
Our community is made up of 15 sisters of different nationalities and provinces, two have already taken their final vows recently. We are accompanied by Sandra and Isabelle, two sisters from the General Council who are offering us a path to return to the source of our call and our charisma. We are happy to be able to feel close to Saint Marie Eugenie and to go visit her these days. Indeed, we come from West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, Madagascar, Asia Pacific and Central America Cuba. Our session began on the February 20th, but it was on the 23rd that we were complete, our hearts ready to embark on this path, where we have been weaving bonds of friendship, affection, closeness and solidarity. We speak different languages: French, English, Spanish, Malagasy, Vietnamese, Malinké, Swahili; and even though we do not all speak the same languages, we manage to communicate efficiently and there's never a shortage of laughter.
Sister Rekha, in her opening message, invited us to take advantage of this time of grace to journey together with Mother Marie Eugenie in order to become aware of the Covenant that we want to make. She invited us to keep our gaze fixed on Jesus, to continue to be passionate about Him and His Kingdom; to reread our lives to rediscover God's dream for each of us and to remain in Him. She encourages us to become the best versions of ourselves, faithful daughters of Marie Eugenie. Having our gaze fixed on Jesus Christ expresses the loving passion that must inhabit and ignite our heart for Christ; and the extension of his kingdom, means experiencing his grace, his providence in us, in our communities and in our society.
Throughout these first three weeks, we have been deepening different aspects of our lives, starting with self-knowledge. A journey that we have made, accompanied by our Sister Francine, from the Province of Rwanda-Chad. She invited us to reread our lives to become more aware of our human gifts and fragilities while being attentive to the signs of God so as to recognize his passage and his mark on each one of us.
Sister Rekha accompanied us on the theme of Covenant. By recalling God's covenant with his people, she helped us to become aware of the covenant God is making with us today. We were challenged to inner freedom and to allow ourselves to be transformed by God's love.
Sister Miriam Moscow, from the Province of Europe, took us on a beautiful journey through the Gospel of Mark. By contemplating Jesus, through his humanity and his freedom, she invited us to stay with him, to be faithful to his call and to be his witnesses.
Sister Bernadette Delobel, from the Province of France, made our hearts burn with the passionate love of Saint Augustine. She reminded us of his journey of conversion and Marie Eugénie's decision to adopt his Rule for our congregation. She also renewed our commitment to fraternal love in community, because we are all members of the same congregation.
Sister Sophie Ramond, from the Province of France, talked about the Psalms as a human experience and an experience of God. She helped us to enter into the Psalms with passion and to internalise the feelings of the psalmist who trusts God in all circumstances.
Sister Irène Cécile immersed us in the life of the Church. Guided by Saint Marie Eugénie, we were able to see our Church, the love and commitment of each of us in our local churches. We also looked back at the synodal journey that each continent has taken, and prayed that the Spirit would continue to guide us on this synodal journey.
We also meet the sisters of the Auteuil community and the general community, who welcomed us with open arms. It's a real treasure to be able to experience the internationality of the Assumption
We shared in the joy of our sister Eliette from the province of Central America-Cuba, who renewed her vows during the celebration of the feast of Saint Marie Eugenie this March 9 in the large chapel of Auteuil.
We entrust ourselves to your prayers so that God will continually open our hearts to receive all the graces that this session will bring to us.