Launch out into the deep
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In the afternoon of Monday, May 20, 43 Sisters over 70 years of age, from the three Provinces of Europe, began a beautiful in-depth fraternal encounter experience at this stage of our life, aware that LAUNCHING OUT INTO THE DEEP is a gift that invites us to go deeper into our personal experiences, welcoming the History of Salvation in the Bible, in the history of the Congregation and in the present reality of our personal history.
The welcome from the General Couoncilors (Rekha was in the USA) and the Auteuil Community was a special moment that made us feel like we were at home.
Veronique accompanied us on Monday afternoon for a visit to the house at Rue de la Sourdière where Marie Eugenie had lived and where her mother died. Welcoming this stage of our Foundress’ journey, making her feelings our own, was a good beginning that we completed with a visit to the Church of St. Eustache where we could admire its beauty, but above all enter the sacristy where we recalled the beginnings of the Congregation. Next, a visit to Rue Ferou and a time of adoration in the Church of Saint Sulpice.
We ended the afternoon by Saint Marie Eugenie in her sanctuary, thanking her for her generous response to God's invitation and asking her to accompany our journey in this new stage of our lives.
We began the meeting on the 21st with a few words of welcome from the three Sisters in charge of preparing, accompanying and animating this meeting: Sr. Bernadette Viron, Sr. Nieves Nistal and Sr. Ana Pilar García.
We were called to try to intertwine and weave three aspects of our current reality.
Throughout these days we were able to know and appreciate each other more, thanks to the sharing in interprovincial groups, in which the different languages did not create any barrier and where the generosity of the translators (Sisters M. Geneviève and Benedicte) was a great help.
In the afternoon, we met again with Veronique who, acting as Saint Marie Eugenie, shared with us this stage of her life with her difficulties, her joys and her projects, putting all her trust in God with the certainty that she only had to BE GOOD.
Some occasions for internalization, accompanied and encouraged by Marie Geneviève, helped us deepen everything we experienced.
On Wednesday the 22nd, at 9 o'clock in the morning we were all attentively waiting for Rekha's sharing on old age in the Bible.
She began by making us aware that aging is a natural process of life, but aging gracefully is an option, it is a choice guided by our beliefs that the presence of God always accompanies us and by the invitation of Saint Marie Eugenie to discover and live the special grace “of each stage.” Sarah and Naomi of the OT, along with Anna and Elizabeth of the NT, helped us remember that the impossible becomes possible when we cooperate with God's promises.
In the second part of the Biblical reflection, Rekha gave a beautiful overview of what the Bible says about aging. The translations by two of the General Councilors, Isabelle and Sandra, helped us greatly, allowing us to follow the entire conference and after a productive work in groups we were able to have time for questions and exchanges with Rekha.
If the morning had been rich and very interesting, the afternoon was no less so. Divided into two groups, we were able to enjoy getting to see, admire and spend time in the new archives and the museum. Our guides, Veronique and Marie Yvonne, explained, attended to and helped us with great generosity.
Thanks to the moment of Adoration and silence around Saint Marie Eugenie and the celebration of the Eucharist we were able to deal with so many emotions.
If the previous days had been intense, Thursday the 23rd was no less so. Caroline Dry, a consecrated woman, psychologist and sociologist, helped us delve deeper through her interventions on the anthropological, psychological and spiritual contributions of the person at this stage of life.
She began by helping us become aware of the two growth curves (physical and spiritual) that accompany our lives and the consequences they have on this stage of our life.
Her copious intervention through which she knew how to name the losses and gains of each of these stages, was followed by some very interesting group work and sharing: expressing a grief, a fear of the future, a difficulty... but also an emotion, a need...She concluded by saying that the experience we have of Faith goes far beyond our physical strength and our experiences because it is based on the joy of existing, knowing that we have been chosen by God and accompanied by His love.
Friday was dedicated a peaceful rereading of what we experienced spending time in groups and in prayer, in the presence of Saint Marie Eugenie, through a fraternal evaluation based more on sharing than on analyzing. This helped us to deeply internalize what we had experienced.
A festive finale could not be missing, accompanied by the General Councilors (Rekha had not yet returned) and the Community of Auteuil during which we laughed, danced, sang and played a lot and in which we admired the great festive qualities that our Sisters have.
The free time for walks, excursions and visits...the opportunities to share and taste the delicious products of the different countries together with the generous participation of each Sister, completed an experience that is unforgettable for all and for which we continue to give thanks to God knowing ourselves to be heirs and opening the furrow feeling the weight of our land today.