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Renewing Our Vocation to Holiness

R eventMonday, 10 February 2025

The reopening of Notre Dame has been deeply meaningful for both the laity and the Sisters who form the Assumption family. I have been profoundly moved by how attentively both groups have followed the various celebrations held throughout this week.

Mother Marie Eugenie’s connection to Notre Dame is profound and traces her path to holiness—a holiness recognized by the universal Church in her canonization, and now by the Church of Paris, which included her relic in the consecration of the high altar. The presence of relics of saints and/or martyrs in the consecration of church altars dates back to the origins of Christianity and carries profound theological significance. These relics link the Eucharistic sacrifice—the memorial of the covenant inaugurated in Christ’s offering on the cross—with the ongoing life of the Church, whose saints are "the cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1) who embody this covenant throughout history.

Through social media, we witnessed the flames rapidly consuming the roof of Paris’ cathedral. Our hearts sank as we saw the spire collapse and the molten iron collect in the nave that had once embraced a young woman who described her thoughts as a "restless sea" that tired and burdened her [Intimate Notes 151.01 - 1835]. Who could have imagined that the Grace awaiting her at Notre Dame would lead this 19 year-old to faith, to a long life devoted to the God of the Kingdom and the Kingdom of God, and ultimately to holiness?

Answering the common call to holiness in the Church, following Christ and serving social transformation, requires time and multiple conversions. This process is even longer than the magnificent restoration of Notre Dame. Who would have thought that just five years after the fire, a new spire would once again lift the Cross into the Parisian sky, the stones would shine as white as ever, and the stained-glass windows would regain their full color, immersing visitors—alongside the harmony of the organ—in the via pulchritudinis, the way of beauty, toward the mystery of God?

These thoughts filled me yesterday as I waited for the celebration to begin, surrounded by such beauty. To ensure we could sit close to the altar, our community rose early and endured a long wait, knowing many would come to live this moment. The same happened to Mother Marie Eugenie during Lent in 1836; she would arrive well in advance to secure a seat for each conference. Just as it did for us yesterday, Grace transformed her long hours of waiting in the nave of Notre Dame into kairos, a time for encounter with God that led her to salvation.

During Lent in 1836, people flocked to Notre Dame not so much to admire its architectural beauty as to listen to Henri Lacordaire (1802–1861), who liked to call himself a “servant of the Word.” Father Lacordaire, who in his Lenten conferences attended to by Mother Marie Eugenie, restored the Order of St. Dominic in France, gave a voice to the questions of his contemporaries and answered them in the light of Faith revealed in Christ.

The Lenten conferences of 1836 in Notre Dame, which Marie Eugenie attended, were a real dialogue between faith and reason, a form of “court of the Gentiles.” Combining theological rigor with passionate enthusiasm, Lacordaire sought to enlighten minds and ignite hearts, presenting Christian truths in dialogue with the scientific discoveries of the 19th century and the deep existential questions arising from the human heart. He invited his audience to enter into God’s loving, creative, and redemptive plan so that gratitude could dispel doubt and lead them to experience divine love. He knew that only this love could raise faith and the fullest Truth in the hearts of his listeners. As Pope Francis states, “only thanks to that encounter—or reunion—with the love of God, which becomes happy friendship, are we rescued from our isolated consciousness and self-reference” (Evangelli Gaudium, 8).

This is what happened in the heart of Anne Eugenie, causing a spiritual experience that she will never be able to doubt, and to which she will return in moments of uncertainty. Anne Eugenie could not doubt that what happened at Notre Dame was a communication from that God who fascinated her in her First Communion as a child. This moment at Notre Dame became a turning point in her life, opening her to a reality beyond herself and laying the foundation for her spiritual journey. This experience of conversion awakened her religious consciousness, revealing a new identity in God and for God.

This foundational experience reflects key elements of Assumption spirituality:

  1. Faith and love for the truth, identified with Christ.
  2. Love for the Church, seen as the custodian of this Truth.
  3. The zeal that inspires our guiding philosophy and animates our life and mission: to love and make Christ loved, to know and make Him known through the Christianization of the intellect.

While this experience marked a significant turning point, it was just the beginning. Anne Eugenie faced many challenges in overcoming herself, allowing God to shape her and fully committing herself to the mission entrusted to her.

Today, as the living stones that form the Assumption, we are called to continue building upon this foundation. May the celebrations of these days remind us of our baptismal consecration and inspire us to respond generously to the call to holiness, following Christ, in the Church, and in service of the Kingdom within the Assumption. Sisters and lay alike, we are heirs of this spirituality so deeply linked to Notre Dame. May this reconstruction and reopening inspire the time of renewal we are living.

Mercedes Méndez, RA Head of Communication