She has taken a vow of poverty, but behind her habit is a real businesswoman! At 51 years of age, Sister Cécile Franquin is the General Bursar of the Religious of the Assumption after having taught mathematics in Brussels for 16 years. Leaving the high school students was heart-breaking for her. But the sister agreed to put her skills at the service of the 1,150 sisters of her congregation, spread over 34 countries. This Belgian acquired her formation first in the field, as Bursar of her Province. "I had no training in economics. A friend taught me the main principles of accounting," explains Sister Cécile Franquin, who then discovered the world of financial investments.
This initiation led her in 2015 to the General Bursar's office, a position she has held since. It is comparable to the position of administrative and financial director of a large company, with one major difference: a congregation does not seek to make a profit. The aim of the General Bursar is to secure the income of the Congregation by managing its real estate and capital, so that in fifty years and more, the mission and life of the sisters will still be assured. "My job is to accompany restructuring, to help with development when we build a school in a growing country, and to ensure a form of solidarity between the provinces so that we experience communion on an economic level too," explains Sister Cécile Franquin. Each province pays 1% of its expenses from the previous year into a common fund that finances pensions for sisters aged 65 and over in countries where there is no pension system.
How does she reconcile this activity with her vow of poverty? From a spiritual point of view, "we are all poor before God. Everything I have, everything I am, comes from him," she says. Secondly, as in any family, money matters must be handled with delicacy. Each sister has a different relationship with money according to her history, her culture, and sometimes the ecclesial and economic mentality of her country. Indeed, having a simple life does not translate in the same way everywhere in the world. "Accounts tell the story of our life. You have to make the figures speak for themselves," she emphasises. Her daily task is therefore to keep the accounts in order, to analyse them, to question them in order to understand the reality of each province in the light of this vow and to make plans for the future.
With the help of advisors, Sister Cécile Franquin also monitors the funds of certain provinces, for example those in Africa, consolidated with those of the Congregation. "Today, you cannot be in charge of funds without asking yourself where and how they are invested. I have learnt to ask the right questions of the managers and to have an investment policy with clear guidelines," she says. These include environmental, social and governance criteria. "As I work for the very long term, I sleep very well," she says. Her strength lies in her detachment.
Far from having her sparkling eyes riveted on the stock market, Sister Cécile Franquin remains turned towards Christ to whom she has given her life. Although the pandemic put a stop to her travels, this polyglot travelled a lot to train her sisters in economics. This 360-degree vision of the congregation allows her to elaborate projections at the service of the mission that she transmits to the Council surrounding the Superior General. "Behind the goods, the capital, I always hear this question: does this correspond to our needs for the mission and for our life? Or are we simply accumulating capital?
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