15 to 21 November 2025
The weekend of 15 to 16 November was reserved for visits to the communities. Starting at 7 in the morning, in different groups of 2, 3 or 4, the third-year sisters began their journeys to the communities assigned to them in the Province of France (Bondy, Lyon, Orléans, Rue des Plantes) and the Province of Europe (Boitsford, Etterbeck and Tournai).
Throughout the day, various posts about their trip could be found on their WhatsApp group: waiting for trains at stations, being welcomed at stations by the Sisters, etc.
On Sunday 16th, on their return to Auteuil, various experiences from the communities visited were shared:
Thanksgiving to God, to the congregation, to the General Council, to the 2 Provinces (France and Europe) and the communities that welcomed them for a very enriching experience this weekend: joy, fraternal welcome, shared prayer, family spirit, generosity, internationality, synodality, collaboration with the laity.
On Monday 17th, Sister Véronique Thiébaut, archivist of our Congregation, took us back to the sources with Saint Marie Eugénie, especially in her experience in Paris in the years prior to the foundation until the break with Father Combalot (1836-1841).
It was a day dedicated to conversing with Marie Eugénie and relearning from her how to live in intimate union with Jesus, trusting and surrendering to Providence so as not to waver in times of trial and crisis.
On Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th, we continued to drink from the sources, making a pilgrimage to Preisch and Metz. We were accompanied by our sisters Lerma, Sandra and Veronique, who with great joy and passion shared with us the sources of Marie Eugénie's life that would later mark the charism and spirituality of our Congregation. With hearts full of gratitude for having lived this experience of prayer and communion, we returned to Auteuil to continue drinking from the sources.
On Thursday 20th, we continued to deepen our spirit by reflecting on some of Marie Eugénie's writings in which she specifies the uniqueness of the Assumption. Some non-negotiable elements reappear at different times, such as the Divine Office that nourishes us, the complementarity and interconnection between our contemplative life and our apostolic mission.
In the evening, we were blessed to listen to Father Arthur Adrien, who wrote his doctoral thesis on the correspondence between Mother Therese Emmanuel and Msg. Gay. After a rich moment in which he shared with us some elements of the spiritual writings of Thérèse Emmanuel, he celebrated the Eucharist with us. The day ended with a community celebration for Sister Iluminata María's birthday.
On Friday, Sister Veronique continued to nourish us from the sources of our Congregation - the mystery of the Incarnation, of God's goodness and generosity in giving himself to us, the spirit of adoration, self-sacrifice and resurrection in the Assumption.
The day ended with a review of the week's activities and an exchange of experiences.
A week of returning to our roots, of personal experience with Marie Eugénie and the congregation from its origins. A week to clarify and deepen our charism and spirituality. A week of blessing and thanksgiving.
The whole week was a beautiful moment of encounter with our Mother Marie Eugenie as well as preparation for the new stage in our journey: the thirty-day retreat. Sisters, please continue to pray for us as we do for you.
Saint Marie Eugénie de Jésus, pray for us.
On behalf of the Third-Year session community,
Sisters Diana and Léonie
October 2025 to January 2026
II-III WEEK Third Year 2025
LIVING CONSECRATED LIFE IN ITS FULLNESS
Dear Sisters,
Our second week started with the remembrance of our Sisters who left this world and joined the heavenly abode. It was the 2nd of November, the first Sunday of our Third Year Session. It was our free day. So, the participants visited different places according to their choices and refreshed themselves to be more equipped for the second week.
We continued our journey on the Consecrated Life and the three poles of our life. The main rowers were Sr. Marthe Ntuyumve - Consecration and obedience, Sr. Sandra Durán - Chastity, Sr. Martine Tabsoba. - Poverty, Community Life, Interculturality and Internationality, Sr. Hélène Bureau. - Apostolic life and Sr. Catherine Lienard - Prayer Life. Their enriching interventions in a systematic way and using the modern techniques were very effective and touching. It helped us to increase our love of St. Marie Eugenie and the Congregation and led us to delve deeply in the Rule of Life. Their openness and sincerity, knowledge, appropriate sharing and clarification not only enriched but also helped us to have an open and sincere interaction. Yes, their experience and understanding were shared with authority at the same time with love.
Besides the rowers, our boat has two main permanent crews, Sr. Sandra and Sr. Lerma who are very alert and attentive. Their approachability, availability, accompaniment, caring, gentleness, pleasant faces and readiness made us relaxed and enables us to enter into the rhythm of life here. There are also other rowers: Sr. Marthe Ntuyumve, Sr. Claudina Rodriguez and Sr. Illuminata Dusenge for the translation.
Sr. Marthe reminded us that we are consecrated by God for his people. Our consecration is founded on communion for communion. It has two dimensions - prophetic mission and joy. To be faithful in Consecrated life is to “keep your eyes fixed on Him who is faithful”. Obedience is a covenant with God. To obey is to listen, understand, abandon/ surrender my will, daring and using my talents time and energy for the extension of God’s kingdom. The vow of obedience makes us free and submit ourselves fully to God alone.
Sr. Sandra started with a game through which she explained to us how each sister should be alert and vigilant to build a home community. Chastity is a virtue of orienting our life in an integrated way. It helps us to coordinate our love and transforms our affections and friendships to include all the people who come our way. Chastity is a vow of covenant with God and the extension of His love. It is a source of special fruitfulness for the world where each one becomes a witness of life for whom God is the only precious treasure.
We were very blessed to have Sr. Martine, our former Superior General to be with us for three days. She guided us to a deep and right understanding of religious poverty which is a public commitment and a call to live in concrete ways. It is a total dependence on God and a voluntary commitment to live without possession. It leads us to be solidarity with the people specially who are in the peripheries. Here we experience again that God is our only wealth. Poverty and humility are expressions of charity. Humility leads us to live our consecrated life meaningfully and effectively. Joy is the fruit of our consecrated life.
The vast knowledge and experience of Sr. Martine shared with us inspired us to cherish our community life, our internationality and interculturality. Community life is a free commitment of each sister to follow Christ who is chaste, poor and obedient. It is good news for our divided world. Community is a place of edifying and sanctifying the living of our vowed life. We feel proud of St. Marie Eugenie who dared to accept the sisters from the different countries and cultures. Our hearts are filled with gratitude and wonder. We are also grateful to our first sisters who took courageous steps to leave everything of their own and came to Paris for their formation. What a joyful detachment!
Sr. Hélène Bureau accompanied us in our journey on the Apostolic life. We delved deeper into how the three poles of life are interconnected. Through “photo language” we reflected on our present apostolic life. The Credo of St. Marie Eugenie helped us to reflect on our important experiences with Christ and situated us in our present apostolic life.
The direction of our journey moved to Prayer life and the steering of the boat was handed over to Sr. Catherine. She invited us to turn towards the Mystery of the Trinity. With a beautiful image of the Holy Trinity where a wounded person (which resembles each of us) is taken care by the three persons of the Trinity. She led us from the foundational experience of Jesus to the way of St. Marie Eugenie who was in union with God. She helped us to see where we are in this stage of our life.
The animation team thanked each resource person in different creative ways with a token of gratitude. In between we had two days to integrate all these experiences each at their own rhythm. Sunday 9th of November, we were introduced to the Christian community Mass at the chapel of Auteuil. Then we set off for Notre Dame Cathedral, following in the footsteps of Maria Eugenia in Paris. Notre Dame is the place of her conversion, and where today the relics of Saint Maria Eugenie are kept in the altar. Sr. Veronique accompanied us during this short pilgrimage.
We had a wonderful birthday celebration of Sr. Mary Junalyn and Maria Minda. The day ended with the compline at the sanctuary of St. Marie Eugenie.
On behalf the Third-year participants,
Sr. Restituta and Sr. Jessy
First week
The Third Year experience began on 26 October 2025 and will last for two months and ten days, journeying with Christ and Saint Marie Eugénie. This is a unique experience that brought together 21 sisters from nine provinces around the theme: Pilgrims of Hope: journeying together as we respond to the needs and grace of our time. Let us continue to affirm our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful (Heb 10:23).
First of all, on the afternoon of the 26th, a visit to the Auteuil house helped us to settle in and make our home in our Mother House for the few months we have been given. The next morning, we welcomed Sr. Rekha's opening message, which prepared us for this time of grace and renewal and invited us to listen attentively, in a profound conversation with St. Marie Eugénie and, above all, in listening to the Spirit who will lead us to the depths of our peripheries for a journey full of promise and grace.
Following Sr. Rekha, Sr. Lerma helped us to understand a little more about this third Year and the best ways to benefit from it fully. To this end, we were asked some fundamental questions to help us reflect individually. We then identified the essential aspects for our community life in the third year. The first day ended with Compline at the feet of Saint Marie Eugénie, entrusting to her this experience that had just begun.
The next day, 28th and 29th October, it was the turn of Sr Marie Sophie from the Province of Europe, who was very enthusiastic and wanted to help us to slow down and become aware of the present moment. The two days were devoted to this inner journey. It was a very rich experience of sharing, welcoming and knowing oneself through one's own emotions. The challenge is set for each participant to become a witness to God's unique love for each of His creatures.
On the 30th, Sr. Marie Géneviève from the Province of France accompanied us further on our inner journey with very dynamic means of interiority, so that this space that belongs to us may be rightly occupied by the one who is its master.
On the 31st, Sr. Lerma, in a spirit of continuity with what we had been given to experience, helped us rediscover the necessity of unity of life as religious of the Assumption.
The first week ended with a time of integration in communion with the saints in heaven who lived this inner journey to the full in their encounter with God. We are grateful for what is already a way of life in our pilgrimage.
Thank you to the General Council for their care, thank you to each of our provinces for offering us this precious time, thank you to all of you who pray for us.
On behalf of the Third Year Participants,
Sr Marie Bénédicte and Sr Mary Junalyn