The Lace Is Not Yet Finished...

Fifteen consociates from St. Paul, MN, two sisters from Brazil, two sisters from India and one sister from Burkina Faso participated in Sr. Jane De Lisle's program, "The Lace Is Not Yet Finished," held May 23-29.

The group met in the conference room of the International Centre for lectures, discussions, reflections, and sharing.

A gifted teacher, Sr. Jane inspired and led the participants to a look more deeply into the Spirit, Spirituality, and Mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph and to discern how what they brought to the week had changed them as a result of their study and visits to Le Puy and Lyon.

Sr. Simone Sauges (France) and Sr. Maria Elizabeth Reis (Brazil) served as French and Portuguese translators, respectively.

The participants learned about the history and spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph, and they were on the move for a good deal of the time. They explored the streets of Le Puy-en-Velay and visited and prayed in the original Kitchen. 

They visited the Living History Centre, the Cathedral of Notre Dame du Puy, the Chapel of St. Michel d'Aiguilhe, the Eglise du Collège, and the Tree of the Martyrs. 


On Sunday, May 27, they traveled to Lyon to visit the Heritage Room and graveside of Mother St. John Fontbonne as well as the Notre Dame Basilica and the church where Mother St. John prayed for the sisters she had sent to America.

Sr. Jane provided participants with a 59-page program booklet of prayers, reflections, and information on how the early sisters responded to the needs of the people suffering from devastating poverty, pervasive violence, and stifling oppression--in order for them to discover how they are called to continue to be moved by the Holy Spirit to get in touch with and claim once again the transformative power of the charism in their midst and into the future.

The "Official" Group Photo

"The Lace Is Not Yet Finished" Goes to Lyon

On Sunday, May 27, the sisters and associates participating in The Lace Is Not Yet Finished program spent the day in Lyon to visit Sisters of St. Joseph historical sites: the chapel of the Congregation of Lyon, the Heritage Room, Mother St. John Fontbonne's bedroom and gravesite. 

Bas-en-Basset, birthplace of Jeanne Fontbonne. Note the cobbler's tools over the door meant to indicate his services.

Altar of the local parish in Bas-en-Basset

The City of Monistrol acknowledges the centuries-long presence of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Monistrol where they cared for poor sick people at the hospital in Monistrol in 1660 and later built a school in 1820. 


A street was named after Mother St. John Fontbonne in Monistrol near the convent where she lived during her early years in the community as a sister and as a superior.

Altar of the church in Monistrol where Jeanne Fontbonne entered the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Prayer at the gravesite of Mother St. John Fontbonne

The group also went to Fourvière Hill to visit the chapel where Mother St. John prayed for the sisters she sent to America as well as the Notre Dame Basilica. Before they left for a two-hour drive back to Le Puy, they spent an hour in the old city of Lyon.

The Lace Is Not Yet Finished -- Closing

The Lace is not yet finished, but as men and women, lay and religious, the participants grew together in their solidarity and commitment to carry on the Spirit and Spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph. 

The group had literally walked through the history of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Le Puy and Lyon. They had prayed to and with the founding sisters and even felt their presence when they visited the Kitchen. They walked the cobblestone streets. They climbed the mounts of St. Michel, Notre Dame--and even the mount of St. Joseph in the rain. They prayed together, ate together, lived together for five full days. Their energy increased with each day.

The last session included a sharing of what the experience had meant to each participant.

As part of the closing ritual, participants blessed each other's eyes, heart, hands, and feet so that they may engage and continue the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Sr. Jane gave each participant a pilgrimage medal as a remembrance of their experiences together. It has the Camino shell on one side and the Black Madonna of Le Puy on the other.

The group had coalesced quickly--from the first day forward--and  ended with hugs, signs of friendship, blessings and wishes of solidarity and hope.

The Lace Is Not Yet Finished--Impressions and Reflections

"Pearls" from our Table Group Reflection on the Double Trinity

Holy Spirit: Being rooted and grounded in Love.

Joseph: Trust God and the Universe enough to believe

Mother-Father God: God has inclusive love for all and all are without distinction, like we ry to be which is very hard.

Father-Mother God: All inclusive Love may it flow from my heart.

Mary: My soul, which is part of the beginning of all things, intensifies the bread keeper and my spirit rejoices in God, my healer. The protector of what nourishes us who is mighty, has done great things for me and whole is God's essence.


The Kitchen

I am standing at a holy place. The Spirit that moved the first six sisters still moves me. History evolves and the charism continues....Father-Mother God, may your all-inclusive love flow from my heart to humanity. The lace is not yet finished.

Sr. Simy James, SJL, India

Jesus in the Garden

I am intimate with lifelong suffering borne of life-long distrust. How can I ever know and own an experience of deep healing love if I am the only reference point? The hurts are history. I re-wound with their memory. Jesus in the Garden is asking me to release my suffering to the care of God. Only then do I haltingly give God permission to bear my pain along with His own Son's. By dispatching an angel to strengthen us, gives me permission to see me with new eyes.

Ken  Kausalik-Boe

"Pearls" from our Table Discussion on the Double Trinity

Jesus: Going into solitude to do mission work aids the tempering of my zeal.

Holy Spirit: List to Spirit and trust in Spirit's wisdom.

Joseph: Embrace the past, nourish the present, create the future.

Jesus: The perfection of becoming fully HUMAN is where love lives.

Jesus: God broke through, leading me to see myself differently.

Thoughts and Thanks

No matter how many pictures you have seen of the original Kitchen or the cobblestone streets of Le Puy, there is nothing quite like feeling those cobblestones under your feet or touching the cool roughness of the hearth in the Kitchen with your own hand. It has been an amazing pilgrimage. The privileged time I have spent with our facilitator, Jane De Lisle, and the generous hospitality of the International Centre has made it even more so. I look forward to taking this experience back with me to my life and work in my home community.

Andrea Pearson Tande

I am profoundly grateful to the Centre for sponsoring this program. In addition to the gifts of walking the paths of our founders, the sharing with friends from near and far, the food was incredible.

Louise Jankowski

Cultural Diversity Program -- Scrapbook

photo by Ken Parsons