Institute Sisters Celebrate the Weekend Around Many Tables

The French Institute sisters spent time around many tables over the weekend of November 8-10. One of the most important tables was the 90th birthday celebration of Sr. Odile.

The party began with an aperitif of champagne and tapanade.










 
The main dish was tartiflette (potatoes and cheese), baked squash, and osso buco, followed by a cheese course, and birthday cake for dessert.

Osso buco and baked squash.

The sisters asked Sr. Odile to give a summary of each decade of her life. Among them was her service as a teacher and 18 years in leadership. 








 

Crossing generations, Sr. Anne, novice, presents Sr. Odile with a birthday cake as Sr. Bernadette, another former Superior General, looks on. 

Sr. Marie Claire brought another birthday cake as Sr. Odile showed her appreciation for these loving gestures.

Sr. Odile read a poem she wrote about a simple word that helps create relationships: merci (thank you). She then passed out copies of the poem to everyone present.

 

As an act of community bonds, Sr. Marie Claire tied ribbons around the sisters' wrists while Sr. Bernadette offered everyone chocolate with their after-dinner coffee.

The sisters extended birthday greetings to Sr. Odile, one of their favorites.

The meal ended in prayer around a painting and St. Joseph statue (by Sr. Mary Southard), a simple candle, and the plant the sisters had given Sr. Odile.

 

After dinner and prayer, the sisters met in the reception room for a "French salon" while the younger sisters climbed St. Michel.






Novices
The weekend also allowed the Institut's two novices to become acquainted with the International Centre, the Kitchen and Living History Centre, and Le Puy itself. 


 On Friday night, Olga made Sicilian pasta and eggplant parmesan. The meal also included salad, cheese, and a tart de pomme dessert.







On Saturday afternoon the sisters "gathered around the table" and offered prayers in the Kitchen.

Geneviève plays the flute at the Kitchen

 

On Saturday night, we all gathered around the table to play a French card game called "Gare de Vacheries." It was great fun!!






 
The sisters all pitched in to clear the tables, sweep the floor, put away the leftovers, and wash the dishes.

Two Trinities Program -- "Sings" in the Rain

Each program at the International Centre distinguishes itself in some way. For the Two Trinities program, it was rain--every day--and numbers.

Throughout this year the weather has cooperated for our guests. However, participants in the Two Trinities program, had to deal with rain for most of the week--and a train strike as well. But that did not dampen their spirits or their appreciation for the program.

"The participants were deeply reflective," said Sr. Linda Buck, presenter for the program. "They really soaked up all the material in a way that made them shine."

Participants made due during the rainy days in various ways.

 
Sr. Ditty, a Lyon sister of India, found some photogenic levity with umbrellas. 

"It was the best shower I've ever had in my life," said Ditty. "I was hoping to be carried away in my spiritual experience with this program, and I think I made it upstream."  

David, a 30-year veteran facilities engineer for St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California, fixed the doors of the Centre to prevent them from slamming and squeaking by changing the speed of their closing and oiling the latches.

"I volunteered because the doors needed to be fixed. I used to take care of the hospital sisters' old convent all the time. This just seemed like another thing I could do for the sisters." 

David has been to Le Puy and the Centre two other times. He came to the Two Trinities program because he wanted to study more of Fr. Medaille's writings and to study the Eucharistic Letter. He had taken Sr. Rosemary O'Toole's online course on Fr. Medaille as well.

 
Sr. Ires of Brazil asked for a penance for inadvertently breaking the toilet paper holder. She was a principal of a school for 50 years in southern Brazil.








The Two Trinities program was full of numbers, too. 

9 participants including:
     - 4 Indians
     - 2 Brazilians + 1 Brazilian translator
     - 1 Bolivian
     - 1 Madagascaran 
     - 1 French translator
     - 1 American from Mauritius Island in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 km from Madagascar where they speak 18 languages.

• Linda Buck's first time as a presenter at the Centre
• 5 days of rain and one day of sunshine
• 6 days of programming
• 4 days of a train strike 
• 2 loads of dishes per day
• 4 trips to the Super U to buy yogurt
• 4 kilos of coffee consumed
• 8 litres of milk consumed

Visiting the Kitchen is always done in a rush in order to be there between 1:30-3 p.m. (It's part of an agreement we have with the nursing home there.) This group ate its meal in 30 minutes and did the dishes in 10 minutes. They climbed up the hill to the Kitchen in 15 minutes. This has got to be a world record! It also shows the seriousness of the group.

The Kitchen and Living History Centre
Fortunately, on the day the participants went to the Kitchen and Living History Centre, the rain slowed down enough not to make their walk unbearable.

"Standing in the Kitchen reminded me of standing on the shoulders of our foremothers where they nourished themselves physically and spiritually," said Nidhi of India, "and led me on the road of their lives."

"It was very meaningful to me," said Renata of Brazil. "It was very touching to be on the ground where our first sisters were.  Coming there so many years later was emotional for me knowing that the first sisters were present there, living there. It was holy ground for us."

"When I saw all the things there, I thought the sisters were living there very simply," said Christine of Madagascar. "And that they were really living our charism. They were living their poverty but in a joyful way; they were not sad. Also, the sisters were self-sustainable because they worked outside in order to provide for themselves. The sisters were living and working as well."

Sr. Vimala of India examines original documents in the Living History Centre

Sr. Ieda, who served as translator for Portuguese, and Sr. Linda Buck, presenter, read about some of the history of the twentieth century.

Sister Ditty of India who has served in Ghana for the past 11 years

Sisters Ires and Renata of Brazil

Sr. Linda Buck was the presenter for this program. She is a Sister of St. Joseph of Orange (CA) in the USA where she currently serves in the ministry of Initial Formation and is a psychotherapist and spiritual director. She is a frequent presenter in the areas of theology, spirituality and psychology.

The two translators for the program included Sr. Ieda Tomazini (left) and Sr. Simone Saugues (right). Sr. Ieda is a sister from Brazil who serves on the Chambéry Congregation's General Counsel in Rome and is also the Centre's Board president. Sr. Simone has been with the Centre as a translator since its beginning 15 years ago this month. She is a sister with the Institut.

 
The Two Trinities program examined the relationality between and among the Uncreated and Created Trinities–as an expression of Divine mystery, providence and plan–calls all to a radical response. The two trinities is the prophetic nature of the spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph, which calls us to move relationally into the world, with the dear neighbor without distinction.



Participants explored the prophetic nature of our call in the world today and learned how the dynamic love as expressed by the Two Trinities is a model of our call toward relationality in our wounded world. It is in this openness to relationship that we incarnate Triune Love and participate in the process of bringing God alive in the world. 

The week-long experience offered a rhythm of input sessions, interactive participation, reflection, as well as an orientation to the city of Le Puy and a visit to the Kitchen and Living History Museum.

Congregation of St Joseph Makes Annual Pilgrimage

The Congregation of St Joseph pilgrimage group led by Sr Carol Crepeau came to the International Centre on Wednesday, October 2-8. There were 15 pilgrims.

They arrived after 12 hours of flying over the ocean (with 90 minutes of delay before departure and two hours of turbulence), running to their connection in Paris, and being picked up by bus in Lyon en route to the Centre. Then 50 yards from the Centre, a huge semi-truck delivering goods to the Super U warehouse blocked their passage for 10 minutes. This truly made their arrival all the more sweet.
 

Eluiza greets Carol Crepeau

After settling in, the group came to the dining room for a meal of roast beef and then they all were in bed sound asleep by 8:30. The next day they started out with breakfast at 7:30 and then hit the streets by 9 a.m. for a walking tour of the city. No softies in this group of Midwesterners (and one Californian)!

The Joseph Table
One of the highlights of the pilgrimage was the Joseph Table. In times of old, people would bring food to share with the poor and dedicate it to St. Joseph. The pilgrims went shopping at the Saturday market in Le Puy and brought home some delicious vitals to share with one another. (Oh yes, staff had the time off during preparation, service, and clean-up of the meal!)

Prep work was only a bit chaotic this year as 16 people scurried among each other in a small kitchen and the dining room. It took intense concentration to the task--and a bit of fun--to prepare each dish, which were all delicious!

It amazingly only took an hour to prepare the meal and each person or team presented their dish with great pride and excitement.

The group prayed over the meal and dug into it with great enjoyment. And like Jesus who fed a crowd of 5,000 with two small fish and some bread, there was enough for seconds--and leftovers, too.

The Kitchen

Carol explained the features of the Kitchen and ways in which the early sisters lived in the mid-17th century.

She demonstrated how the sisters made lace at night by candlelight to help support themselves and their ministries by day.





 The pilgrims prayed for the early sisters and their legacy. They then gathered around--and inside--the fireplace for a group photo.

On Tuesday, October 8, the group headed onward toward Lyon to visit the Living History Centre of the Lyon Congregation, Mother St. John Fontbonne's gravesite, and Fourvière.

The pilgrims enjoyed their time in Le Puy, and they were inspired to have walked the steps of our founders. Here are some of their reflections.

Six women and a thread woven
Across the cobblestones
Up and down the hills
Across the crooked bridge
To the hearth of the fireplace
Around the Tree of Martyrs
To catch 15 of us
And weave us into the story of 
Six women and a thread.
                       Linda, CSJ Associate

Le Puy, a journey of a life time
We traveled through centuries to once again
Be One.
With a grateful heart, 
I am once again blessed.
                       Diane

"I'm delighted to experience the wonderful hospitality of the International Centre and also the positive interactions we've had from the people of France, especially when I got lost and my 'new friend,' Marie, drove me back to the Centre.
                        Joannie K 

Our feet on the same cobblestones
Our prayer in the same church
Our hearts full of the same love
Our past laced together with the present
"We are all one."
                       Frankie

Standing at the tree where our sisters were martyred--and praying for my own courage to stand up for injustice.
                       Mary