Fifteen young women from Mt St Mary's University in Los Angeles visited France May 26-29. Here they are posed before the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Le Puy. They also visited the Kitchen, scenography, Église de Collège (where Fr. Medaille preached) and the Tree of Martyrs.
Each day the young women focused on a particular theme in the history and spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph. They also shared their reflections about what inspired them or connected them to the founding sisters as well as their experiences of community. They also had opportunities to eat in French restaurants, stroll through the Old City of Le Puy, go to outdoor cafés, visit Martine's lace shop, and buy things in local stores.
This pilgrimage program is sponsored by the Office of the President and led by staff of the CSJ Institute at MSMU with Shannon Green, director and Meredith Lynch, associate director. Alison Halpern, associate director of wellness, also accompanied the group.
The CSJ Institute
Established in 2016, the CSJ Institute at Mount Saint Mary’s University advances and upholds the mission of our Founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
Rooted in a rich history that dates back to 1650 Le Puy, France, the Institute promotes the charism of the CSJs to serve all persons without distinction and respond to the needs of the times.
Through a combination of programs, resources, and faculty-led research, the CSJ Institute prepares fearless visionaries for a just future while honoring the work and lives of our Founders, both past and present.
Meredith Lynch, associate director of the CSJ Institute leads a group reflection on each student's experiences of community.
After four days in Le Puy, the group moved on to Bas-en-Basset where where they visited Mother St. John Fontbonne's birthplace. This is the house that MSMU purchased in 2019. The group stayed in a youth hostel that is located on the upper floors of the City Hall. They followed the history of Mother St. John by going to Monistrol-sur-Loire where she was a superior, Saint Didier-en-Velay where she was imprisoned during the French Revolution, and Saint Étienne where she gathered sisters back into community after the Revolution. The group's final stop was in Lyon where they visited the Origin and Evolution Centre of the Lyon sisters. They saw a replica of Mother St. John's bedroom and several other artifacts of the Lyon Congregation.
One last photo with a statue of the Blessed Mother (left) and Mt. St. Michel, both mounts the young women had climbed during their stay in Le Puy.
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