ACSSJ Student Pilgrimage -- June 12-17

 

They came from SSJ colleges located across the USA for a week-long pilgrimage to Le Puy and Lyon. Their mission: to deepen their understanding of the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph and to walk the same streets as the founding sisters did nearly 400 years ago.  

Sr. Joan Lescinski (Carondelet) greeted each student as s/he got off the bus. The group had talen a long flight from JFK Airport in New York (the rendez-vous airport) and then a two-hour bus ride from Lyon St. Exupèry Airport to Le Puy. The students' energy and enthusiasm for this unique pilgrimage opportunity in France never slowed them down.

Two students from each of the nine SSJ-affiliated colleges and universities represented their schools including: 

Avila University (Kansas City, MO)

Chestnut Hill College (Philadelphia, PA)

College of Our Lady of the Elms (Chicopee, MA)

Fontbonne University (St. Louis, MO)

Mount St. Mary's University (Los Angeles, CA) 

Regis College (Weston, MA)

St. Catherine University (St.Paul, MN)

St. Joseph University (Brooklyn + Patchogue, NY) 

The College of St. Rose (Albany, NY)

Sessions

 

The students met for sessions in the morning and for reflection in the evening. Each of the leaders led the group for each session. These sessions were intense and students shared many important aspects of their lives related to their faith journey.

 

 

Hit the Streets   

 

  First thing in the morning on the first full day of the pilgrimage, Sr. Joan led the students for a climb to St. Michel, some 265 steps to the top. The group later went to the lace shop to see how the early sisters made lace and then on to a lunch of sausage and lentils (local fare) or a huge salad.

 The main event of the afternoon was a visit to the Kitchen where the founding sisters once lived and then to the Cathedral of Notre Dame of the Assumption for a tour.

                                             

During a free afternoon, several students took a tour of Le Puy in "Le Petit Train".  

 

 

Pilgrim Mass at the Cathedral of Notre Dame of the Assumption

The students were up for breakfast at 5:45 am and a 30-minute walk to the Cathedral to witness and participate in the Pilgrim Mass at 7 am. Bishop Yves Baumgarten presided. Pilgrims typical begin their 700-mile journey on the Camino to Compostelle, Spain, at the Cathedral. Several students walked the first few miles of the pilgrimage through the city of Le Puy and out of the valley into the rural areas.

 

After the Mass the bishop asked people their country of residence. He then invited them to write down their intentions on a piece of paper for other pilgrims to carry with them on their journey. He offered everyone medals of the pilgrimage and prayer cards and blessed their journey. Finally, for the most dramatic moment of the ceremony, the floor in the center aisle opened up for the pilgrims to descend the 285-step stairway, the first steps of their 700-mile pilgrimage to Compostelle. 

Bas-en-Basset -- Mother St. John Fontbonne's Birthplace

 

After spending four days in Le Puy, the group left for Bas-en-Basset to see the birthplace of Mother St. John Fontbonne. They visited the inside of her house and posed for a group portrait outside the front door. Afterward, the group went on to Lyon to visit the Origin & Evolution Centre, which features the bedroom of Mother St. John, and then her grave site. The group also spent some time at the Basilica of Notre Dame at Fourvière and St. John Cathedral in Old Lyon.

 Leaders of the Pilgrimage

(left to right) President Emeritus Sr. Joan Lescinski; Sr. Carol Allan (ret.) Assistant to the President on Mission and Legacy at Elms College; Joan Horgan, ​Director of Campus Ministry at the College of St. Rose; ACSSJ Executive Director Martha Malinski; Dr. Ryan Murphy, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Chestnut Hill College