We were taken aback when Sr. Marie Heckman of the Institute St. Joseph called us to reserve two weeks in August for young African and French sisters who were preparing for their final vows. They would also bring their own cook! How could we refuse such an offer!
The two weeks included a week-long retreat with visits to SSJ historical sites. Everyone was very serious and faith-filled.
The sisters came from France, Ivory Coast, and Senegal. Fr. Aristide, a Jesuit priest from Benin, accompanied the sisters.
Sr. Marie Heckman (left) coordinated the experience with the
help of Sr. Mariane Diouf of the Ivory Coast. Sr. Evelyn Coly also of the Ivory Coast was the cook of some
delicious West African dishes.
Sr. Marie Therese Vallete (standing) provided mealtime readings and presentations to the sisters.
Fr. Aristide Jules-Dossou provided readings during the silent meal times, and he celebrated Mass in the evenings. A theologian and known as a strict professor at the university, he also shared readings from the SSJ Constitutions that were written by fellow Jesuit, Jean-Pierre Médaille and challenged the sisters to live up to them.
The Community Room was transformed into a chapel where the sisters celebrated the Mass and prayed the breviary.
The retreat was very good, but everyone celebrated completing it faithfully.
sing -- video
After the retreat, Sr. Eluiza gave a presentation about the Centre and its mission.
Food, glorious food!
Evelyn is a good cook! She made wonderful sauces to go with stuffed peppers, grilled fish, steak, and many other delicious dishes. She also made a refreshing hibiscus drink. Marie helped her chop vegetables, and she shopped for fresh food every day, sometimes a couple times a day.With always a smile on her face, Evelyn knew how to be the glue to the small temporary community through her cooking and her loving support to all the sisters.
In the Ivory Coast Evelyn also cooks and tends the garden, among many other things. She typically cuts vegetables into small pieces for the meal or for sauces. She also cuts the rinds of fruits and vegetables for chickens.
Meals are important times of the day. They not only provide nourishment, but they provide a structure to the day.
Prayer before the meal.
Each table received bowls of food that table mates shared and finished before leaving for afternoon or evening activities.
The meals were all silent with a traditional spiritual reading by Fr Aristide or Sr. Marie Therese Vallete.
After 10 days of cooking two meals a day, Olga took over the kitchen and provided some American favorites: hot dogs, tacos, and pasta. The sisters enjoyed this food, too.
One of the things Sr. Marie informed us was that "the sisters eat a lot". This was true. There was always enough but they cleaned up every serving plate for each meal.
Marie Heckman demonstrates the proper French way of eating a hot dog with a fork and knife. Hamburgers are eaten in the same way.
See how watermelon make every happy!
On the last night of the two-week experience, Institute sisters gave the Centre a bottle of Verveine, one of the local products of Le Puy. Eluiza accepted the gift.
A beautiful quarter moon on one of the last nights of the sisters' experience.
Cleaning the Centre for the next group
The Centre usually has cleaners come after a group ends its program. During the summer months, however, this service is not available. The sisters didn't flinch when Sr. Marie asked them to pitch in and clean the Centre. She divided up the spaces and took volunteers to clean them on the day before the group left. They swept, vacuumed, and scrubbed the floors, sinks, bathrooms, and community rooms. They also aired out their room by opening all the windows. We as staff very much appreciated their efforts.
Good-bye
No comments:
Post a Comment