Everything has a beginning and an end and so also the 2017 Poitiers Session. Perhaps it is better to say that this is when everything really begins. These have had three weeks of “pilgrimage” to the sacred places of the Congregation, following in the footsteps of our founders and our brother Damian. In Belgium we had the opportunity of visiting the birthplace of Father Damian and the sanctuary where he said goodbye to his mother. Hilde Reynders, ss.cc. shared with us a different way of being Church today, in collaboration with laity and other congregations.
With the help of María Vidal, Bernard Couronne and the animating team, we revisited the spiritual itinerary of Henriette Aymer and of Pierre Coudrin, and we compared it with our own. The birth places of our founders, the night spent in the granary in adoration, setting off from the granary after the Eucharist of Saint Caprasius, remembering what the Good Father lived, the procession in silence with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Poitiers… everything spoke to us of commitment, of risk, of “ setting off” of “ zeal burning within us”…
And now is the time when everything must begin again…in our places, with our brothers and sisters in community, with the people whom we serve. Now is the time to share all the richness which we have received, because this is what our founders also did, because this is what our charism is inviting us to do…
On the 20th, Javier Álvarez-Ossorio, Superior General, was present with us and helped us to look at the “journey travelled”, inviting us to thank God for all that we have received and to be humble in our service, like “useless servants” who only do what they have to do.
The 21st was a day for gathering in all that was lived, in the evaluation and to make small commitments to be incorporated into our own personal plan, so that the experience doesn’t just remain at the level of a “pleasant memory”.
Inspired by the presence of our Superior Generals, Javier and Emperatriz, we concluded with the Eucharist, with the commitment to continue living in our countries what we have begun here.
We would like to give special thanks to the sisters and brothers of France and Belgium for the welcome we received and for all the support given in different ways. We really felt at home.
Go to the POITIERS SESSION 2017 blog for more information
07/22/2017