By Elodie Fraboulet, Assistant Director, Congregational Spirituality Center
What a joy it was for the Motherhouse and Spirituality Center teams to welcome a group of 22 pilgrims to Angers, France, from September 7 to 17, 2024. From nine countries around the world (Austria, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, India, Ireland, El Salvador, South Korea, and Taiwan), fourteen sisters and eight partners-in-mission gathered for a pilgrimage to follow in the footsteps of our founders, St. John Eudes and St. Mary Euphrasia.
The group spent the first few days discovering the house in Angers, visiting St. Mary Euphrasia’s bedroom and study, the museum, the tomb and the chapel, and St. Nicholas Abbey – while along the way meeting with sisters and sharing stories.
We then set off on a pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. John Eudes. The first highlight of the day was a visit to the church in Ri, the village where St. John Eudes was born and baptized. Then, in Cormelles le Royal, we visited the Museum of St. John Eudes and the chapel where the relics of our founder rest. The second highlight of the day was meeting the sisters in the community in Cormelles, who shared stories about their experience of mission and the journey of reunification. The day ended in Caen with a visit to the house and oratory of St. John Eudes.
The day-long pilgrimage to Noirmoutier, the island where St. Mary Euphrasia was born and spent her childhood, was another highlight of the session. Pilgrims visited the house where she was born, and we were lucky enough to have the service in the house’s oratory. The parish priest gave us a guided tour of St. Philbert Church before we headed to enjoy a picnic on the beach where Rose Virginie used to play as a child in sunny weather.
The last day of the pilgrimage was devoted to Tours, where Mary Euphrasia entered the Our Lady of Charity novitiate following her studies at Chobelet boarding school (main picture). Pilgrims were able to visit Tours Cathedral, where St. Mary Euphrasia went to mass every day, and the first Our Lady of Charity refuge where St. Mary Euphrasia entered, a house that now belongs to the Ursuline sisters.
The end of the session was also marked by several highlights, starting with the gathering with the community of contemplative sisters, followed by the spiritual experiences of the labyrinth and the tunnel, and ending with a closing ceremony at the green door.
The participants here bear witness to this unique, unforgettable and multi-cultural experience. Their faith was strengthened, and they left full of zeal.
Let’s live in the mission and spirit of SJE and SME!
