At the beginning of November, 2025, sisters from the Provinces of Europe–Canada (BFMNM), Syria–Lebanon, Egypt–Sudan, and the District of the Isles (Madagascar, Réunion, Mauritius) met in Angers, France, to continue their two-year journey of discernment on forming a new Francophone Region and agree on a timeline that respects the constraints of the entire congregation and that is also appropriate for the 250 sisters who will belong to the new entity. Here, Sr. Souhaila Bou Samra, Province Leader of Lebanon–Syria, shares a perspective from her province.
Our community has 33 sisters, spread between du Liban et Syrie. Faithful to the charism of our founders, Saint John Eudes and Saint Mary Euphrasia, the sisters serve the Good Shepherd mission among families, women, and girls in vulnerable situations, and we collaborate with numerous mission partners. About 250 partners work with us in Lebanon and Syria.
We entered this journey from the very beginning of the movement toward “Regions,” conscious that this synodal path leads us toward a full and visible unity, expressed through fraternity and sharing, not through mere structural belonging.
When the reflection began, we realized that the Middle East is closer to Europe. We therefore began thinking about drawing closer to the units of that continent as a whole and wrote to the Circle of Leaders. But Europe is already moving toward three regions (Southern Europe, Northern Europe, and Francophone Europe). Thus, attracted by our roots—according to Rainer Maria Rilke’s expression, “God waits where the roots are”—we turned toward the Province of Europe-BFMN, very close to us in terms of history, language, culture, leadership, mission, and way of life.
“Be faithful to the inner light that God grants to each of you. May it enlighten you; may it always accompany you! The more you follow this light and this grace, the more you will taste that delicate peace which is our joy in this world.”
Saint Mary Euphrasia, Conversations, p. 280
Little by little, through an inclusive and participatory process, with much prayer and reflection, while trying “to be faithful to the inner light,” we decided to join them. After a broad consultation, nearly all the sisters expressed their desire to belong to this region, convinced that this is where they feel most aligned with their way of living religious life in both its community and apostolic dimensions.
With this bringing-together of units, our expectations mirror those of the whole Congregation, and we adopt its principles: to lighten structures so as to become more mobile and flexible, in order to better serve the mission and share resources.
We want to be more adaptable so that we can better meet the increasing needs of families and individuals, especially young girls and women in situations of extreme fragility and vulnerability.
We all know that every change brings with it a share of positives (learning, opportunities, growth) as well as challenges (discomfort, resistance, adaptation). Let us work so that this change follows three major stages: preparation, implementation, and anchoring. By following these steps, we can develop an effective change-management strategy, unite our units around the Region project, and sustain our practices over time.
- This article was first published in Le Mag’, the bi-monthly magazine for the Province of Europe–Canada (BFMNM)
