By Fr Jean-Michel Amouriaux CJM, Superior General of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (commonly known as the ‘Eudists’)
On August 19, the entire Church – and in a special way the congregations he founded and the people who find inspiration in him today – celebrates the Feast of St John Eudes.
Celebrating this man who lived 400 years ago is an act to recognize and give thanks for his life’s witness and for the legacy he has left to us; it is also a way to better understand how he speaks to us today, inspires us, and impels us forward.
The Congregation of Our Lady of Charity, which he founded and saw expand throughout his lifetime, has a rich history that goes back to 1641. One of the great figures in this history was St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, who founded the contemplative branch and later reformed the governance structures of the congregation so that, in 1835, it became Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd. This new independent congregation flourished on all continents at a time when the Christian faith was spreading across the globe.
Prophetic intuition and a challenging journey led the sisters of these two congregations to reunite into a single congregation in 2014, each sharing its own history and contribution to the original charism. On June 27, we jointly celebrated the 10th anniversary of this act of reunification.
Saint John Eudes inspires us, in our two congregations as an attentive brother, spiritual teacher and tireless missionary.
These three dimensions of his life witness grow deeper through each generation according to their needs: human, spiritual and apostolic. The search for a better understanding of what he has left us also varies from culture to culture, and with the expansion of the congregations, the reach is truly global.
In May, 2024, the leadership teams of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd and the Eudists set up a task force to shed more light on the common heritage of Saint John Eudes and Saint Mary Euphrasia.
This is not about archaeology or recreating the past. It is a question of receiving a gift, in the present, so that each of us can find light and new strength to carry out our Christian life, our consecration, and our mission today.
These shared reflections will be greatly rewarding as we become more familiar with each other and our congregations. The fact that the team is composed of men and women, consecrated religious, laity and priests, from different continents, is in itself a sign. We now need to actively listen to what each of us has to say, and then try to find ways of sharing it with other members and partners-in-mission or associates.
Our two congregations have their own apostolic priorities*, defined by their general chapters: What is clearer today is that we increasingly position ourselves to align our mission of service with the needs of the present world.
The iconic words of St John Eudes that the Eudists have chosen for their apostolic vision for the coming years is taken from a letter he wrote in 1653, in which he exclaims: “We are the missionaries of mercy“.
These words bring us closer to the experience and mission of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, with the word “mercy” in service to our common home, mission to the margins of society, responding to the hopes and concerns of the youth, the formation of lay people and priests in this context, etc.
While the sisters have already experienced a journey of coming together, it seems to me that we too are making a similar journey; seeking ways together of carrying out common missions in education, formation, spiritual animation and the promotion of what the USG and USIG calls ‘Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation’. We do this with many other members of the Church and society, associates and partners, friends and collaborators. This path of communion is not the result of personal choices alone, but of a common response to a call that transcends us – that of the Holy Spirit.
We are preparing to celebrate on May 31, 2025, the centenary of the canonization of St John Eudes, our founder and inspiration and the anniversaries that will mark this jubilee year in both our congregations.
*The 2021 General Chapter of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd defined our apostolic priorities through our Calls to Action – one of which is the Universal Culture of Justice which calls for us to ‘Continue to work for the full integration of all the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd in the light of the reunification process‘.
