The teams of Associates from Quimper and Brest in the Brittany region of France, accompanied by Sister Marie-Louise Floc’h, met on Sunday 21 January 2024 at 11am in the church of Rumengol, a diocesan shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Trinity, and a major place of pilgrimage, forgiveness and gatherings in the diocese of Quimper et Léon.
After the celebration, we shared a friendly drink followed by a picnic at the Maison Sainte Thérèse. In the afternoon, we shared about our lives, our experience as Associates of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit, and our various commitments in the Church and in society.
In the Gospel read during the Mass (Mark 1, 14-20), Jesus calls Simon, Andrew, James and John and invites them to follow him. So we re-read together how each of us had received and responded to the call to set out on the journey to become an Associate of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit. Some expressions:
“After getting to know an DHS religious in the world of work, then rubbing shoulders with another sister in the neighbourhood, I was invited to reflect on a path towards Associates and invited to an information meeting. That first friendly meeting made me want to pursue this path and I’ve been an Associate for 8 years now. The links I’ve created are important to me.»
“I became involved in a parish where I met a Daughter of the Holy Spirit who told me about the Associates and suggested that I follow a training course. Meeting after meeting, the Holy Spirit enlightened my path. I became an Associate 5 years ago”.
“While I was in a silent search, I received the call to take part in the “Marie Balavenne” day in St Brieuc. That was in 1993. That was the start of my journey as an DHS associate. I’ve been involved since 1997.”
“It took me a long time to respond to a request. It took several years before I got going!”
We shared freely and reaffirmed our joy at being Associates. We plan to hold a joint meeting of the two teams in the near future.
Published on 24 January 2024
