An assembly of 35 Sisters from the Province of France-Belgium was convened by the Superior General and her Council, as a Consultative College, to live together a process of discernment in order to help the General Council in its own discernment in view of the nomination of a new Provincial and her Council.
The meeting was held at the Ile Blanche guest house, a place that is ideal for all of us to meet again as a congregation, from Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 October. As you can see from the attached photos, the discussions focused first on the current configuration of the province, its context, and the questions that are, at this time, its challenges and opportunities. This was the first stage of the process, in which all the sisters of the province who wished and were able to do so were also invited to take part. More than thirty Sisters and a dozen lay people (who work with us) made the trip and, with the members of the Consultative College, they formed small groups for fraternal exchanges on the changes to be foreseen and to be made. The fruits of this sharing were written up and widely displayed at the end of the day, to serve as a backdrop for the discernment process to be pursued.
Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 October began on the evening of Wednesday 15 October with a time of prayer, listening in silence to the words heard during the day, welcoming the Word of God and invoking the Holy Spirit, who gives us a sense of service in the conversion of our hearts.
Further sharing sessions on Wednesday, in small groups and then in assembly, focused on the previous day’s questions and sought to pinpoint the essential challenges or to bring to light questions that had not been expressed. This was followed by a personal time, spent in silence, so that each one could discern which Sister could fulfil the service of Provincial and Assistant Councillor. Each member of the Consultative College was asked to suggest a name on a sheet of paper to be handed in on arrival at the Eucharist at the end of the day. A final time in small groups, based on the indicative list of names of Sisters who could fulfil the service of Provincial and Assistant Councillor, was given in the evening, as a time for mutual enlightenment for a new proposal of names, this time seeking to form a pair, Provincial and her assistant.
The silence and rest of the night were more than welcome on the evening of Wednesday, when each one was called upon, both to listen sympathetically and fraternally and to make a reasoned proposal of names for the new service of governance of the Province, to be planned and appointed by the Superior General and her Council for the year 2025.
Silence and recollection were preserved and maintained throughout the morning of Thursday to allow each one to make a personal proposal and to write a new proposal of names with a view to constituting, this time, the Provincial and Deputy. During the procession of offerings at Mass at the end of the morning, each person was asked to come and put down her sheet of paper, expressing her contribution, her voice, to the discernment to be pursued and brought to a conclusion by the Superior General and her Council. A process in line with that experienced at the Vatican, during this second session of the synod on synodality… With God’s grace, may it bear fruit!
Marie-Thérèse MARZIN, DHS. Published on 22 October 2024
Photos: Jeannine LEGERE, DHS
