Tribute to Sister Raymonde Marie

Dear Celebrant and dear Priests,

Dear Religious

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

 

In front of us you see an icon of the Trinity! Indeed, the lived, spiritual experience of the Sisters of St. Joseph has its source in the mystery of the Love of Trinity for the world.As our Constitutions say: "The Sister of St Joseph is to receive the gift of ‘pure and perfect love’, to live by it herself and by her consecrated presence in the world, to pass it on to others in the simplicity of ordinary everyday relationships. In this way she is to glorify the Blessed Trinity in imitation of Jesus, Mary and Joseph". This is what Sr. Raymonde Marie, whom we celebrate this evening, has chosen to live for 52 years of religious life and about forty years of missionary life in Senegal.SoI’m sure you'll agree with me that it is no easy task, insuch a short time, to talk about themissionof a woman whose deep impulse is similar to that of the giants of our history.Looking at the missionary life of Sr. Raymonde, it's obvious that her experience helps us see how much God chooses to be part of our history, even to the point of "coming down to earth” for us.

After the first decade of the presence of the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy in Senegal, a decade dedicated to laying the foundations of the mission, one could say,Sr Raymonde, that you managed, during theyears you have given, to consolidate and develop the apostolic action through education, the formation of catechists, the catechism of adults, liturgical animation, women's promotion, and presence in neighbourhoods and bush villages. It's 1972.You're only 26! Anyone who knows you testifies that you are a courageous woman, a "valiant soul" from head to toe.

In Father Medaille’s maxims 65 and 66, we find four essential (and demanding) qualities that make upthe strong, active womenourfounder desired for his Little Design: care, diligence, courage and commitment. The mission on Senegalese soil requires these essential qualities. With these qualities, you followed in the footsteps of those who preceded you. We recognize these qualities in you. You are a role model.Thank you, thank you.And, one wonders, how did you survive these years, despite the great heat and difficulties of all kinds? Only you can answer in the right way. Your intimacy with God, your desire to serve Him and His infinite love foryou have certainly sustained your journey and your fidelity. However, doesn't the answer also come fromScripture? "Those who hope in Yavhé renew theirstrength,they spread their wings like eagles, they run without growing weary, they walk without getting tired. (Is 40, 31)

Sr. Raymonde, you chose the invincible hope that "hopes for everything, believes everything, undergoes everything, endures everything". Following Mary, the apostles and our first sisters, you have expanded your tent to accommodate children, young people, and menand women whatever their status, culture or religion - and to pass on to them the best ofyourlove andyourgoodness. In whatever you were asked to do, you have been kept watch and given yourself completely.

From 1972 to 1974, you were at La Colline. In 1974, you opened the community of Goudiry with Sr Anne-Gertrude. On the very day of your arrival, the whole house was consumed by fire. All that was left was the hot seat.You went back to Tambawith onlythe clothes you were wearing. That destructive fire has died out, but the one that burns in your heart iseven hotter. After rebuilding the house, you went back to Goudiry and with the locals and had a perfect grasp of the language. You stayed there until 1979.

From September 1979 to September 1988, you were sent to Kédougou. Your mission to the children of the boarding school and the young people of the Catholic mission helped them develop their talents in acting, mime and board games. You trained the first people to accompany the church youth movement.You trained them in commitment to the end, confidence and self-esteem. From 1988 to 1999, you returned to Tambato supervise and train the juvenists. You were aware that you were training future sisters of St Joseph or future women of integrity in society. Here too, you were tenacious in transmitting the values of faith, courage, endurance and lifelong commitment.

From 1999 to 2004 you were back in Kédougou, still showing the same dedication to the boarders, the young people of the parish and to catechesis. In 2004, health problems caused you to return to France. Knowing you, the wait to return to Senegal must have seemed an eternity: eight years! That's a lot. In 2012, with the greatest joy, you returned to Dakarand stayed there untilOctober 2018 when you came back to La Colline.

Sr. Raymonde,wherever you've been, people have seen you walking to visit families. Family is important to you. The Bulloz family is so similar to our great African families where hospitality, sharing, solidarity and the importance of the other are valued. Dear people, if you know the Sr Raymonde’s family, you will know what we are talking about.

It is this rich experience of missionary life that we are celebrating tonight. We thank God for giving us Sr. Raymonde and thank you, dear sister, for all the little girls who saw you around and wanted to become sistersjust like you.Some of them are sisters of Saint Joseph.Thank you for your tireless zeal, your dedication and commitment to the end. Thank you for giving your life in service. Thank you to the province of France, now a delegation, for contributing to the development of the mission in Senegambia. Thank you very much to your biological family who supported you. Thank you to all the missionaries who have worked in the Region. Thank you also Sr. Ailbe and Sr. Fidelma for the testimony you continue to give us.

We conclude our remarks by quoting Pope Francis who recalls that we are all invited to go out as missionary disciples, each putting at the service of others his own talents, his own creativity, his own wisdom and his own experience with regard to the proclamation of the message of God's tenderness and compassion to the whole human family....

Sr. Raymonde, the Lord who called you for Senegal's mission, calls you today to France to serve and love his people there.Be happy to answer his call. Have a good and fruitful mission! May the Lord bless you! But if you leave your heart here, you'll have to come and get it. TheRegion will always be happy to welcome you.

Sr Raymonde, go with the force that animates you now (cf Jg 6, 14)