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Dreams and Reality
Life in a Parish
When I returned to the English Province after my term as General Secretary, I fondly dreamed that I would have more time for prayer and time to write – time to be! It was a dream but certainly not reality, for I very quickly found myself immersed in parish life with its many different challenges.
Nearly five years ago, Sr Maureen Davies and I moved into the presbytery at Blessed Sacrament, Rumney, Cardiff which had become vacant on the death of the parish priest. Sr Maureen would continue her work as the Administrator of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre while I would work in the parish since there was no longer a resident priest – we are served from the neighbouring parish of St John Lloyd about a mile and half away.
The house had been refurbished before our arrival but little or no work had been carried out on the Church for about 30 years – it was leaking, badly in need of renovation and the furnishings and altar linen were quite literally rotting away because of the damp. The first task was to set up a Parish Action Group who would share in the many tasks which needed to be done – planning, cleaning, fundraising etc. in other words taking ownership.
The parish has the largest Traveller Site in Europe with housing for around 2000 Travellers who claim Blessed Sacrament as their parish. Irish Travellers are a traditionally itinerant ethnic group who maintain a set of traditions. They live mostly in Ireland as well as ass comprising large communities in the United Kingdom and USA. There is also a fairly large Indian community mostly from Kerala, as well as other ethnic groups – Filipinos, Africans, Poles and Italians, all very well integrated into parish life.
The parishioners are very generous and the Parish Action Group work together to bring life to the parish. As a group we have been very inventive in ways of fundraising, (greatly needed), and at the same time developing a deeper sense of community, where people really do look out for one another in times of joy and sorrow. One of our first fundraising efforts was a sponsored “Toddle” – we couldn’t run – some of us couldn’t even walk but we did “toddle” round the 2km trail on zimmers (walking frames) and sticks while I arrived as the White Witch and went around on a broomstick!
The church building is now watertight; it has been painted inside and out and looks welcoming and cared for. Thanks to the generosity of our Sisters, much of the linen and altar furniture has been replaced and all this has enabled us to make the building a more worthy place in which to worship. Again, thanks to our Sisters we have a beautiful set of Easter garden figures. It isa far cry from our first Easter here when we pasted over the rotting plaster with coloured paper decorated with Easter symbols, just to give some sense of Easter joy!
But although I sometimes felt, in the early days, I had become a site manager, a scaffolding expert, a tree feller and a painter and decorator, life has been about much more than that. The building is only a means to an end: that of sharing the love of God with those we meet and providing time and space for people to deepen their prayer life.
Two very special ventures have been our annual Advent Carols by Candlelight and our monthly Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament with Mass and a soup lunch, each First Friday. Advent Carols began very small but we now have around 100 people coming andour parish primary school of St John Lloyd, has provided us with a choir, forging strong links between the parish and the school and the homes.
Last summer we had the joy of the ordination of one of our parishioners and we went in force to the Cathedral for the ceremony and the next day our church was packed for his first Mass. It was a very special occasion - one which really brought out the best in people. They were determined that it would be something to remember for a long time and worked so well together to make it that way.
Catechesis for the sacraments is carried out jointly with St John Lloyd parish and one of the blessings has been that of enabling lay people to feel confident enough to share their faith. Catechists from both parishes are beginning to take on responsibility themselves. Our core group has become the support group for the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) programme and lately has transformed into a faith sharing group and the beginnings of evangelisation – not always a popular word! We have also trained several parishioners as Eucharistic ministers for the sick and housebound and now this ministry is largely carried out by them.The seeds are being sown and all we can hope is that through the grace of the Spirit each little seed will add something to the growth of faith.
In the last two or three years, I myself have been trained as a Lay Minister for Funerals – a new concept in our Archdiocese. This is a privileged ministry at a time when people are very vulnerable. Sadly I find so often that while the deceased may have been a practising Catholic, the next generations are mostly not church attenders and have little idea of the religious aspect of death. It is a challenge to reach out to them as, for many, this may be one of the few occasions when they have contact with anything religious.
Another big demand is the presence of the large Travelling community. Their understanding of faith and practice is certainly expressed differently, although we have successfully integrated the young people into both the Confirmation and First Holy Communion programmes. The parents come themselves for the Baptism preparation programme but, as many are not literate, we do have to stress that there is no written work – it’s mostly DVD and discussion. There have some challenging situations atTraveller funerals and weddings, when rival groups have begun fighting. There was one notorious funeral when there were armed police and a police helicopter at the cemetery and it even made the national TV news!
I have been involved in education in one way or another for much of my life and I love the contact with the school and the children through my work as a school governor for St John Lloyd School. It is another great way of contributing to the Catholic ethos of the school which has just received a glowing report after a recent inspection. My role there helps to strengthen the partnership between church and school, to give support to the staff and is a good way of getting to know families.
What happened to my dream? I think my dream has become reality - but not in quite the way I expected! I have had the privilege of working with and for so many wonderful people who have allowed me into their lives to share with them the riches of our charism, in the good times and the not so good. I have tried to give but I know I have received so much in return. I love what I do- it is often hard and demanding, but it is also what dreams are made of.
“We go by preference to the poor and most neglected and we seek to form apostles who will continue to spread the Gospel message that all are called to the greatest love.” (Constitutions 39)
It would be wonderful to hear how this is lived out in other parts of our SSJ world.
Sr. Marie De Montfort
News from the English Province
Some reflections on what God is revealing to us today through Creation.
Sr. Bridget Pritchard from the English Province, is a member of both the Ty Croeso Retreat Centre team and the Province’s JPIC Commission. She also works with various parish and school groups and with Christians of other denominations. During the last two years she has shared her insights on Creation Spirituality by posting several articles on Facebook. Here are two of these reflections of what God is revealing to us in Creation.
The locust
As a pupil in school I became quite alarmed one day to find the locusts in the cage hanging from their branches, dead. I was assured that they were not dead but what I perceived to be a dead animal was in fact its empty shell that it had outgrown.
It seems that locusts have an exoskeleton. Unlike us, locusts have their skeletons on the outside and wear it like protective armour. There is an obvious advantage to this, though there is also a definite disadvantage.
Living inside this hardened case means that
growth becomes difficult. In order for the animal to grow it has to shed this armour. This leaves the animal very vulnerable to predators until its new shell has hardened. The animal has to let go of its security if it wishes to grow. In fact, there is no choice- it’s ‘grow or die’.
For me, this speaks of my image of God. I can hold on to the image I had as a child even though it is no longer helpful, no longer fits with what I knownow. I need the courage to let it go. This leaves me feeling vulnerable
A thought
In Laudato Si Pope Francis says....
“……If we want to bring about deep change, we need to realize that certain mind sets really do influence our behaviour. Our efforts at education will be inadequate and ineffectual unless we strive to promote a new way of thinking about human beings, life, society and our relationship with nature.” (L Si 215)
This calls me to step out into the unknown. To let go and let the new emerge.It feels like attempting to walk on water and trusting that God is there.And God is there. This is the certainty amongst all the uncertainties, the unchanging amongst all the changes. God is the good parent – supporting me in my growth. This is my security. I listen to the words, “Do not be afraid”. This enables me to let go and feel the vulnerability. This feeds my relationship with God and others. This is where I am alive, this is where I grow.
How does this speak to you today?
Caterpillars and Butterflies
Most people know that caterpillars become butterflies. I taught this for many years and I would try and imagine which bit of the caterpillar became the equivalent part of the butterfly. I would never have imagined what is coming to light now.
We are told that as the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly begins, all structures disintegrate to make a kind of creative soup in the chrysalis. New and different cells emerge in this soup. These are known as imaginal cells because they hold an image of what the butterfly – the new life, will be like.
To begin with, the caterpillar cells regard the new cells as aliens, intruders and destroy them. But the new cells continue to appear in greater and greater numbers until they overwhelm the defence system of the caterpillar. The old order is gone and the butterfly emerges triumphant. This change from caterpillar to a butterfly is a powerful metaphor for the transformation of society.
Some people in society are like these imaginal cells. They see the possibility of something new and wonderful happening. They carry in them a vision or image of a better world.
Initially they are seen as a problem, disturbers of the present, destroyers of the old society which had always been seen as ‘the good life’ even though it no longer works and was never ‘good’ for everyone. The immune response of the old society is to get rid of them. But the imaginal individuals keep coming. They get together in groups as they find this is a more efficient way of bringing the new life.
A thought
I can see chaos around me but how do I respond?
I can complain and become dis-empowered with a sense of hopelessness or I can see this as a symptom that the old order is collapsing and waiting to be transformed into new life.
One of the most powerful ways to help bring about change is to identify the imaginal individuals in society and support them. If I want to be a part of a different world where love and compassion are paramount then I am an imaginal cell too.
To be part of this life giving movement I need to…
ü really want it;
ü believe that it will happen;
ü make choices that will bring the idea to birth.,
ü use my intelligence and all my other gifts to bring it about.
A sure sign of something good is happening when results are achieved against all the odds.
We are part of Gods ongoing creation and God is waiting to work through us. All over the world people are having similar thoughts, desires wanting to make a difference and we can make links and support them.
There will be real change when we know in our hearts that we are one, and everythought, feeling, word and deed affect the whole. I am one part of a sacred web of interconnection and creativity.
What am I waiting for?
Where do I see the signs of new life and how do I support it?
What transformation is waiting to happen in me?
Prayer of becoming
Godof new creation
On the journey from caterpillar to butterfly
keep us faithful to that soupy stage
when structures fall apart.
When we have lost sight of who we were
and cannot yet grasp
who we are to become,
give us courage to keep going.
Strengthen our confidence,
that the new thing
you desire to do in us
and through us will be full of your glory. Amen
(Rachel Parkinson, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District Chair)
- the Methodist equivalent of Bishop
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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)
News from the Mission Territory
We are delighted to say that in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda there are many young women who are interested in becoming Sisters of St. Joseph of Annecy and so we have had to plan for, and build, extra accommodation in order to cater for all who are asking to join us. As you know, there is just one community in Kenya at Ejinja and the Sisters are living in a house which belongs to the Diocese. However, the Bishop has kindly given us permission to add on some extra rooms to accommodate the Candidates and visitors.
At the moment the Dar Es Salaam Community is also the Formation House but it is too small for our present needs as there are two Pre Novices and six “Intensive” Candidates already living there. In 2018 we were invited to open a community and small primary school in Chemba, an area of Tanzania which is developing very fast. Earlier this year the foundations were laid and the building work begun. In the future this would be an ideal place to open a bigger Formation House. Since 2015 the number of communities in the Mission Territory has increased from two to five.
Chemba School in Progress Ejinja house for candidates
Sr. Sunita (Link Sister) has sent the following message from the two Pre Novices and six Candidates:
From the Postulants and Intensive Candidates of East Africa, Mission Territory who want to express a few words to our outgoing General Team, Sr. Pauline, Sr. Maria Goretti, Sr. Margaret, Sr. Marietta, and Sr. Amala,
Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude;
gratitude is the completion of thankfulness.
Thankfulness may consist merely of words, gratitude is shown in acts.
We say ASANTE MUNGU (Thank God) for you and your Team, for giving us this great opportunity by accepting us as Candidates and Postulants to start our Formation in this Congregation of Greatest Love and thus providing us with a chance to learn about the silent saints like St. Joseph, Fr. Medaille, and Mother St. John and the about our rich Charism.
We thank God for you and each time we pray for you, we pray with joy.
Pray for us kindly that we may become instruments of peace, joy and love for our brothers and sisters- wherever we are sent- and that we persevere in our vocation.
Once again ASANTE SANA MA SISTA.
FROM- Goudencia & Evelyn (Postulants)
Slivy, Jesca, Angela, Nedges, Philomina, & Jacklin. (Intensive Candidates)
