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MEETING OF THE INDIAN LAC SISTERS ON MISSION IN FRANCE
We, the seven Indian sisters, daughters of Father Médaille, met in Annecy from the 5th to to the 6th of April 2024. It was the first time we had hosted the meeting in Annecy. It was a happy moment for us to welcome our sisters. Sister Tessy, our delegate, welcomed the sisters. We led a meaningful opening prayer with the Indian ritual and a welcome badge pinned on the sisters' jackets. We started by sharing how each one of us felt, our experiences in our mission area and the challenges each one of us encountered. This sharing was very personal, enriching and encouraging.
In the afternoon we had a talk with Sister Marie Louise Vuilliez. She shared her knowledge and wisdom on the first seven Maxims of Perfection linked to the primitive texts, their relevance in our mission and in the contemporary context, in connection with Pope Francis' Encyclical "Laudato Si".
After a short tea break, we carried on with other topics such as sharing two important events that have taken place in our Congregations.
We then went to visit the Superior General Sr. Breda and the councillors. We had an informal sharing and an individual presentation. After the visit to the generalate community, we went for a walk and meditation around the lake, thanking God for the wonderful gifts of his creation for us.We had our recreation and a quiz on the history of our congregation, working in two groups and then we created symbols based on the questions asked in the quiz. It was a moment of relaxation and learning. We brought the day to a close with a dance in a small group or individually.
On the second day, we began by doing a Bhajan prayer service, entrusting our day and thanking the Lord for his graces and blessings. We began to reflect on the Pope's letter for Lent. Each of us shared our experiences and mission.
We also discussed the following questions:
1. What are our dreams for the future of our congregation?
2. How can we inspire and attract young people? New ways of living religious life? Including lay people in our mission. (Working with lay people)
- Working with dioceses and parishes
- We can attract young people by bearing witness to life, by loving them, by welcoming them, by understanding them and accepting them as they are, by allowing them to grow at their own pace and expecting nothing in return, by being creative in our activities (singing, sketches, fun activities, etc.).
We were privileged to hold our first Eucharistic celebration of thanksgiving in the recently renovated Galerie chapel. It was celebrated by Father Viju, Missionaries of Saint Francis de Sales.We concluded our two-day meeting with a review of the days and an evaluation. We thanked God for having brought us together as the Family of St Joseph. We are grateful for the good times we had spent together, and for the happiness and joy we had received from each other.
Our sincere thanks go to all the leaders.
