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A SIGNIFICANT CHAPTER IS BEING CLOSED IN SWITZERLAND
On July 15th 2024, the last Sisters in the Monthey Community closed the door of the house which had sheltered them. They were supported right up to the last minute by the priests, the Bernardine Sisters and friends who had generously rendered their services before their departure.
It's a long and beautiful story of the Sisters of St Joseph in Switzerland which is coming to an end... but it may not be quite right to say that ! What do we know about the impact of their presence in Switzerland?
The Sisters of St Joseph first came to Switzerland in 1836. They came from Bourg (France) to be in charge of the education of the young girls.They were followed by the Sisters of Champagnole in 1857, and it was in 1878 that the Sisters of St Joseph from Annecy were called in by the local authorities and the Church to continue primary education in Monthey. In 1902, the number of pupils having increased, the Sisters built a block next to the church, which soon had to be extended in order to accommodate two French boarding schools affected by the law which separated the Church from the State (1904).
As time went by and the needs of the population grew, new communities were opened. Generations of sisters followed, one after another, to answer to the needs various places: Bon Rivage, les Tilleuls Home for the aged, the school in Aigle, the preventorium in Val d'Illiez and the school in Champéry.Before we leave the Monthey, we would like to give thanks to God for the 146 years we have spent working with children, young people, the sick, the elderly and, more recently, in the parish, with the refugees and the students who needed some help.The people in Monthey were moved by the departure of the Sisters and showed it by their participation in the thanksgiving celebration. What a joy it was to sing together the wonders of the Lord, and to meet so many familiar and beloved faces.
There were representatives from the Parish Council, the Management Board, a representative from the Municipality, our former students, St Joseph's Boarding School, and a number of friends have attended the mass. The choir members and the organist also contributed greatly to the beauty of the celebration.The leaders of our Congregation in Annecy and many sisters of the Delegation had come, naturally, to support the sisters who were leaving Monthey.
A very moving moment of the celebration was the rite of the Arati performed during the doxology by our three Indian sisters who were present ; this was a symbol of a promise of life which continues with our young sisters from other nationalities. « Through Him, with Him and in Him (Christ) all honour and glory for ever and ever »
May God be blessed and praised for all that the Sisters have been able to give and to receive during these 146 years of presence in Switzerland.
Sr Elisabeth Udrisard and Sr Claude