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Return to the sources, journey of interrelations and fraternity
“Returning to the sources of the Gospel and the Charism is the common patrimony that makes us sisters…" (Sr. Maria Escayola Coris, opening words of the 56th General Chapter)
Sainville Convent
In order to embark on a journey of interrelation and fraternity, it is essential to embrace and love our charism of charity and the Dominican Spirituality of Marie Poussepin. They are a source of richness, transformation and importance for each sister, for the Church and for today's world. Transformation will only be possible if, with docility to the Spirit, we return to the essential of our being as persons and our identity as consecrated women, reflecting on: Who are we? Where are we? Why are we here? and What do we want? We are called to live our consecration with joy, reflecting coherence and commitment in our daily choices and actions.
Together we can build a future in which the Charism of Charity and the Dominican Spirituality of Marie Poussepin will continue to be a source of inspiration and guidance for future generations.
Source: Document of the 56th General Chapter - 2024
Speak to Him often, often speak of Him
Healthy spirituality opens the whole person to welcome and be inhabited by God and to desire that His divine presence be reflected in everyday life. Human beings long to integrate and feel that our existence has purpose; deeply spiritual people have existed at all times and in all places, under different religious confessions or even without belonging to any of them, because the spiritual dimension is something so deep within the human being that it leads us to give meaning to existence and to transcend.
Playing with words, being spiritual is being here and now with spirit and discovering the Spirit in everyday life. The maxim that came from the heart and pen of Marie Poussepin in the General Rules, “speak to Him often, often speak of Him,” reflects her spiritual dimension; it expresses the personal relationship with God that manifests itself in the here and now of life. For her, the God of Jesus Christ is not a distant God of the heights; He is the Father who is near, with whom one can converse; who walks with His children, who suffers and rejoices with them. It is with Him that Marie Poussepin urges us to speak constantly.
The General Rules, written between 1700 and 1730 for the first sisters and communities that were being established outside of Sainville, contain spiritual life guidelines that are ahead of the ecclesial time in which Marie Poussepin lived. In a church environment where, in general, the chapel or temple were the places to encounter and speak to God, she urges her sisters to be aware of God’s presence everywhere: “He is here as there,” as the great medieval mystics would say: God dwells in all and everywhere God is.
Speaking of mysticism as well as spirituality concerns the holiness that is made concrete in life and its path of human integration with the Spirit. Therefore, Marie Poussepin’s healthy spirituality manifests itself in relational life; the spiritual dimension not only relates to God, it is grounded in the interaction with one’s sisters, with others, and with ourselves.
God’s presence is preserved in everything, not only in places but also in actions and relationships that, within Dominican spirituality, oriented towards holiness of life and the salvation of souls, form a path of fullness in following Christ. Our proper spiritual balance lies, on one hand, in being available to converse with the Lord about what concerns us personally as well as what concerns our world with its lights and shadows, and on the other, in being available to speak of Him to others.
From Indonesia
For a Dominican Sister of the Presentation or a Lay Associate of the Presentation, it is not possible to conceive of a spirituality that is only internalization without the concrete proclamation of the Gospel to others; or only to think of committing to evangelizing work through concrete actions without frequent spaces for personal encounter with God. How can we speak to Him without a real encounter? How can we speak of Him without first dialoguing with Him? It is in the persevering and constant dialogue with Him that we come to know Him and that the Spirit gives us the movements we need to find the mediations through which God’s and the world’s urgent calls reach us.
At this point, silencing ourselves and becoming still in divine company is key. As Marie Poussepin urges in the Regulations: “Silence, according to Saint Isidore of Damietta, is one of the surest signs of God’s presence in a soul and of the sacred fullness of the heart” (R VII).
Today more than ever we need to speak to Him often; we live in conditions of much noise and too much activity in which we don’t even converse with ourselves. Many things scatter and disorient us; we lose sight of the ends of our human and believing vocation, and this leads us to lose sight of the means that can help us and others to heal. In the spiritual language of the Order of Preachers, we are called to save others, and saving means healing lives. Therefore, inner healing is a priority to be able to help heal others.
There is a close relationship between life in the Spirit and inner healing; breathing in God and helping others to breathe in Him is already a proclamation of the Word. We are called to be contemplative of God, of humanity, of the reality of our world; only thus do we respond to the motto of the Order “to contemplate and to give to others the fruits of contemplation”; we do this in the manner of Marie Poussepin, who wants her community to be truly Dominican, as the First Intuition says.
We often take pride in Marie Poussepin’s warning against the “little devotions” that are so widespread today; but we should be even prouder of her invitation never to omit nourishing ourselves with Sacred Scripture, for as the Book of Wisdom says: “so that Your beloved children, Lord, may learn that it is not the variety of fruits that nourishes man, but that it is Your Word that sustains those who believe in You” (Wis 16:26). Speaking of God is communicating to others the wonders He performs in our existence through His Word. A Word contemplated, studied and shared in community and with others is a spiritual exercise we cannot lack, for it is a necessity for anyone who wishes to walk in God’s path (cf. R X).
By way of conclusion, let us think of the word “spirituality,” which comes from “spirit” and, according to its Hebrew, Greek, or Latin etymology, means breath, breathing. To be a spiritual person is to know how to breathe deeply in God. The fruits of a spiritual path may not be seen immediately, just as the effect of healthy breathing is not visible at the very moment it is done. But in the long term, a spiritual life built on encounters to speak with Him accumulates in us if we remain open to divine grace; the condition is that these times of conversation with God be desired and sought after. After that, we will speak of Him everywhere and in every situation.
Text: Sr. Ana Francisca Vergara Abril
Caring for the ‘Wicked’: A Spiritual Question
I had to write about spirituality, but I’m going to take a (rather wide) step aside and talk about the prison where I work. Indeed, it is not even certain that “Dominican spirituality” exists. Dominic wrote no treatise on spirituality; on the contrary, he distanced himself from the monks who preceded him by showing no interest in spiritual ladders or stages. His way of living the Gospel is explicitly centered on others. What matters to him are people: the men and women of his time, his brothers, and his God. His prayer does not seek elevation through contemplation; it is supplication for this world and for this time. He spent his nights at the foot of the cross of his Lord: “My God, my mercy, what will become of sinners?” He left no writings, but instead organized fraternity so that the Good News of salvation for all (todos, todos, todos) might be preached.
Marie Poussepin did much the same in choosing an uncloistered life for her sisters, allowing them to preach the Gospel through works of charity among those who were of no interest to anyone—unschooled girls, elderly sick people left alone in their homes, and all those needing encouragement in the faith.
That’s why, when the opportunity arose, I gladly began working as a prison doctor—first with men for four years, then with women detainees in the south of Paris for nearly 25 years. Interestingly, in the Dominican Order, ministry to prisoners (in pastoral roles or as professional work) is one of the apostolates in which the most friars, sisters, and laypeople are involved.
One day, my 6-year-old niece realized that I work in a prison. “Tat’Anne” (that’s my name for my nephews and nieces), “you take care of bad people? Really? You treat the bad ones?” I explained to her that not all incarcerated people are “bad.”
When adults ask the same question (and many no longer hesitate to say that providing care to prisoners is pointless), it’s worth explaining that in a democracy, treating well those who have mistreated others is an elegant form of justice—perhaps even more effective than any other. And for believers who still have doubts, we can always remind them that Christ took violence upon himself, exposing himself in order to free us from it.
In France, since 1994, prison healthcare has been under the Ministry of Health rather than the Ministry of Justice. Caregivers working in prisons are all employees of the public hospital system. The intent of this reform, now 30 years old, is simple: healthcare workers are not to be involved in the penal process. Their job is to provide care. They are not legal experts nor assistants to the prison administration.
Recently, rampant overpopulation (in my facility, we’ve gone from 180 to 330 female detainees in just one year), the shortage of doctors (especially psychiatrists), and an increasingly security-focused policy are making hospital transfers more and more difficult for those who need them. The number of prison staff and healthcare workers is calculated based on the theoretical inmate population, not the actual one. So, with an occupancy rate of 200%, we have twice as much work.
In short: too many inmates, not enough caregivers, not enough staff for hospital escorts, and increased security restrictions. Our professional independence—a cornerstone of medical practice—is being called into question. In some facilities, prison directors have taken it upon themselves to decide which sick patients go to the hospital and which do not, without considering the severity of their medical condition. Some of my colleagues have resigned, believing the red line has been crossed and that they can no longer ensure minimal safety for their patients. In some facilities, to prevent staff corruption, patients are required to undergo a full-body strip search after consultations with a doctor or nurse—casting suspicion on our entire healthcare team.
As a solution to the difficulty of transferring sick people to the hospital, the prison administration is convinced that telemedicine should be deployed. This is an illusion. Of course, tele-expertise (a doctor consulting another doctor remotely) can be useful for dermatology or anesthesia consultations. But it must not become a pretext for offering second-class healthcare to people we no longer want to touch, smell, or encounter. True care is always tied to bodily presence, and technological tools must not blind us. This is a question of incarnation.
And most importantly, let us not forget that incarcerated people (most of whom are not dangerous but trapped by poverty) will one day be released. And if society has crushed their hope—by cramming three into a cell, denying daily showers, subjecting them to humiliations like strip searches after medical visits, forcing judicial appearances by video call, and providing only telemedicine—then yes, some of them, in despair, may become dangerous.
If we want to protect society, those most deprived deserve the greatest care. That is a fundamental principle of public health. It also happens to be a Gospel principle.
Working in a place like prison opens your eyes to what’s happening throughout society. Prison is a magnifying glass. The hardening of our societies is especially visible there. And in a women’s prison, what strikes you first is misery: material misery (many women come from Latin America, especially Brazil, with cocaine pellets in their stomachs), emotional misery with the growing exploitation of underage girls, psychological misery in those no longer cared for in hospitals as mental healthcare in France collapses, and trauma-based misery in more than 80% of these women, who have suffered sexual violence and may go on to reproduce violence in other ways.
Trying to persevere in such a place is truly a spiritual and political question. It means caring for those whom few still care about. Like Dominic at the foot of Christ’s cross, prison has taught me to read the Bible differently, to live community life differently, and to pray for the people of this world and this time. Prison is a powerful place of decentering, which may be the only path to the Gospel: to stop being concerned with oneself in order to become concerned for others.
But a burning question remains: How long will it be possible to continue working there? Where is the red line between persevering to protect those inside, and leaving in order not to risk becoming a torturer, unknowingly?
Writing this text, my sisters, is also a way of asking for your prayer—your supplication—for the incarcerated women so easily forgotten.
Text: Sr. Anne Lécu
A renewed spirituality leads us to go beyond borders
“Teacher, what shall I do…?” (Lk. 10:25)
“We recognize the ways of God in the life of each sister who in creative fidelity follows the example of Marie Poussepin, “Social Apostle of Charity”. Led by the Holy Spirit, we are inspired to move forward to a deep spiritual renewal to give meaning and strength to our life. This enables us to create anew our community to follow Jesus Christ and to go beyond borders with audacity and creativity. The Charism of our Mother Foundress roots us in the contemplation of the Word and in the reality of life. With a look of mercy, we want to reach out to the poorest and most vulnerable with compassion in order to search with them new ways of working for human dignity and complete liberation in Christ. (Cf. C 86) The call of God and the response to follow Christ urge us to recognize Him in others, to let ourselves be formed and transformed by Him through prayer and daily life as consecrated women, sent to be living witnesses of the Gospel of the Kingdom and prophets of hope”.
Source: Document of the 55th General Chapter - 2019
Saint Dominic - detail of the altar in the chapel (La Grande Bretèche)
The Dominican spirit
- A spiritual strength: “vita apostolica”.
- A regular form of life: fraternal community.
- A mission: To announce Jesus Christ in the exercise of Charity.
All of it encompassing Dominic’s particular way:
- Fidelity to the evangelical counsels.
- Piety in prayer and in the common celebration of the Liturgy, mainly the Eucharist and the Divine Office.
- Steadfastness in study.
- Perseverance in regular observances.
- Unanimity in common life.
Our Foundress established her work upon solid foundations. They allowed her to channel her generosity without losing the originality of the initial project: a Dominican community at the service of Charity. The unity of the project is the expression of an “organized, prudent, reasonable and constant charity” (cf. Thery). Consequently, the consolidation of the work she wanted to perpetuate and expand was possible: “they may bring wherever they are called, the knowledge of Jesus Christ and his mysteries", and therefore could "live in the house of Sainville and the establishments, the life Our Lord lived on earth…”( cf. R I, XXVII).
A Dominican Community at the service of Charity
The community structure is at the basis of Marie Poussepin’s Institution. There, communion was built, mission realized and the original vision lived. The first sisters went away from the community, in order to perform the service of charity, while maintaining always the reference to the ‘House’, which gathered them. They returned regularly to it as the favorable place where they could “renew themselves and keep the unity of the same spirit” and find the suitable environment for study, silence, interiorization and rest.
The community of Sainville
There was, in Marie Poussepin’s community, a true unity between community and missionary action, between regular observance and the service of Charity. Her community, whose originality was a conventual way of life dedicated to the works of charity, was a “unified whole” where the elements of her original vision could be lived.
Community, rule, superior, and community assembly were the elements guiding and enabling this original vision. Sainville’s organization is the pattern which allowed for continuity and actualization of a unique project, present in so many different places and situations.
The fraternal community is the flourishing of a communion kept alive by mutual trust and full participation (cf. R I)
Source: "Marie Poussepin and Her community: The Service of Authority"
A Marian Spirituality
Stained glass (La Grande Bretèche)
The Presentation of Mary in the Temple
It is one of the twelve major feasts of the oriental liturgical year. It invites us to live this mystery in Christian life, to celebrate it with joy "carrying with the virgins, our lighted lamps.” This celebration became part of the Roman calendar in 1585. A very old tradition accounts that when the Virgin Mary was very young, her parents, Joachim and Anne took her to the temple in Jerusalem, along with another group of girls to be instructed in religion and duties towards God. This is narrated in the Protoevangelium of James, one of the apocryphal Gospels.
In her mystery of the Presentation, a mystery of listening and contemplation, of acceptance and gift, which radically consecrates her to the Lord with a “Yes” which is renewed day after day, Mary is for us a “model of fidelity and of gift” (C 15), of a life totally fulfilled in love. As a woman, she received the Word within her to give Him to us. Like her, we receive Christ to offer Him to the world. This attitude of offering is expressed in the annual celebration of the feast of the Presentation of Mary, in which we renew our religious vows and offer ourselves to our brothers and sisters through the service of charity. As a mother who does not forget her child, expression of God’s own maternal tenderness, Mary teaches us mercy and “we can always have hope” in her intercession.
Source : Diverse documents of the Congregation
