Barcelona (Spain) – Tours (France), MCS Team of the Congregation, 06/14/2023.- On May 27 and 28, the meeting of sharing and knowledge of the sisters of the provinces of Spain and France. It was a weekend full of many emotions, a lot of sharing and a tremendous hope for, as the chosen motto said, "To weave together a new page of our history".
The participation of the structures was good and positive. Many sisters from almost all the communities were present from France and from Spain we were a group of 12 sisters who represented 7 of the 8 communities that are currently in the structure. We traveled on May 26 in a minibus and returned on May 29. Despite what might seem tiring... it was worth it and of course it was a great joy. The objective of the meeting was to get to know each other, share hopes, joys, fears, difficulties, and without a doubt it has been fulfilled; all the sisters were very expressive and open and were able to share everything that worried them and, but also everything that encouraged them.
Thanks to the Mother House, especially to Sr. Rosario, and its warm welcome, which managed to shelter and feed all these little people in the current circumstances of the works.
The first day we introduced ourselves and carried out some activities that brought us much closer to each other. At noon, Sr. Véronique Margron, Provincial Superior of France who accompanied us throughout the meeting, was in charge of guiding the reflection of the group, where there was a lot of participation. In the afternoon, we continued with various activities and the night was a beautiful party moment where we were able to share the delicacies that we brought from Spain and what France offered us.
It is fair to mention that both the moments of work, play... or prayer were prepared with care and affection by the Théodore commission*, as well as by the sisters of the Mother House. The liturgy was a joy with the solemnity that characterizes it, and with the participation of several sisters who were able to make possible a bilingual liturgical prayer.
On Sunday we had the celebration of Pentecost and at the Eucharist the Dominican priest who celebrated spoke both in French and Spanish at specific times. Then we went to the festive lunch and the afternoon was a wonderful time to share with the sisters who are in the EHPAD (Établissement d'hébergement pour Adultes Dépendents). It really is a place well adapted and designed for our community. The sisters share with other people from the place, and the relationship is very fraternal and beautiful with the lay people who live there. Very nice families walked through the garden “enclós” with their elders where they contemplated silence and nature. We visited the facilities and the apartment reserved for the community, really very cozy and pleasant.
We continue walking “ensemble” and although difficulties do not cease to exist, we are prepared to face them and “weave” what is necessary with the help and knowledge of each one of the sisters, because we all contribute and we all make the Province and the Congregation grow. A new page in history has already begun to be written, the cover is beautiful, and its first experiential pages, let's continue... Finalement, tout s’est bien passé !
* Commission responsible for the preparation of the activities related to the process of integration of the two provinces and especially for this meeting. It is made up of Sister Ana Isabel Pérez and Sister Gemma Morató from the Province of Spain and Sister Diana Mireya Sierra and Sister Françoise Marie Beguin from the Province of France.
