Soganur (India), 07/06/2020, Sr. Pushpa Kujur.- Enveloped by the love of Jesus, Marie Poussepin left Dourdan for Sainville with passion and courage. 

She was tireless in her missionary spirit and fearless in the face of adverse situations and challenges and left for us a legacy of profound faith and communion with the Divine Master in the spirit of St. Dominic. She opened a path for us to tread. Marie Poussepin ventured firmly and constantly to conform her will to God’s will. She learned to trust in the Providence of God from her childhood onwards, as He molded her by leading her through difficult, yet not impossible paths and ways. When her mother died, she was only 22 years old and her brother was 10 years. She had to take care of her brother as well as household works; in addition, she continued with the charitable works that were carried out by her mother. She loved her Master by loving and caring for her neighbors in need.

SoganurWhen life was seeming to be coming back to normal, the next tragedy struck her, as her father lost the business and went bankrupt. He had to put the whole responsibility of reimbursing the debts on her shoulder and run away from the situation. Marie Poussepin took up this responsibility and gave a new direction to the business. Though she may not have understood that it was the loving hand of God preparing her to face bigger and greater challenges in the future, definitely she knew that He will never abandon her in her endeavors to reach out to the poor and needy. She did what the women of her time could never imagine or expect to do. She introduced apprenticeship which was unheard of, in her time. While making them perfect and skilful at their job, she didn’t neglect their hungry stomachs. Equal importance was given for respect for the person and work. That is why it is rightly written on her tombstone that “Marie Poussepin saw what was right in the sight of God and did it”. She became a beacon of hope for the hopeless and a light for all those who are in the darkness of ignorance. She always walked the way of truth, love and goodness in faith.

Sr. Pushpa KujurHer life always inspired and challenged me to grow in love of God and to be faithful and firm in my vocation. I remember, after my first profession I was assigned to Soganur community and was overjoyed to go there. My joy did not last long, when I realized that neither I could communicate with people nor I could respond to the prayers during the Eucharistic celebration because, the language was totally different than what I knew. When people came to me, I couldn’t communicate with them. I was discouraged, lost and upset. I started to question myself: “is it my vocation to be in this congregation and follow Christ?”.

It is then that I turned to Blessed Marie Poussepin, looked at her life and saw how she stood firm in faith in the ups and downs of her life. Her compassionate love and prayer for me helped me to overcome the challenges. I became another person with a new insight and vigor. I took interest to learn the language and started to speak and read. I felt tremendous joy and started my mission in simple ways: visiting the houses, taking tuitions and doing sacristy work. I won the hearts of the people; the elders, youth and children, all of them reached out to me in my mission.

So, I understood that language is not a barrier when I have faith and love to work for God and His people. My experience of God was so overwhelming that it influenced my thinking, activities and relationship with God. I became a new person. “Those who are in Christ Jesus are a new creation.” (2 cor. 5:17). I have experienced her love and concern at different times and in various degrees. I thank God for the gift of Blessed Marie Poussepin in my life and I am happy to be her daughter.