SISTER MARY DIESBOURG SHARES HER JOURNEY TO FRANCE
October 17, 2024 was the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the International Centre-St. Joseph in Le Puy, France.
One of the magic moments that stands out for me, and remains in my recurring memories, is our first view of Le Puy as we approached the town on route 88, in the waning sunlight of early evening. By that time, we had been awake for about 32 hours or more and were struggling to keep our heads up and our eyes open. Yet, as we saw the outline of the Le Puy skyline, we all gasped and drew in our breath, deeply moved by the gently rolling hills of that ancient volcanic area, with the statue of Notre Dame de France piercing the evening sky. It was beautiful, and felt like a welcome, a homecoming.
Sisters Josette, Sheila, and Mary
Sister Josette, of the Erie, Pennsylvania Congregation, Sister Sheila of the Philadelphia SSJ’s, and myself, (pictured above), had agreed to meet in the Lyon airport, so we could share a taxi for the 2-hour drive from there to Le Puy. While we had driven those roads many times during our years at the Centre, at this stage in our lives we were reluctant to trust ourselves to renting a vehicle, and navigating the roads and traffic, which we were sure had changed significantly since our departure, 20 years ago. That was a wise choice.
The second moment was that after our arrival at the Ibis Hotel, just down the street from the Centre, we got checked in, dropped our luggage in our rooms, and went to the dining room for a quick bite of supper before heading straight for bed and a good long sleep. However, much to our surprise, we had just placed our orders, when Olga, from the Centre arrived and announced: “You can’t eat here. We are all waiting for you at the Centre. We have supper for you there. Come with me”. After quick apologies to the dining room staff, we made our exit somewhat reluctantly, not really feeling ready to meet the Board members at the Centre and linger over a meal! Olga whisked us away, and when we arrived at the Centre, we were welcomed with applause, cheers and much ado. To say we were surprised, is an understatement. Never in our years at the Centre, had we received such accolades! We were abashed, touched and deeply moved. We quickly saw that as the “first team”, we had acquired a kind of aura that was new to us, and certainly embarrassing. There followed a lovely dinner, with lots of conversation and sharing of memories.
When, a few hours later, we were taken back to the hotel, it was with new energy, deeply touched hearts, and gratitude for all that had been, and for all that was yet to be in these next few days.
The following day was a free day for us in Le Puy. The Board was involved in their meeting, and the celebration day was to be the 17th. So, free for the day, we set out to walk up to the Cathedral. The many stairs took us a while to navigate, necessitating many stops for breath, but we got there, and once again experienced the awe-inspiring beauty of that ancient church. There we prayed before the Black Madonna, and paused at the Healing Stone, entrusting to Notre Dame du Puy all the intentions that we had been entrusted with. We lit candles and put intentions onto the list for the pilgrims setting out from there on the Camino. It was precious time and recalled to us the millions of pilgrims who travel there each year, hoping to start out on a path of deeper discovery in their lives.
From the Cathedral, we went to Martine’s lace shop. We first met Martine in the fall of 2004, shortly after we first arrived. Preparing to have our first program that summer, we wanted to ask a lace maker to make lace in the background, while we told the story of our early Sisters making lace to support themselves and teaching women to make lace to help keep themselves and their families out of poverty. I had found Martine outside her shop one day, quietly making lace, and asked her if she would be willing to make lace for us while we told the story of our Congregations’ beginnings. She most graciously agreed, telling us that although she had known the local Sisters from her childhood, she had no idea we had been lace-makers too. So began a long and beautiful friendship with us and with all the Sisters, Associates, and coworkers who visited Le Puy afterwards.
As we entered her shop this time, Martine was moved to tears seeing us again and was deeply touched by our gift to her of a beautiful wall-hanging, hand-stitched by Sister Pat McKeon, and featuring an Inuk on a sled, lit by the midnight sun. We offered it to her, in gratitude for her for her great hospitality to our many Canadian Sisters, Associates, and co-workers who had visited her shop. Martine wept at the beauty of the hanging, its intricate stitch work, and its significance, coming from Canada. She plans to hang it in her bedroom.
The celebration itself was well documented, with its speeches, tributes, prayer service and elegant luncheon. The Board had done much to ensure a lovely celebration, and Olga and Eluiza overlooked no detail in the planning. For me, the highlights were the moments of reconnecting, with neighbours, former Board members, many of whom had been extremely helpful to us in our first days and years in Le Puy. Those threads of connection remain strong, including those with some of the Sisters, and neighbours who are no longer with us. We are still one.
Of the speeches that were given, the theme that reached out to me was when Father Chamaly, former pastor of Les Carmes, the parish we attended, spoke of how our presence, the Centre, and its many international guests had widened the vision of the parishioners, helping them to envision and experience a bigger world. The Mayor of Aiguilhe and the delegate of the Bishop also spoke of the broader vision brought to the tiny town of Le Puy by our presence and that of our global programs. That felt like something worthwhile to have been about.
Globally, we are all experiencing the declining numbers of Religious and the increasing role of lay persons in all aspects of what we saw as “our mission”. Truth be told, the mission is that of Jesus, “that all may be one”: love of God, love of neighbour without distinction. This is at the heart of the Gospel, and so not intended as our property at all. From the beginning, Father Medaille saw our collaboration with “all persons of good will” as essential to our mission and our existence. The woman protestant minister, a Biblical scholar, who spoke to the Global Coordinating Group about the Eucharistic Letter, spoke of self-emptying, or anéantissement, as really being, “making room for the other”, not taking up all the room and attention for yourself. It seems to me that our call at this moment in time is to make room for the laity, to let them take on responsibility for much of what we have called our mission.
Will the Centre survive into the future? We do not know. As we interacted with our neighbours, with Martine, with the parishioners, with Board members and even the staff of the hotel where we stayed, I could not help thinking that if there is to be a future for Centre International St. Joseph, we need to “make room for the other” and take up less room for ourselves.
-Sister Mary Diesbourg, CSJ