On this May 12, 2024, at the Lokia Residence in Three-Rivers, Quebec, we celebrate our twenty-six jubilarians with grateful and joyful hearts!

The day begins with the Eucharist, as we sing:

“My life is in your hands,

Take it, Lord, I belong to you.

Let my prayer rise up to you.

My life is in your hands.”

The celebration continues

In the afternoon, we meet in the multi-purpose hall.  Our superior, Sister Gisèle Lacerte, invites us to give thanks for our jubilarians who have welcomed the Father’s creative love, contemplated Jesus in his mystery of Incarnation and allowed themselves to be transformed by his Spirit.

A word from our Regional Superior

After our presentation of each jubilarian, it was now Sister Micheline Cormier’s turn to offer them her warm greetings: “We marvel at the Lord’s fidelity and yours, dear jubilarians.   You have carried the flame in the humble daily routine of fraternal life and mission. In every circumstance, the breath of the Spirit has urged you further on.  Let us continue to move forward into deep waters, in communion with all our Sisters in the Region and the Congregation.  Happy anniversary and abundant joy!”

Surprise

Here’s a visual in the form of a magnificent fire!  The animation team chose the theme of fire based on Jesus’ words in St. Luke: “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled”. (Lk 12, 49)

Guided by the instructions of Sister Marie-Jeanne Plouffe, our two employees Réal and Johanne build a fire with small logs gathered at Kermaria in Three-Rivers.

A resounding message!

In 1834, Jesus kindled the fire of his love in the hearts of the first five Daughters of Jesus, in France.  The fire then spread to Kermaria in Three Rivers in 1902, and each F.J., by her small gestures in the manner of Jesus, has rekindled the embers to this day at the Lokia Residence.

New Logs

Sister Gisèle calls each jubilarian and invites them to name the quality of Jesus that most resonates within them.  The person called adds a new symbolic flame to the fire.

Together

Since we are all jubilarians in our hearts… Gisèle invites the assembly to freely express a quality manifested by Jesus.

Here’s a summary of the various expressions: love, humanity, humility, patience, listening, surrender to the Father, kindness, generosity, service, compassion, mercy, trust, tenderness, simplicity, silence, prayer, seeking God’s will, attention to the least of our brothers and sisters…

We now sing: “Jesus, you who leads us on your paths of humanity…”

In the presence of the Lord Jesus and surrounded by the community, our Jubilee Sisters renew their desire to continue the journey with Him and in Him at the heart of God’s people.

Our vows

We have all been touched by Jesus’ loving gaze and his call to us to follow him in religious life. This loving gaze also impressed us deeply, just as it did his disciples.

Jesus has not finished eyeing us lovingly. He renews his call in our daily lives in the reality which is ours today, here and now.  He has been shaping us for so long, and he loves us more and more.

That’s why today, in union with my Sisters, Daughters of Jesus,

I….. renew my vows of poverty, chastity and obedience before God and my community.

May Jesus continue to consume me with his love, and may all our symbolic flames fuel the fire he came to kindle on our human journey.  Amen!

And we now sing: Jesus, you who leads us on your paths of humanity!

Thanksgiving

And this beautiful celebration ends with a burst of joy and a delicious snack.

Truly, the Lord is with us every day…

S. Angèle Lépine, f.j.

Trois-Rivières, Canada Region