On Friday the 25th of November the Sisters of the Daughters of Jesus communities, together with Associates from the Locminé/St-Jean-Brévelay sector, came together at our Motherhouse, Kermaria in Brittany, France to celebrate the 188th anniversary of the foundation of the Congregation.
The thanksgiving mass, celebrated by Father Firmin, began with a hymn which brought together
“Road of men, in the steps of the Son, road of men, under the hand of Christ”.
Words of welcome
Sr Marie Thérèse Quéré then welcomed us with these words:
“The year of our salvation 1834, 25th November“. So ends the formula of commitment of Perrine Samson and her four companions. The seed sown by Father Noury and protected by Father Coëffic had germinated. The “house of piety and charity, for the general spiritual and temporal benefit of the parish and the surrounding area“, desired by him, had come into being.
It could be said that this “House of piety and charity, for the general spiritual and temporal benefit of the parish and its surroundings”, finds an echo in the orientations of the General Chapter 2022 which invite us to give life, to love, to take care of all life, of the poor, of the earth, of the whole of creation; or when we are called to collaborate in the mission of Resurrection.
Let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of our first Sisters, to make our houses, houses of piety and charity, where good is done and good is said.
And let us give thanks to the Lord for these 188 years of life of the Congregation.”
A historical reminder
It is good for us to remember:
“On the 25th of November 1834, the first five Daughters of Jesus consecrated themselves to God by the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Not being able to write, Perrine was the only one to sign her commitment to religious life with a cross. She took the name Mother Saint-Angèle and was appointed the first Superior General of the Congregation. In his project, M. Noury had envisaged a simple black and white costume; at their profession, the Sisters adopted the headdress of the women of Bignan.
Through this commitment, which constituted them as a body, each linked her fate to that of the others. Even if the activities remained more or less the same, each one accepted to receive her mission as a participation in that of the nascent Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus. This would allow the Congregation to grow in unity.”
Quoted from the page “The Congregation is born”.
Festive meal and video
Following the mass, we shared a festive and fraternal meal in groups, which allowed us to exchange with and better get to know each other.
At the beginning of the afternoon, a series of photos and a video, filmed by Sr Agnès Miquel in community in Pontivy, were presented. These recalled the staging of the show “The Mystery of Kermaria” which took place on the 11th of September, in the park of the Motherhouse.
What had been a very convivial day ended with afternoon tea.
Elisabeth Ropert, lay Associate,
Saint Jean Brevelay, France
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