Sr Rosinha and Marie France
The message was sent by a group of RSCM and lay Collaborators from the Brazil Area. It touched on very interesting topics: interaction between the generations of RSCMs and transmission of an “heritage of experience and wisdom”, as well as the importance of the Mother House, of our Roots and the Source that Béziers continues to symbolize. The quotations from Gailhac and Pope Francis, mentioned there, are very appropriate in the context of a formation process.
With this brief presentation of the text, which will speak for itself, we simply wish to draw attention to the profound dynamic underlying the meeting which our young sisters experienced together at Béziers.
Sr Rosinha and Marie France
05 JANUARY 2023
Dear Religious SCM of Temporary Vows!
We have been following your posts, especially on Instagram. We perceive, through the images and reports, the emotion, spiritual intensity, and joy that invade and nourish each one. For this, we praise and thank the God of infinite love, who accomplishes great things through the small experiences and relationships of everyday life.
Seeing the care that the Institute is taking with you by mobilizing the General Council, Formators, Religious from the European and Portuguese Areas, time, and financial resources, we see the response to some of the Founder’s guidelines and wishes:
“[…] it is very necessary for branch houses to draw the spirit of their vocation from the very fountain that God has established. Indeed, in the same way that the Mother House can only live, establish itself, progress in God’s designs by the primitive spirit, in the same way the branch houses can only consolidate themselves by imbibing the spirit that makes them live in the primitive spirit that the Mother House is the source and guardian”. (Gailhac, in: GS/25/IX/72/C. Letters to the RSHM, Vol. I, p. 141-142).
“Only at the Motherhouse can the religious spirit be communicated and communicated strongly so as never to be forgotten. No matter how good an aspirant she is, it is almost impossible for her to understand the religious spirit, and above all the spirit of the Institute, if she does not spend a reasonable amount of time in the Mother House”. (Gailhac, in: GS/16/XI/77/A. Letters to the RSHM, Vol. I, p. 358).
We also perceive the correspondence between what the Institute makes possible for you and the thinking of Pope Francis: “[…] In the consecrated life we live the encounter between the young and the old, between observance and prophecy. Let us not see them as if they were two opposing realities! On the contrary, let the Holy Spirit animate both, and the sign of this is joy: the joy of observing, of walking in a rule of life; and the joy of being guided by the Holy Spirit, never rigid, never closed, but always open to the voice of God who speaks, who opens, who leads and invites us to walk towards the horizon. It is good for old women to impart wisdom to young women; and it does good for young women to gather this heritage of experience and wisdom, and to carry it forward, not so as to keep it in a museum, but to carry it forward addressing the challenges that life brings; to carry it forward, for the sake of the respective religious families and of the whole Church”.
(Pope Francis, in: Homily on the XVIII World Day for Consecrated Life – 2014).
Gailhac must be happy, seeing himself corroborated by the current Pope in what he already said in 1874: “Be all for all. Old ones shouldn’t keep their experience to themselves; they must share it with all the others, especially the younger ones. They must build them up, set an example for them, try to gain their confidence. By this means, the union of hearts can be maintained and strengthened, fervor and dedication increased”. (Gailhac, in: GS/11/X/74/A. Vol. I, p. 205).
For all these reasons, we at CAEP also rejoice and bless God. We know the importance of this interaction and exchange of knowledge, experiences, worldviews, and spiritual experiences between old and young religious, so that you, the younger ones, grow in wisdom and the more experienced ones strengthen their hope. Desiring that this experience bear fruit for the glory of God and the good of the mission, we concluded with Gailhac:
“Dear daughters, guard beautify and perfect the spirit that I tried to inspire in you. Keep as a precious treasure everything you learned at the Mother house (and in Portugal) and you will all be blessed by God”. (Gailhac, in: GS/25/IX/72/C. Letters to the RSHM, Vol. I, p. 292).
With affection and union of spirits, minds and hearts, Beatriz, Daniela, Elaine, Sr. Cristina and Waldemar.
