On Sunday, November 28, 2010, the Sisters of the Mother House celebrated as the new General Council took up its duties. The chapel was well decorated for the circumstance.
We recognized the hand of Divine Providence in the choice of date. On this first Sunday of Advent, we joined with the Virgin Mary and the entire Church in expectation of the Son of God who takes Flesh again in our world today. The day’s liturgy invited us to vigilance, to be courageous in the face of each day’s reality; along with the theme of the General Chapter which mandated this General Council and invites us to dare new ways, to fan the fire of our hope.
Sister Rachelle, in the introduction, compared the members of the General Council to midwives since, according to their mandate, they are to help the newness of God see the light of day in our congregation for the next six years.
Together, with courage and daring, we entered into this “communitarian Advent” where God calls us so that the life which is in gestation in each one of us will be brought to term and give birth to a contagious flame of hope!
In this spirit, we welcomed our Sisters Lorraine Desjardins, General Animator, Agnès Gagnon, Assistant General, Gisèle Vadeboncoeur, Councilor and Bursar, Yolande Campbell, Councilor and Secretary, and Monique Boucher, Councilor.
Sisters Gisèle, Monique, Lorraine, Yolande et Agnès
Our Eucharistic celebration, presided by the Rev. Léon Louké, expressed our gratitude through song, prayer and attentiveness to the Word of God!
After communion, Fr. Léon invited the members of the Council to stand before the altar to receive a special blessing in view of their new mandate. He presented each one with a wooden cross, a symbol very dear to our Congregation of the Grey Nuns of the Cross. It is on the Cross of Christ that they will draw the necessary courage to dare new ways and totally live the mandate that is entrusted to them today.
We are all then sent to live the Chapter decisions with our new leadership team.
We joyfully welcomed the new members of the General Council.
The festivities continued with a special meal, enjoyed in fraternity, where a toast, singing and gifts repeated our desire to live together and to fully collaborate in the mandate which our General Council takes up today.
