32 PAULINIAN ECHOES

Antilles-Guyane 25 March Sr Jeanne de la Miséricorde MARIE-CATHERINE, 93 63 years of Rel Life

Canada 23 February Sr Marguerite DUGAS, 89 69 years of Rel Life France

26 March Sr Catherine de l'Immaculée LE DEVEDEC, 95 70 years of Rel Life 30 March Sr Marie de Saint-Vincent NARCY, 99 75 years of Rel Life

31 March Sr Marie Hélène HÉNAULT, 93 70 years of Rel Life Japan 01 February Sr Ephrem NAKAMURA, 84 61 years of Rel Life Philippines

04 January Sr Maria Celerina PENUELA, 86 54 years of Rel Life 20 February Sr Remy Angela JUNIO, 74 48 years of Rel Life

09 March Sr Jane Frances of the S.H. EDRALIN, 108 80 years of Rel Life Korea-Daegu 21 January Sr Thomas d'Aquin Seong-ki YUN, 99 77 years of Rel Life Korea-Séoul

17 February Sr Gonzague de Marie (Yong Sik) HEU, 84 60 years of Rel Life Madagascar 24 March Sr Jeanne RAVAONIRINA, 75 52 years of Rel Life Vietnam-Saigon

11 January Sr Fidéline Marie LE THI PHE Anna, 91 68 years of Rel Life 16 February Sr Marie Madeleine NGUYEN NGOC HUE,91 69 years of Rel Life

01 March Sr Marie Elisabeth NGUYEN THI TRINH, 86 56 years of Rel Life

2016

PAULINIAN ECHOES 1

EASTER 2016

My dear Sisters,

Easter invites us to contemplate in nature and in our personal lives the “newness” that the Risen Christ brings: “Behold, I come to make all things new!”1 This fundamental experience of newness comes to us through our incorporation into the person of Jesus Christ. As St. Paul puts it: “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.”2 The phrase “in Christ,” which St. Paul uses very often, means being incorporated into Christ so as to become one with Him. The newness of our life is not something we achieve by our efforts but it is a gift that is offered to us by the Lord. Our response is total abandonment to Jesus in order to find the meaning of our existence in Him.

However, this newness is not always something that we welcome with eagerness and enthusiasm. Sometimes, it can even be approached with skepticism or pessimism. Newness always makes us a bit fearful, because it requires that we abandon ourselves to God with complete trust, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct our lives and our every decision. We fear that God may force us to tread on new paths and leave behind our comfort zones. Yet throughout the history of salvation, whenever God reveals himself, he brings newness and change, and claims our complete trust. Such was the experience of the women on that first Easter morning. Moved by their love for Jesus, they went to the tomb to anoint his body, but something completely new and unexpected happened before their eyes. It was something that disturbed their hearts and their plans, something which transformed their whole life: they saw the stone removed from the tomb and they did not find the Lord’s body.

1 Rev 21: 5 2 2 Cor 5:17

2 PAULINIAN ECHOES

In the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis asked that “the season of Lent in this Jubilee Year be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy.”3 As we celebrate Easter, let us look back at our Lenten journey and ask ourselves: have we allowed ourselves to be embraced by God’s mercy? What died in us or what was changed in our attitudes and in our way of behaving so that we can experience new life in Christ this Jubilee Year? Did we avail of the rich opportunity to be renewed in Christ and so “to overcome our existential alienation by listening to God’s word and by practising the works of mercy?”4

The recently concluded Council of Congregation held during this Jubilee Year of Mercy and at the closing of the Year of Consecrated Life, was also a graced moment for our Congregation to experience God’s mercy, a time to rediscover the meaning of the mission entrusted to us by the Lord on the day of Easter: to be a sign and an instrument of the Father’s mercy.5 It was an opportunity to listen intently to the stirrings of the Spirit, to do some soul-searching and to make courageous decisions for the renewal of our consecrated life.

Your Provincial, District and Regional Superiors must have already given you a feedback of what transpired during the assembly, but allow me through this letter to share with you the highlights and so reinforce their sharing. I hope that you will welcome the collective reflections and decisions of the Council of Congregation with openness, enthusiasm, and dedication in order to experience the newness in our consecrated life.

Following the orientations of the Capitular Acts 2013, the Council of Congregation focused on the pillars of our life: prayer, community life, charism and mission and ongoing formation. The skeptics and pessimists among us may not see anything new or different. Perhaps, it is because the “newness” that is demanded of us is to go back to the basics, to the essentials of our life. This kind of newness can only be perceived with a heart that is simple, open, and attuned to God’s ways. The newness is found in and through us who make the words alive in our lives.

Our first call is to experience the merciful love of the Father. As consecrated persons, “we are called—possibly now more than ever—to be prophets, mystics and contemplatives, to discover God’s presence in everyday life.”6 This deep awareness of God’s presence in our daily lives necessitates that we cultivate a strong sense of inner silence. The Word incarnate can only grow in the silence of heart, and it demands the “asceticism of time and the body.”7 Prayer is our spine, the foundation that supports our whole life; hence, it is equally indispensable to review the quality of our prayer life. What is our disposition when we pray, when we go to mass, when we do our meditation, consciousness examen or spiritual readings? Do we do them out of routine or with a burning desire to encounter God?

3Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 17 4Pope Francis, Message for Lent 2016

5cf Jn 20:21-23. 6CISLSAL, Contemplate #6, Libreria Editrici Vaticana, 2016. 7 Ibid, #38

PAULINIAN ECHOES 31

SAIGON

Sr Marie LE Thi Thu Ha

Sr Thérèse HO Thi Phuong Thuy

Sr Cécile NGUYEN Ly Hong An

Sr Thérèse BUI Nguyen Vong Dang

Sr Marie LAI Thi Thu Trang

Sr Marie NGUYEN Thi Thanh Hang

DANANG - 29 AUGUST

Sr Marie HUYNH NGOC UYEN

Sr Anne LE THI NGOC HAU

Sr Thérèse LE THI DONG

Sr Marie NGO THI BICH VAN

Sr Marie CAO THI LE THU

Sr Madeleine NGO THI KIM HA

Sr Marie VU HONG DIEM TRINH

Sr Marie NGO THI HONG VUONG

Sr Marie DO THI THAI HOA

Sr Thérèse TRAN THI HUYEN TRANG

CENTRAFRIQUE - 8 SEPTEMBER

Sr Marie Yolande KOUASSEMBOU

Sr Sylviane MBOMBO YADIBERT

Sr Mathilde Rolande HELI

HANOI - 12 SEPTEMBER

Sr Anne PHAM THI HOI

Sr Marie NGUYEN THI LUONG ANH

Sr Anne NGUYEN THI LAN PHUONG

Sr Marie NGUYEN THI GIANG

Sr Marie LE THI SEN

Sr Anne NGUYEN THI NHUNG

Sr Anne TRINH THI HA

Sr Anne NGUYEN THI LIEN

Sr Marie NGUYEN THI HONG

CAMEROON- 12 SEPTEMBER

Sr Olive Mariette TIGA AMBONO

Sr Thérèse TSOGO MVOGO

Sr Elizabeth NGA ETOGO

PERPETUAL PROFESSION 2016

CENTRAFRIQUE - 25 JANUARY

Sr Rolande Mathilde HELI

Sr Sylviane YADIBERT MBOMBO

Sr Marie Yolande KOUASSEMBOU

INDONESIA - 25 JANUARY

Sr Maria Fridolina NAIAKI

SEOUL- 28 JANUARY

Sr Marie Theresa (Seon Hye) SIN

Sr Rufina (Bo Hye) MIN

Sr Josephina Editta (Da Woon) JEUNG

DAEGU - 2 FEBRUARY

Sr Euphrasia KIM Won-gil

Sr Lucia LEE Mi-hyang

Sr Theresa LEE Yeon-ju

Sr Susanna YU Sun-mi

Sr Maria KIM Soon-duck

Sr Theodora KO Yu-mi

Sr Angela LEE YUN-ji

PHILIPPINES - 2 FEBRUARY

Sr Jella DE JESUS

Sr Maria Socorro MARCOS

Sr Melleniza GASES

Sr Jean Rose MALFETRIA

30 PAULINIAN ECHOES

FIRST PROFESSION 2016 INDONESIA—26 JANUARY

Sr Gabriella TEFLOPO

SEOUL—28 JANUARY

Sr Juliana (Mi Hee) KIM

Sr Michaella (Su Jin) YOO

Sr Josephina (Su Jin) KWAK

Sr Juliana (Bon Seon) KU

Sr Lucia (Ji Young) KIM

DAEGU—2 FEBRUARY

Sr Margaret Mary Alacoque YUN Gyeong-mi Sr Sophia JEONG Hee-young

Sr Elizabeth MIN Hye-ju

Sr Juliana BYUN Jung-eun

Sr Monica LEE Eun-suk

PHILIPPINES—2 FEBRUARY

Sr Anna Marie CAGAMPANG

Sr Shiela Marie ORPILLA

Sr Maria Lolita AMORA

Sr Andrelyn BRACERO

Sr Monica BERENGUEL

Sr Esmyla FELIX

Sr Gertrude Caryls KUEBLER

Sr Karen Joy Layugan

Sr Jaynerlita ARCILLA

TIMOR LESTE—2 FEBRUARY

Sr Esperanca Soares MENDES

Sr Carolina Mendonça SOARES

Sr Gradiana Quini ENA

Sr Felizarda Mendonça BARRETO

Sr Floriana Martins MENDONÇA

Sr Josefina do Rosario DE ARAUJO

Sr Isabel Pereira DE ANDRADE

Sr Francisca Tilman SOARES

PERPETUAL PROFESSION 2015 SEOUL - 28 JANUARY

Sr Maria (Sang Yi) LEE

Sr Elizabeth (Yun Hui) YANG

Sr Julianna (Ji Yeon) KU

Sr Marie Paul (Se Hui) KIM

Sr I A (Ji Hui) PAK

Sr Agnes (Hye Gyeong) KAM

PHILIPPINES—2 FEBRUARY

Sr Romina MANALAYSAY

Sr Leilani DOMINGUEZ

Sr Kate MIGUEL

Sr Jinky DEL MUNDO

TIMOR LESTE - 2 FEBRUARY

Sr Agusta GUTERRES

Sr Jarserina Carly TILMAN CARDOSO

Sr Fidelina da Ressureicao de

Sousa MAGNO

HONGKONG - 2 FEBRUARY

Sr Anna Felicie NGUYEN Thi Truc Ly

Sr Maria Celine PHAN Huynh Thanh Huyen

DAEGU- 2 FEBRUARY

Sr Gloria KANG Hee-jeong

Sr Veronica PAK Sin-ae

Sr Anna SEONG An-na

Sr Agatha BAE Hyo-jeong

Sr Mari Stella SEO Jeong-hwa

THAILAND - 5 MAY

Sr Adrian SANO

Sr Ephrem SRISUTHICHANYA

Sr Nicolas WONGWAI

Sr Calliste INPARPIAN

SAIGON- 29 JUNE

Sr Marie NGUYEN Trinh Thuy Nga

Sr Marthe Françoise PHAN Thi Phuong Uyen

Sr Anne VO Thuy Minh Nguyet

Sr Marie HOANG Thien Dung

Sr Anne NGUYEN Thi Cat

Sr Thérèse NGUYEN Thi Thanh Thao

PAULINIAN ECHOES 3

“Newness” in our life of prayer does not imply new methods or expressions, but a deepening of our relationship with God in order to experience the total transformation into Christ and be able to say with St. Paul: “It is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me.”8

God’s mercy transforms human hearts; it enables us, through the experience of a faithful love, to become merciful in return. The quality of our prayer life is directly related to the quality of our community life. The “newness” in our fraternal relationships demands that we pick up again the

traditional virtues that mark a true SPC: fraternal correction, asking pardon, simplicity, sobriety and hospitality. Our Lord asks us to “love our neighbors” as we love ourselves. And who are our first neighbors? They are our Sisters with whom we live day to day, with whom we brush elbows, with whom we share our joys and sorrows. The Holy Father has often insisted to have a ceasefire on “gossiping,” the bomb that destroys our community. I do hope that we put an end to the terrorism of gossips and criticisms, so that our communities can truly become the spring of God’s mercy in a world that is wounded by division and hatred.

During his homily at the closing of the year of Consecrated Life, the Holy Father said that “our Founders were moved by the Spirit and were not afraid to soil their hands in daily life, with the people’s problems, going with courage to the geographic and existential fringes…They always had in their heart a healthy restlessness for the Lord, a consuming desire to take Him to others.”9 Moved by the compassion of Jesus, Fr. Chauvet made a courageous decision to establish our community in order to minister to the sick, the poor, the ignorant and the suffering in the periphery of Levesville. One hundred and fifty years ago, Mother Benjamin made a daring move to open the Novitiate in Saigon despite much opposition, because of her confidence in the innate capacity and piety of the young Asian girls. Our numerous Sisters who answered the call to foreign missions proclaimed a prophetic statement that the love of Christ knows no boundary, race, color or belief. Today we too are called to make prophetic and courageous choices to go to the existential peripheries, to evangelize. This periphery may be an area in myself, in my community or in others, which needs the light of the Gospel. Let us learn from our Founder and first Sisters who dared to make a difference so as to make Christ known and loved. Let us not be contented in staying inside our convents and institutions. Rather, let us go forth to the Levesville of today and seek out those who are lost, those who are suffering and wounded.

8 Gal 2:20 9 Pope Francis’ Homily at the Closing of Consecrated Life, February 2, 2016.

4 PAULINIAN ECHOES

St. Paul says, “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!”10 For to evangelize, he insists, is not a cause for glory but rather an obligation that is laid on him. Jesus has invited us to share in his divine life, to abide in him and to be his full time collaborators in the work of evangelization. Woe to us consecrated persons if we are not witnesses to what we have seen and heard! Woe to us, if we have allowed ourselves to be robbed of our missionary enthusiasm, if we have “fallen into a lifestyle which leads to an attachment to material security, or to a desire for power and human glory, rather than giving our lives to others in mission.” 11

Let us not waste this season of Holy Year of Mercy, so favorable a time for conversion! Let us renew our commitment to follow our Risen Lord, to be alive in his Word, and invite others to come to Him by the “light” of our transfigured lives.

May the Virgin Mary, who treasured all the mystical experiences in her heart,12 teach us to remember all the marvels that God has done in our own lives and in the history of our world. May our Risen Lord deepen His life within us and make us His witnesses of Easter joy and hope. May He open us to the newness that transforms and enables us to feel His presence in our midst.

Let us joyfully proclaim:

The Lord is risen!

Superior General

101 Cor 9:16 11 Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 80. 12 cf Lk 2;19,51

PAULINIAN ECHOES 29

CANADA—29 JUNE

Sr Marie Noël NGUYEN Thi Xen

Sr Cécilia NGUYEN Hong Dung

Sr Marie-Angèle DO Thi Thu Trang

Sr Marie Bernard VO Thi Chau

MYTHO—29 JUNE

Sr Agnès NGUYEN Thi Cam Chuong

Sr Marie PHAM Thi Hong Hanh

Sr Marie NGUYEN Ngoc Quynh Anh

Sr Marie PHAM Bich Phuong

Sr Thérèse NGUYEN Thi Kim Ngan

Sr Anne TRAN Thi Binh

Sr Marie TRAN Thi Ngoc Linh

Sr Madeleine NGUYEN Thi Thu Thao

Sr Elisabeth TONG Thi Hoai Ha

Sr Thérèse NJAN Nhien

Sr Thérèse NGUYEN Thi Bich Ngoc

Sr Marie NGUYEN Hong Diep

Sr Anne DO Thi Ngoc Ha

GRAND RAPIDS (USA) —29 JUNE

Sr Elizabeth Kayla Thi NGUYEN SAIGON—12 JULY

Sr Marie NGUYEN Thi Thanh Kim Hue

Sr Marie Goretti TRUONG Quynh Nhur

Sr Marie HO Thi Ngoc Xuyen

Sr Marie NGUYEN Thi Hong Nhung

Sr Marie NGUYEN Thi Bach Yen

Sr Marie PHAM Thi My Dung

Sr Rosa TRAN Thi Loan

Sr Agathe NGUYEN Thi Thuy Dung

Sr Marie LE Thi Thanh Que

Sr Lucia PHAN Thi Thu Han

AUSTRALIA - 15 AUGUST

Sr Theresia NGUYEN Thi Viet

Sr Maria Goretti TRAN Dieu Hien

Sr Teresa Francis PHAM Huu Hpamg Trie

FRANCE - 22 AUGUST

Sr Monique Thérèse PHAN Thi Tuyet Thanh

Sr Thérèse Gertrude VU Thi Thuy

Sr Marie Philippe NGUYEN Thi Thanh Thuy

Sr Anne Théophane TRINH Thi Que Huong

Sr Yvonne Marie NGUYEN Thi Hanh

MADAGASCAR—28 AUGUST

Sr Josée Clémence FANAMBINANTSOA

Sr Yollande Michel LALAO MAMPIONONA

Sr Marie-Justine SOANJARANIRINA

Sr Marie Lydia RANOMENJANAHARY

Sr Monique MONIRA

Sr Dorine Anick ONJANIAINA VELO

Sr Marie Reine Voahirana RAHARINIVO

RCA—8 SEPTEMBER

Sr Elsa Christelle Arielle DJOUNGOU

Sr Urcila Marie-Thérèse PAPAY

Sr Stéphanie Elsa KPOCKA

HANOI—12 SEPTEMBER

Sr Anne Bibianne

DUONG THI BICH THUAN

Sr Marie Reine NGUYEN THI DUNG

28 PAULINIAN ECHOES

FIRST PROFESSION 2015

INDONESIA - 25 JANUARY

Sr Reyneldis Epifania WIO

SEOUL - 28 JANUARY

Sr Susanna (Su Hyun) HA Sr Angela (Ji Hye) CHANG Sr Stella KIM Sr Adela (Hyeon Jeong) JO Sr Anna (Sang Mi) LEE Sr Agatha (Ze Juan) YAN

AUSTRALIA—2 FEBRUARY

Sr Rosario TRAN Thi Anh Khuyen Sr Marion TRAN Cao Nguyen Sr Maria Josephine PHAN Thanh Tuyen Sr Anna PHAM Thi Hoa Sr Marie Claude VO Thi Soa Sr Theresa Maria DAO Thi Xuan

DAEGU—2 FEBRUARY

Sr Christina LEE Ju Eun Sr Cecilia SHIN Hee-jung Sr Regina JEAN In-young Sr Catharina LEE Sae-rom

PHILIPPINES—2 FEBRUARY

Sr Shelvera VICENTE

Sr Rachelle WAY-YAS

TIMOR LESTE—2 FEBRUARY

Sr Julieta Amelia MENDONCA Sr Angelina SOARES LOPES Sr Aurelia Fatima SOARES Sr Aduzinda Rosa SOARES Sr Natalina MENDONCA Sr Maria Linda NEVES

CAMEROON—25 MARCH

Sr Marie Rose OBONO

Sr Crescence ETOH

Sr Angèle Eliane NGONO

THAILAND—3 MAY

Sr Beda Marie SAISEMA

Sr Rémie CHAOKHUNHUAI

Sr Angela

PHOTCHANATHMRONGPHONG

DANANG—29 MAY

Sr Marie PHAM THI KIM ANH

Sr Marie Goretti TRUONG THI HONG TRINH

Sr Anne LUU NGOC LAN

Sr Marie MAI THI DUYEN

Sr Marie PHAM THI HUONG

Sr Marie LE THI ANH LINH

Sr Anne PHAM THI QUYNH LAN

Sr Anne NGUYEN THI SOI

Sr Marie NGUYEN THI BAO NGOC

Sr Anne NGUYEN THI HANG

Sr Marie NGUYEN THI UYEN VY

Sr Anne NGUYEN THI THIEN NGA

Sr Marie NGUYEN THI NHIEM

Sr Marie NGUYEN THI BICH HIEN

Sr Marie VU THI ANH NGUYET

Sr Marie PHAM THI ANH

Sr Marie MAI THI THIEN

Sr Marie TRAN THI TRUYEN

Sr Marie VO HUY TRAM

Sr Lucie LE THI AN

Sr Thérèse NGUYEN THI MY

Sr Agnès LE THI THU THAO

Sr Marie Y THUUNG

Sr Anne HOANG THI DUNG

Sr Agnès LE THI VIEN

PAULINIAN ECHOES 5

VISITS OF MOTHER GENERAL

AND ASSISTANTS (2016)

February 22 – March 18 Vietnam

Mother Maria Goretti and

Sr. Madeliene

April 11 – 16 Ukraine

Mother Maria Goretti and

Sr. Brigitte

July 8 - 21 Timor Leste

Mother Maria Goretti and

Sr. Emily

September 12 - 18 Mongolia

Mother Maria Goretti and

Sr. Lugarda SEO (Provincial

Superior of Daegu)

October 6 -12 Israel

Mother Maria Goretti, Sr. Mary

Ann and Sr. Brigitte

November 12 - 25 Hong Kong

Mother Maria Goretti and

Sr. Mary Ann

New Appointment:

Sr. Marie-Paul CÉZAR

Haiti

Re-Appointed Superiors:

Sr. Yovitha DARU

Indonesia

Sr. Séraphine Angeline BILOA

Cameroon

Sr. Rose SAMEDI

Republic of Central Africa

Surprise! Pope Francis spoke in French

with Sr. Brigitte and Sr. Marie

Raphael! The encounter on April 6, 2016

will never be forgotten!

6 PAULINIAN ECHOES

The Sisters go very far on motor

bikes on Saturdays and Sundays to the places where they teach catechism.

Mother General was very touched with

this apostolate.

The three orientations of the 47th Chapter General as well as the proposals

and the recommendations of the 2016

Council of the Congregation are being actualized in all the communities with

enthusiasm, joy and fidelity to the

Paulinian spirit.

The Sisters witness among the people by their good example, above all

by the joyous community life and by

their work for the poor children; these are the reasons for which the young

women would like to join us. As the

Holy Father said, "attract the young, not

by your words, but in witnessing by your joy."

The Vietnamese people are

known as a valiant people, and the Sisters work very hard, but without

neglecting the quality of their prayer or

their community life.

There is an abundance of young

vocations ! Let us give thanks to God for

all the graces he has bestowed on the Congregation.

From 22 February to 17

March 2016, Mother Maria Goretti LEE and Sister Marie Madeleine

CAI visited the four Provinces of

Vietnam: Sàigon, Mỹ Tho, Đà Nẵ ng

and Hà Nộ i. The Sisters of these four

Provinces are zealous, dynamic and inventive in their educational,

pastoral and charitable activities.

For the most part, the apostolates of the Sisters are

kindergartens, small clinics and

schools for handicapped children

which are well known and give the best quality of special education for

these unprivileged children. In

Danang Province, more than 100 Sisters are working for the children of

ethnic minorities in different dioceses

in order to improve the human and

spiritual levels of the children and adults in those areas. Their

educational programs for children

and for the promotion of women are remarkable.

Besides this, the Sisters are

involved full-time in the parish work,

teaching catechism, preparing people for the First Communion and for

marriages, as well as taking care of

the preparations for the liturgy.

PAULINIAN ECHOES 27

AMAPO (Association of Martin de

Porres) in 1982 which became a tutoring

center for most of the Guyanese youth

including those currently participating in

political life and development of this

Department.

Sister Jeanne de la Miséricorde

has always been careful never to

substitute for the parents in the school

and she remained true to her motto: "Man

is free only through knowledge".

Sister Jeanne tried as much as

possible, to help these people, praying for

them and entrusting their hearts and souls

to God. One initiative of hers is the Day

of Happiness celebrated every December

28th as an opportunity for the children to

live a real Christmas, thanks to the

presence of so many volunteers.

After a well spent life in the

mission, she returned to the Provincial

House on July 2015. She entrusted to one

of her Sisters the continuity of the

mission at AMAPO.

On Friday, March 25, 2016, Sister

Jeanne died in the arms of the Lord. One

of her last thoughts was for "her

children," such as Alex Polony, current

president of the Association she founded

(AMAPO). This is how one of those

who knew her describes her:

“Sister Jeanne had a way of her own to run without moving, to keep her eye on several children from one corner of the room to the other at Amapo, to speak in different tones, but at the same time to encourage or to scold without acrimony, to cross towns to reconcile her religious mission and educational work, to laugh uproariously with her eyes and to put joy in her severity. She knew that in order to help people, she needed others and thus she stood at the crossroads: willing to teach and to learn, to give and to receive, to know and to share, to defy the difficulties of birth in order to invent a future instead of submitting to what was.She gave her all, until she could give no more! A beautiful life that continues in the heart of the humble and those who know what infinite peace comes from concern for others.

- by Christiane TAUBIRA

26 PAULINIAN ECHOES

THE FACE OF MERCY:

Sister Jeanne de la Miséricorde

1923-2016

Cecile, Apollinaire MARIE-

CATHERINE is originally from Le

François, Martinique, where she was born

on 23 July 1923. She said that she owes her

vocation to a priest who told her that she

should consecrate her life to God.

On 9 April 1948, at 25 years old,

Cecile responded to the Lord's call to

follow him more closely in the

Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Paul

de Chartres, with the ardent desire to give

herself to the service of the poor and the

bedridden.

On 28 August, 1951 the young

Cecile received the habit and from then on

was called Sister Jeanne de la Miséricorde.

Deciding to follow the route traced

by Christ whom she desired to know better

in order to love him and to serve him,

Sister Jeanne de la Miséricorde took her

first vows on 28 August 1953, and made

her Final Profession as a religious on 28

August 1958.

She went for a short stay at

Bethlehem, a stay that nourished in her the

desire to give herself to others and in

particular, to the children.

She taught the young children for

14 years at the school of St. Paul de

Bouillon, in Guadeloupe, teaching them

also to discover the love of Jesus.

Then she was entrusted with the

formation of the young postulants and

novices, a mission that she undertook with

dedication for 16 years, at the Novitiate of

Didier at Fort-de-France; during which

time she participated at the session for

Formation Directors at Chartres and a

spiritual renewal at the Generalate in

Rome.

In 1974, Sr Jeanne was happy

to follow in the paths of our

forerunners in French Guiana, where

she was in charge of catechism at the

diocesan level in Cayenne. She was

welcomed by the late Archbishop

MORVAN who entrusted her to Father

REY with whom she worked to

organize catechism in the Chinese

Village, which was known at that time

as a disreputable neighborhood, called

"The Cove".

She was well accepted by all in

this difficult area. Aided by

volunteers, she brought relief to the

poor by becoming aware of what could

be the plight of these people in

precarious situations.

With patience, courage and love

she succeeded with the help of God to

make a difference. She founded the

PAULINIAN ECHOES 7

Mother Maria Goretti LEE and Sr. Emily Louise DEL CASTILLO visited our

first community in Congo last December 6-17, 2015. After almost a year of

installation in Congo, our community in the Diocese of Pointe-Noire is now

well settled. Though, initially the Sisters’ convent at the Parish of St. Andre

Kaggwa, was meant to be a “passage” for our Sisters before the completion of

their new house in Mvouti, Sisters Maria Luisa ESCANLAR and Mauricia

HOFELEÑA, have inserted themselves quite well into the life and mission of

the parish community. They are collaborating closely with the Spiritan

Fathers, who are in charge of the parish, by taking care of the altar linen,

visiting the sick in the neighboring village, distributing communion, giving

counseling sessions and conducting recollections.

The third member of the community, Sr.

Cecilia NIOKO, a former missionary to

Cameroon, arrived in Congo last February 7,

2016.

The two ladies, Stella and Maureen, who

followed the Aspirancy Program since

September last year, were accepted to the

Postulancy in a simple ceremony during their

Lauds last February 2, 2016.

Meanwhile, the construction of the convent and the Kindergarten school in Mvouti is now in progress. Hopefully it will be finished this coming September, so that the Sisters can already start their mission there.

8 PAULINIAN ECHOES

150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE NOVITIATE OF SAIGON

A LOOK TOWARDS THE PAST

Who was Mother Benjamin?

A woman, who knew how to be attentive to the promptings of the Spirit, to read the signs of the times

and places, and to follow the ways of the Gospel that led

her to the Lord.

Mother Benjamin, Anaïs le Noel de Groussy, was

born in Périers, a small town in Normandy in France,

on October 24, 1821. She entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Paul in 1841, and made profession

in 1843. In December 1858, she left Chartres for China

and arrived in Hong Kong six months later.

The many letters of Mother Benjamin allow us to discover her strong

personality, her dynamism in action, her search for the will of God through the

guidance of the Church, and her attitude of filial obedience to her superiors.

Woman of faith; with an ardent zeal like St Paul ...

Woman with boundless charity

Woman of hope

Woman of great courage (Letter of Mother Myriam to the Sisters of Saigon in 2010)

The Novitiate

From the first years in Saigon, Mother Benjamin realized that she could not always depend on Sisters to come from France. So, to form young Vietnamese to

become Sisters of Saint Paul, she decided to seek authorization to open an official

novitiate in Saigon according to the Code of Canon Law.

Finally, the novitiate was born in 1866 on the grounds of the Provincial House. (Currently the novitiate is located in Thi Nghe.) It was the first novitiate

in a missionary area outside the main novitiate at the Motherhouse in France.

Some Historical Highlights

Thanks to this daring initiative, Mother Benjamin prepared for the period

when the first Vietnamese Sisters had to assume the heavy responsibility of

continuing the works of charity of their predecessors, in the heart of the Church

and in their own country.

Sister Saint Lizier was selected to be Superior (Mistress) of the novitiate.

The first postulant was a Chinese girl named Madeleine Dei, from Penay, 21,

who came from Hong Kong, and took the name of Sister Marie Benjamin.

PAULINIAN ECHOES 25

CENTRO PAULINO in BRAZIL

The celebration of the Feast of Saint Paul last

January 25, 2016, opened a new chapter in

the missionary, apostolic life of the Sisters of

Saint Paul in Brazil. The day was marked by

3 significant events:

1) The presentation of the Sisters of Saint

Paul of Chartres to the people of the

parish of St. Claire of Assisi in the city of

Sumaré, during the Eucharistic

Celebration in honor of the Feast of Saint

Paul,

2) The blessing of the marker which will

be attached to the cornerstone of the

future CENTRO PAULINO. The

construction is scheduled to start in the

middle of April of 2016. CENTRO

PAULINO, the first SPC owned pastoral

center in Brazil will be built in the region

of Maria Antonia in the city of Sumaré,

where the Parish of Saint Claire of Assisi

is located. The city of Sumaré has a

population of around 260,000. 59,000 of

which live within the proximity of the

parish.

The Center aims to promote the values of

respect and care for human life, the

family and creation, justice and solidarity.

Its objective is to provide a wholesome

formation and to provide a secure place

for poor children ages 3 to 6 years old

while their parents work and for elderly

people living under precarious

situations. Both age groups can be

assured of a healthy access to

wholesome activities such as sports and

recreational activities, arts and music,

theater, culture and ecology, group

dynamics, sharings and human values

formation and leisure therapies.

3) The inauguration of the small

pastoral activity space where the Sisters

of Saint Paul will stay and initiate their

pastoral and missionary activities in the

parish. The Sisters of Saint Paul will be

engaged in the Pastoral for the Elderly

People, Pastoral of the Child, home

visitations, catechesis, Bible Ministry

and group prayer sessions.

Present during the celebrations were the

SPC Sisters, the parish priest and the parish

lay leaders, some government officials led by

the Mayor of the city of Sumaré and the

people of the parish.

We look forward with hope to the

completion of the project in early 2018,

when CENTRO PAULINO will be able to

accommodate some 200 children and 50

elderly people, giving them the opportunity

to participate and share in the building of

God´s Kingdom.

CARITAS CHRISTI URGET NOS!

24 PAULINIAN ECHOES

Promote dialogue for periodic review of the relationship in order to build communion. The believer growing in the apostolic consecrated life, who has experienced the love

of God, loves and has the certainty of being loved by those who share his life. This love is manifested in the opening of the heart, in the attitude to accept the others as they are, even with their limits, without prejudice. This is an attitude of compassion in the etymological sense that predisposes one to communicate with the other in depth. It strengthens therefore, the conviction that the other does not want to offend, rather we want to grow together in fraternal life.

In cross-cultural competence formation courses, communication holds a special place with all its derivatives, perceptions, styles, languages, gestures, non-verbal communication in general.

Another aspect that should be mentioned is that formation in intercultural competency is to experience ongoing change.

As we seek a certain balance in the relationship, the person is dynamic and carries an elusive mysterious trait that must simply be respected. To continue the process satisfactorily, the person must be able to continuously question himself or herself. And we must be aware that building a significant fraternal relationship may require ruptures. Hence the need to provide quality support to reach the goal. It is in the dynamism of evangelical conversion impregnated with humility and mercy, that one is committed to a radical acceptance of the other.

A final aspect, not to be underestimated in the intercultural approach, is the emergence of conflicts. Given the diversity of cultural perceptions, it is obvious that conflict is inevitable. Intercultural competency should provide criteria to positively manage conflicts and even learn to find their constructive elements. However, although conflict is not necessarily a solution, it obviously should be faced, or at least expressed. For often, conflict is at the level of values, thus expressing them can clarify and resolve the difference.

Conclusion

Through this very brief reflection, we see the demands that interculturality poses to Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life and the commitment to live as intercultural communities in mission. An unavoidable challenge for the success of this approach is the urgency of the program of formation of all members, especially those responsible for formation. Thus the dream of interculturality can finally become a reality that makes the consecrated life an epiphany of communion around a common project together to announce Christ, the source of life in our multicultural world. Because for Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life, interculturality is not only a vital need for communities, but also a requirement of the mission ahead because it is the most immediate way to show it is possible to live unity in diversity in a pluralistic world, often torn by war and globalized violence; to go forward to accompany our people in the mission to live the encounter with the other as a richness and as an opportunity of communion.

1Gugenberger Monique, President of the Conference de Major Superiors, in the preface of the document Interculturality, a Challenge for Religious Institutes, cited by Elsida. 2Garant Elizabeth, Interculturality - an Exigency for the Mission, in a Session of the CRC, Montreal (22 April 2015) and Quebec (26 May 2015) : Interculturality in the Life of the Communities: Challenges and Promises (http://www.crc-canada.org/fr/node/1663). 3Thomas Marc, Acquire an Intercultural Competency. Everyday Processes of Intercultural Learning, Memory of DESS in Psychology, Nancy 2000, in http://www.mediation-interculturelle.com (consulted 1 March 2013). 4Some considerations that follow are partial extracts of the article of Rebonato Licia, The Multicultural Community, in http://www.fondazionecum.it/archivio, 25-12-2005, 5Cf Cohen-Emerique, For an Intercultural Approach in Social Work, cited in Dossier Pédagogique, Live Together Differently 23.

PAULINIAN ECHOES 9

The second one, Anna Tuong, took the name Sister Saint Joseph. She was the

daughter of a well known Christian family in the country, so naturally, she knew the Vietnamese language well, so she was able to offer many services.

The third one was Anne Jacob, daughter of a Chinese martyr, who was from

Tha La, and took the name of Sister Saint Paul. She entered into the community on May 3, 1861.The group of these Sisters remained at three until 1864. Thus a

small, well taken cared of plant, would become a great tree whose branches would

extend all through the southeast of Asia. The year 1864 also included 2 more postulants: Lucie Giau, originally of Lai Thieu, who entered in community at the

age of 18 and Anne Than, also from Lai Thieu.

From then on, in all the works of charity, there were French Sisters and many Vietnamese Sisters who came to the Novitiate of Saigon and worked

together.

Juvenists and Postulants

Mother Benjamin, ready to respond even in diffiult situations, accepted the call of Japan to open two communities: at Hakodate (1870) and at Tokyo (1881).

On February 22,1883, she sent six Sisters to North Vietnam to tend the sick.

Being responsible for the region of Southeast Asia, she also traveled to Vietnam,

Hong Kong, Macau and Japan to direct the ministries.

In the midst of intense activity, Mother Benjamin was called home to God at

the age of 63 years, after five days of fever that kept her bedridden. She departed after 23 years of service to Vietnam, as well as her service to Hong Kong and

Japan.

10 PAULINIAN ECHOES

CELEBRATION OF THE 150th ANNIVERSARY

OF THE NOVITIATE OF SAIGON

From the 29th of February. we had the honor of welcoming our reverend Sisters,

Superiors, Assistants or Delegates coming from the Provinces in Asia to assist at

this important event in the history of the Provinces of Vietnam. The celebration

began with a procession to the tomb of our venerable Mother Benjamin.

The feast was then celebrated in three movements:

A time of prayer of 30 minutes, led by the novices, before the Eucharistic

celebration. The prayer was based on the central idea of the obedience of Mother

Benjamin during the difficult periods of her life, especially revolving around the

foundation of the novitiate in Saigon. The words and sentiments expressed in the

notebook written during the sea voyage were cited and meditated on in this time

of prayer.

The first scene represents Reverend Mother in the middle of the ocean with

her boat at risk of being sunk by large waves, while she manifested her strong

faith and total abandonment in the hands of the Lord. Because, for her, all of her

existence is in the hands of Providence; neither life nor death can separate her

from his love.

The prayer continued with the suffering of Mother Benjamin during the period

of the foundation of the indigenous novitiate: the pain, the obedience, the

patience, the courage…All these sentiments mingled in the heart of the faithful

servant of the Lord and pushed her even closer to Him.

PAULINIAN ECHOES 23

What are at this point, the normative requirements for pursuing the approach in the community? I point out a few that might inspire a course of formation:

Be aware that everyone carries in self the cultural heritage with its wealth and its limits.

Know how to take a step back from an intercultural perspective to better understand its cultural representations, its psychological and social conditioning.

Learn to identify and manage prejudices, stereotypes of one’s own culture with all that is racism, xenophobia, intolerance, violence, inferiority or superiority complex.

Take reality as it presents itself. We should, on one hand, be committed to reinforce the positive aspects and on the other hand, cultivate the desire and the will to deconstruct the darker aspects, to be free of linguistic type of stereotyping that reveals a racist mentality.

It is necessary to "build by deconstructing.” This does not mean to destroy the culture of the other, nor my own culture. If we are attentive, we realize that this is a very evangelical logic. Just remember the dialectic: “You have heard that it was said ... But I say to you" (cf. Mk 7: 1-13; Matthew 5: 21-48) to face the facts. Enter into empathetic relationships with each other to understand the other's system of reference.

An essential formative task to accompany people towards intercultural competency is the need to be aware not only of one's own cultural diversity, but also those of others. In that sense, the researcher Edward Hall offers interesting indicators (beyond the limits) about cultural differences and communication styles. I point out here only a few aspects where differences are emphasized and one should know how to be in calm confrontation with others to facilitate the acquisition of intercultural competency. This is a pretty practical framework that involves different aspects such as direct or indirect language; the implicit or explicit; high or low conceptuality; the concept of time: monochromatic or polychromatic; the vision of the past, present, future; the waiting time of realization - reaction; distances: intimate, personal, social, public; body language: gestures, facial expressions, rituals, non-verbals; the image of authority; the link with oneself; religious sensitivity; politics; the perception of the body, suffering, endurance, illness, fatigue, death; etc.

From these aspects, we could trace the formation courses that address the components of intercultural competency to promote human relations towards a civilization of love.

The discovery of the world of the other, requires first to step back from one’s own value system (decentralization) and an attitude of openness and curiosity; it also takes time, which is why Cohen-Emerique recalls the need, in the intercultural approach, to "give time to time." 5

Here are some experiences that can promote the intercultural approach in community.

Encourage everyone to express moments and strong gestures of their culture;

Do not be afraid to invest time and energy to talk and to listen, to try to understand others, their motivations, their values, their sensitivities;

Cultivate empathetic curiosity;

In order to communicate, learn the language of the host country;

When sisters or brothers arrive first in the country give them time to experience the culture shock, assist them in embracing the new culture;

Create sharing and exchange opportunities on the cultural level;

Promote the components of intercultural competency from the beginning of the formation process.

In the opening and the confrontation, we welcome others by accepting them in their likeness to me and enhancing their differences as gifts. The course must be done together so as to get the desired result, that is to say, to reach an ever growing intercultural dialogue in communion.

22 PAULINIAN ECHOES

As we can see, the acquisition of this skill requires cultural learning which questions the person at three levels of existence: the continuous deepening of one’s personal cultural identity, discovering knowledge of others, managing and optimizing the relationship towards a fruitful encounter. In the Apostolic Consecrated Life, this approach is at the heart of a community called by the Lord, to live together and share the same mission according to a specific charism. In this context, interculturality is a vital element for the future of Religious Institutes, or Societies of Apostolic Life. We join the thought of Lipiansky, a social psychology researcher who worked on the identity, when he says, “what comes into contact, is not cultures, nor national identity, but people;” we add consecrated people. This implies that, “intercultural relationships play out both on the interpersonal level, which involves the personal and social identity of the individual, and the intercultural level, involving cultural differences between individuals and entails a series of attitudes and reactions proper to those people coming into contact with each other.

Paths to Go Through In the conviction that culture has a dimension of universality and singularity that recognizes the dignity of all human beings; interculturality cannot be entrusted to the good will or a set of techniques used to solve life’s problems. In the context of today’s consecrated apostolic life, we reaffirm the importance of formation in intercultural competency as the great challenge for the survival of our congregations. Deepening the personal identity to become aware of its terms of reference The confrontation with the other often encounters obstacles due to poor knowledge of one's own culture, stereotypes and cultural biases. So the starting point of intercultural competency is the culture of each individual, because as a human person, it is shaped by historical, family, national, and religious antecedents, which marked our way of being and relationships with each other. In other words, this approach requires that we constantly refer to one’s origins, experiences and encounters. Trying to understand ourselves and understand our own identity is an absolutely necessary condition in order to go to meet others.

Further deepening of personal identity facilitates the recognition of common elements that bring the person closer to the other. In the consecrated life, as in all human relationships, a first step is to be formed in what is interculturality in the need to thematize the similarities.4

When one lives a long time in a culture and one puts in the dynamism of intercultural competency at the end of the long road of intercultural learning, we experience the joy of a deep encounter like no other, to be at one in the same humanity. This resemblance is reinforced on the level of identity not only cultural, but also anthropological, Christian, charismatic, etc. For the center of the community is Christ, the reason for our life and our gift. On this point we all agree, but we know very well that if the conviction is clear, yet its translation into concrete choices and attitudes is not always obvious.

So it begs the question: what does professing poverty, chastity and evangelical obedience in Madagascar, France, Haiti, Sydney, India, Italy or Brazil mean? What is the community lifestyle that should characterize us as consecrated to God in a particular institute? What are the elements of prayer that reflect the heart of a community’s march towards interculturality?

These are not rhetorical questions. These are interrogations that invite reflection and stimulate us to seek together the most appropriate paths to walk towards this intercultural synergy. In fact every religious community should always remember these three great principles:

1) The religious community is above all a gift of God to the people chosen. 2) The religious community is the place where we become brothers and sisters. 3) The religious community is the place and the subject of the mission.

PAULINIAN ECHOES 11

Heritage

The heritage that Mother Benjamin left to the generations of the Sisters of

Saint Paul de Chartres in Vietnam in general and at Saigon in particuliar, is not

only the house of the novitiate, but also a spiritual heritage: an example of her

filial obedience even in suffering, giving up her own will in order to bring about

God's will by her total self-abandonment.

Does this not reflect the "fiat" of our Heavenly Mother whom the Sisters of

St. Paul have chosen from the beginning as protectress? A song "Fiat" was

pantomimed to direct the community towards that historical "fiat."

EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION

A solemn Mass was concelebrated immediately after this pantomimed

prayer. The Archbishop of the Diocese of Saigon, His Excellency Paul BÙI Vă n

Đọ c presided the Mass with the participation of the Vicar General, the priest

director of the major seminary and the priest chaplains.

Giving Thanks

After the Mass, Mother Maria Goretti thanked the Archbishop and

congratulated the Province of Saigon, and the Novitiate on this joyous occasion.

Sister Marie THOM, Provincial Superior of Saigon, thanked the Archbishop, the

priests, Reverend Mother General, the Provincial Superiors from the Provinces of

Southeast Asia, as well as all of the Sisters of the Congregation who are united

with us at this time, even though they are not here present.

She gratefully thanked the Sisters for the precious gifts: the Papal Blessing

presented by the Congregation, the Monstrance given by the Provinces of Asia for

the Novitiate, and the two beautiful candles given by the Province of Hong Kong.

12 PAULINIAN ECHOES

Let us Give Thanks to God

The Province of Saigon lifts up a grateful heart towards our Lord, the

Church of Vietnam, the Mother Superiors of the Congregation, above all towards

Mother Benjamin and towards the Provincials of Southeast Asia.

We are aware that everything that the Lord has fashioned for the

Province of Saigon is due to the prayers of all the Sisters around the world, and

we owe them gratitude from the depths of our hearts. May they continue to

support us so that the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres in Saigon may become more

worthy of the spiritual heritage of Mother Benjamin.

SPC Saigon

PAULINIAN ECHOES 21

Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life

Intercultural Requirements: Deepening and Life Practices

Extracts of the Conference given by: Sr. Martha SÉÏDE, fma

January 31, 2016

Introduction

The internationality of our congregations in a global world has changed the scenario of contemporary consecrated life in an unavoidable way. The establishment of missionary communities in all countries of the world and the presence of foreign religious men and women have made aware the necessity for development and exchange and the need to find terms of real intercultural dialogue. Within the Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life there is to be seen more and more a deepening of dialogue of cultures. Thus, the recognition of interculturality as wealth and the opportunity to grow in communion is a direction which makes its way in Society, the Church, Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life. The difficulties met with, the desire to move forward beyond misunderstandings and the deep conviction that communion is possible, has opened up new and fascinating ways.1 But the question is how to arrive at these new ways? What are the strategies necessary to pass from intercultural knowledge to positive experience? How do we proceed so as to deepen and translate into practical life this intercultural knowledge? How do we situate Religious Institutes in the intercultural exigencies?

These questions make us think that “interculturality demands an approach that has its exigencies and often invites us on paths for which we are not always prepared.” 2

The answer to these questions requires digging deeper in the field of formation in order to transform the meeting of cultures into intercultural competence.

Intercultural Competency in Apostolic Consecrated Life

In the intercultural approach to this task is the realization of a personal experience lived as a personal transformation process by the confrontation with the other. Obviously, this process cannot be left only to the good will of people. This is a dynamic process that is undertaken on a daily basis, according to Mark Thomas when he says, “Inculturalization is learnt as one learns to walk: by experience and by the risks assumed and accompanied.” Intercultural learning in not realized by a simple transmission of didactic knowledge, or by behavioral imitation, but by experimental building. The learner, helped by a “guide” transforms himself by producing the knowledge and the skills that he needs.”3

In other words, “Intercultural competence can be defined as the capacity that allows one to know how to analyze and understand the situations between peoples, groups, those of different cultures, and to know how to manage these situations. This is the ability to keep a safe distance from the situation of cultural confrontation in which one is involved. To be able to read into what is at stake in the procedure and be able to master this process.”

20 PAULINIAN ECHOES

woman is a sinner and therefore unclean. She has contaminated him with her abominable

impurity.

Jesus’ Strategy

Jesus’ strategy in the dialog is highly subtle. Being a good teacher, Jesus decides to use

the method of indirect speech, through a parable. And it is precisely this parable that will

reveal Simon’s weaknesses. In the parable, of the two debtors, the amount of the debts are of

no importance. What really counts is the relationship the debtors maintain with the creditor.

They alone know the true value of their debts. Then Jesus passes on to the concrete situation

and directly challenges Simon. Jesus invites Simon to see the woman, a newly liberated and

forgiven woman. From this moment, she becomes the main character, the point of reference

and the model of behavior. The woman’s acts of love strongly contrast with the negligence of

the master of the house. Simon omitted the most common act of hospitality, like washing the

feet of Jesus, giving him a kiss of peace and anointing his head with oil. The woman’s action,

on the contrary, has gone far beyond all norms of courtesy reserved for guests. For Jesus, this

woman has become the true mistress of the house.

Jesus and the Woman with the Perfume

The woman with the perfume comes on the scene clothed like the marginalized,

excluded from the social world, from the religious system, from the banquet, from the table

and from the dialog. She does not have a name, culture, prestige, influence, authority, and

surely no economic means either. The woman with the perfume has only the audacity, the

boldness to defy the most powerful structures in the society of her time. She is alone. She does

not have a group of support and not even the law protects her. She wages her war only with

what she has, her humanity and her gentleness. She is a strong woman, capable of strong

disinterested love. And one who loves takes risks for the beloved. She violates the norms and

enters an area strictly prohibited to her by the law. She has risked everything. Simon, on his

part, prefers to remain calculating and prudently approving since he needs to stay on good

terms with Jesus without annoying his Pharisaic friends.

The woman shows her love and thankfulness to Jesus through body language. Her acts

of tenderness are arbitrary, useless and unusual actions when considered from the viewpoint

of the logic of the law and of social status. Yet tenderness is not learnt from the law but from

the heart. It is not valued according to the law but rather according to the soul; it cannot be

explained from the outside but from the inside.

Jesus transgresses society’s oppressive and marginalizing structures by giving to the

woman the full dignity that Simon – representing the Pharisees present – has unjustifiably

denied her. Jesus’ inclusive attitude is deeply human and liberating. On one hand, he breaks

taboos, crosses boundaries, dismantles preconceived ideas, relativizes laws, and unmasks

injustice and on the other hand, he generates fellowship, relationships, dialog and intimacy

and promotes authentic interpersonal encounters. Meeting Jesus is always a starting point, an

opening to the future, a stimulation of hope.

Our story begins with a Pharisee who invites Jesus to dine in his house and ends with

a Pharisee who silently disappears from the scene. Our story begins with a woman, a “public

sinner,” who comes into the house of a Pharisee disconsolately weeping and finishes with a

pardoned woman who goes away from this encounter with her heart rejoicing and overflowing

with peace.

PAULINIAN ECHOES 13

It was in an atmosphere of real

fraternity that the Council of Congregation

was held in Rome from 18 January to 10

February, 2016, in connection with the

international meeting of religious organized

by the Vatican as part of the closing of the

Year of Consecrated Life.

For the meeting as the Council of

Congregation, the desire was to have a time

for reflection, renewal, dialogue, and fine-

tuning as we reflected over the lived

experience of the three years since the 2013

General Chapter. The session began in St.

Peter's Basilica , with a Mass presided by

Cardinal Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation

for the Evangelization of Peoples. We

welcomed his message of hope as he said,

"Your charism is not out-dated, on the

contrary it is more alive than ever and forms

an integral part of the current ecclesial

experience."

Back at the "Casa", Mother Maria

Goretti summoned the Superiors to the Crypt,

for the opening ceremony and the

presentation of the 25 day program that we

would be living together. It was with "open

ears and open hearts" that all were receptive

to her enlightening message requesting the

active participation of each one in the

diversity of cultures "to do everything

possible, with discernment, to better live our

religious vocation in the Congregation and in

the Church today."

The next two days were devoted to

the presentations of reports by each

Superior; these showed the involvement of

all the Sisters, their challenges, richness,

spiritual, religious, and apostolic

commitments.

Sunday, January 24, in the presence

of His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the

Vatican Secretary of State, we had the

privilege of a beautiful concelebration of the

320th Foundation of our Congregation, a

concelebration very international, thanks to

the presence of the Superiors of different

countries.

Subsequently, we had four days of

talks with two quality speakers from the

Franciscan order: Father Massimo Tedoldi

and Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo.

Their teaching converged to lead us to an

awareness, a questioning of "to what are we

being called" as religious, as they insisted

that we invest in continuing formation of all

aspects of life, in order to give an authentic

witness of fraternity, by focusing on the

Word of God so that "Jesus will go out to

others from the depths of our hearts."

Personal time, periods of silence,

prayer, and group exchanges were planned

and very much appreciated for a better

integration of the input received.

Before undertaking the long days of

the symposium in the Vatican, we went on a

pilgrimage in the direction of Rieti, about 75

km from Rome. We visited the Franciscan

Sanctuaries of Greccio, where Francis set up

the first living nativity in 1223, and

Fontecolombo, where he had dictated the

final version of the rule of the Friars Minor

three years before his death. This pilgrimage

was a day in which to stop, to admire, to

contemplate, to pray, and to identify a few

steps of the path traveled by Francis of

Assisi, in the Rieti Valley.

Then from January 28 to February

2, we participated in the international

14 PAULINIAN ECHOES

meeting at the Vatican, a unique event in the

Church, which showed forth the new breath

given by Pope Francis since the beginning

of his pontificate. Through the

enlightenment of the various speakers, who,

following the example of Pope Francis,

addressed the assembly firmly and frankly,

we were called to the truth about the present

situation of consecrated life, challenged to

revisit forms, structures, formation

processes, styles of government and our

sense of Church. We are invited more than

ever to be constantly nourished on the Word

of God, to witness to a consistency of life

and conformed to the Gospel so that we will

be consecrated persons who radiate joy,

because: "Where there are religious, there is

joy!" (Pope Francis)

Following these intense days, we

looked into our roots with a presentation by

Mother Myriam that helped us to walk in

the footsteps of some of our Mothers

General until 2001. We hope to also see one

day a presentation of the "beautiful

opening" of the Congregation brought about

by Mother Myriam, in her twelve years as

Superior General until 2013!

The next few days saw us involved

in personal work and group exchanges in an

open and dynamic atmosphere, in view of

preparing the booklet that will contain some

excerpts of the lectures and discussions, as

well as some recommendations for the next

three years.

On the afternoon of 10 February, in

her final message, Mother Maria Goretti,

officially closed the Council of

Congregation, inviting the Superiors to go

forth to share the wonders that they had seen,

heard, and been touched by: to go forth with

courage and assurance of living in a world

where God is truly present.

After that, it was time for Sr.

Monique-Françoise, Provincial Superior of

France, to express gratitude and thanks on

behalf of all the Superiors, to show gratitude

of all those present to Mother General, with

thanks encompassing all aspects of the

organization of this Council of Congregation.

We have all been really delighted by the

resources offered and revitalized to continue

the mission entrusted to us.

Finally we headed to the chapel for a

celebration of the Word in light and joy, in

profound communion. We proclaimed our

thanksgiving to the Lord and the Virgin

Mary for the benefits of this Council of the

Congregation and in our prayer we asked the

Lord, "all together with an energy and

enthusiasm renewed, may we invent new

ways to live the Word and become light and

living witnesses of the Gospel" in the path of

Mercy.

PAULINIAN ECHOES 19

she is below, in the lowest possible position. She speaks with her body, not saying a word.

Prostrate at his feet, the woman manifests an attitude of service, of discipleship, of listening

to the master and readiness to receive his word. In Simon’s house, everyone has a seat. Only

she is on the floor. She is excluded from the banquet. But soon she will take Simon’s place.

The marginalized becomes the host, the central position.

The Woman’s Tears

Jesus and the woman remain silent, or more precisely, communicate silently. The

woman is filled with emotion and weeps. To the woman’s weeping, Jesus answers with

silence, silence that expresses attention, acceptance, appreciation, recognition of the person

who has approached him. Jesus does not change his position; he stays reclining toward the

table and the woman weeps at his feet. The scene is tender and invites quiet contemplation.

With her body, the woman fully conveys her message: her feelings of love for Jesus. In her

silence she articulates what is in her heart. The woman accomplishes four successive acts all

centered on Jesus’ feet: she kisses them, bathes them with her tears, wipes them with her hair

and anoints them with her perfume. These four actions involve physical contact that Jesus

accepts in a perfectly natural manner. The woman needs time to show her love. She quite

certainly kissed and caressed Jesus’ feet for a long time and with great attention. With her

hands she was holding Jesus’ feet, an object that was precious for her.

Bathing them with tears. Tears wash and purify the heart of the one who lets them

flow. And the woman needs inner purification. By bathing the feet of Jesus with her tears, the

woman communicates her most intimate feelings to him. At the same time she bathes Jesus’

feet, she cleanses her own heart. The evil bonds that tightened her heart dissolve. Her tears

spring forth, run quickly down her cheeks and moisten the body of Jesus, soaking and

enveloping it in tears. Now, the tears of the woman are also Jesus’ tears. Jesus cries with her.

Drying them with her hair. The gesture is charged with tremendous evocative power.

The images remind us of the Song of Songs. There, the bridegroom, rhapsodizing over the

hair of the beloved, exclaims: "Your hair is like a flock of goats, moving down the slopes of

Gilead" (Cant 4:1; 6:25). Jesus is very sensitive to human beauty and appreciates all of its

aspects: the beauty of the body and that of the heart. The woman who repeatedly wipes his

feet with her hair is a woman capable of loving and of being loved. That is her beauty, and

this is why she is a beautiful woman.

Anointing with perfume. Perfume is not given to just anyone; it is not used without

resolve. It is a gift destined to express deference to a much-loved person. The woman's

anointing emanates a fragrance of gratuitousness. Her hands soaked with the perfume, like

those of the Bride in the Song of Songs (5:15), touch delicately and graciously the feet of

Jesus. Both the disciple and the Master are enveloped by the fragrance. And the woman's

perfume is also Jesus'.

Danger of Contagion

Undoubtedly, the woman's gesture is atypical and inconceivable for the Jewish

mentality of that time. The woman’s action triggers Simon’s irrevocable judgment: “She is a

sinner.” What irritates the Pharisee is the attitude of Jesus. He simply cannot understand

how Jesus has allowed a public sinner to touch him in the sight of all. The woman has totally

annulled an essential norm of Pharisaic purity, i.e., the separation of clean and unclean.

Simon’s sentence is irrefutable: Jesus is not a prophet, since a prophet would never have

tolerated this kind of scandalous behavior. Simon only sees the objective facts, that the

woman has touched the body of his guest and that the latter let himself be touched. The

18 PAULINIAN ECHOES

“THE WOMAN WITH THE PERFUME” Lectio Divina on Luke 7:36-50

By: Sr Nuria Calduch-Benages, MN

Given at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, January 30, 2016

A Woman without a Name

Traditionally designated as “the forgiven or penitent public sinner,” the woman with

the perfume is one of the many anonymous women who appear in the Gospel of Luke. The

protagonist in the story is the woman with the perfume who poured the contents of her

alabaster jar over the Master’s feet. Luke relates the greatest number of stories concerning

women, but the “woman with the perfume” is the only woman who receives Jesus’ forgiveness.

She alone, without asking to be healed, is freed from a disease not of the body but of the mind.

The woman had lived a life of sin. Jesus, the teacher, the healer, applies a remedy that

immediately works. In an instant, he forgives all her sins. Jesus’ remedy regenerates in the

devastated heart of the woman the most delicate feelings of a human being, that of love and

gratitude. The woman with the perfume is the woman who loves the most, the woman of

infinite gratitude, the woman who cannot verbally express the feelings of her heart to Jesus. She

does not know how to speak, her heart pushes her to perform this audacious gesture.

A Chain Reaction

The characters in this scene are Jesus, the sinful woman, Simon the Pharisee and the

other guests at this banquet. All are involved in the same quandary caused by the opposition

between the logic of the law and the logic of love. Simon the Pharisee and his group represent

the law, Jesus incarnates love, and the sinful woman is in the middle. Simon accuses her, while

Jesus forgives her. Her uncommon action provokes Simon’s judgment which in turn incites

Jesus’ intervention, which prompts the reaction of the guests.

A Banquet as the Setting

Everything begins with a simple invitation. A Pharisee invites Jesus to dine in his

house. Sharing a meal was a normal activity in the Jewish society, as it still is today. Dining

together is a very significant social act. Table-fellowship generally reinforces a group’s cohesion

and identity. Therefore it is not normal to invite strangers. Guests invited to a banquet must

belong to the same social circle as the host, or at least are known to, or linked with his or her

group. By inviting Jesus, Simon, the Pharisee, makes a gesture of hospitality. He manifests an

open and cordial attitude toward the teacher. This is his way of approaching Jesus. He wants to

have a personal relationship with Jesus and Jesus willingly accepts the invitation.

Acts of Love

The woman enters the scene by surprise and when she is least expected. She comes to

the banquet as an intruder. She does not belong to this group. The “woman with the perfume” is

not cultivated or a “Pharisee” or a “rabbi.” She is merely known sinner and, in addition, a

woman. She wants to meet Jesus. Transgressing all the strict social rules, she takes the risk of

being repudiated, misunderstood, deprecated and condemned. For her, the love and gratitude

toward Jesus overrides all social codes.

The Woman’s Body

The woman’s bodily position is very eloquent. Jesus is reclined toward the table. The

woman is on the floor, behind him, touching the Master’s feet with her head. Jesus is above and

PAULINIAN ECHOES 15

There were more than 5,000 consecrated men and women, belonging to

various forms of Consecrated Life from all parts of the world, who participated

in the great conclusive event of the Year of Consecrated Life. The gathering,

hosted by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of

Apostolic Life (CICLSAL), was held at the Vatican City in Rome from January

28 - February 2, 2016. This special event coincided with the Council of

Congregation, and so our Sisters had the privilege of joining in the international

meeting either as registered participants or as volunteers.

The theme of the meeting was: Consecrated Life in Unity: the Common

Foundation in the Diversity of the Forms. The aims of the meeting were: “to

know better the great mosaic which makes up Consecrated Life, to live

communion through the discovery of the common calling in the various forms:

Ordo Virginum, Monastic Cloistered Life, Religious Institutes of Apostolic Life,

Religious Institutes of Male Monastic Life and Societies of Apostolic Life,

Secular Institutes, New Institutes and New Forms of Consecrated Life; to start

together the journey of the Holy Year of Mercy which, once again, entrusts to all

consecrated persons the specific mandate of their vocation: to be the

countenance of the Father’s mercy, witnesses and builders of an authentic lived-

out fraternity.”1

The event kicked off with a Prayer Vigil last January 28, presided by His

Excellency José Rodríguez Carballo, OFM, Archbishop Secretary of CICLSAL.

In his reflection, he stressed the centrality of joy for the consecrated person.

"The beatitudes," he said, "are, here and now, the path to a full and joyful life.

Joy is not a possibility but a responsibility for the consecrated person. If we

believe that God can fill our hearts and make us happy; if we believe that the

brothers and sisters God has given us are gifts from him (...) then we cannot but

share with the world the gift of our joy in Christ."

During the six-day meeting, the participants had conferences, colloquia,

prayer vigils, specific meetings to go in depth in each Form with a prophetic

gaze toward the future.

On the second day of the symposium, João Cardinal Bráz de Aviz, the

Prefect of CICLSAL, welcomed the participants and said, "As consecrated

people, we have to show that God can fill our hearts and make us happy" and

exhorted all to unity and fraternity as a means to live the spirituality of

communion in the Church.

Symposium on Consecrated Life

28 January—2 February, 2016

Rome

1Press Release, CIVCSVA, January 2016.

16 PAULINIAN ECHOES

Fr. Christoph Theobald, SJ, the first keynote speaker, elucidated the

common foundation that animates the different charisms in Consecrated life.

He said, “To follow, to listen and to welcome the other: this is the style of

Jesus that consecrated men and women are called to learn. They are

consecrated to the service of what is happening where they live and work;

witnesses of fraternity which, if lived authentically, becomes an 'alternative'

way of life; men and women who look to the future with the prophetic gaze of

one who sees the Holy Spirit continuously working and enriching the Church

with new charisms."

The second keynote speech was delivered by Sr. Maria Ignazia Angelini,

OSB and Fr. Miguel Marquez Calle, OCD. Sr. Maria Ignazia made the point

that contemplation does not take us out of the world but inserts us fully into

it: "God lives and works in the world and places us in the original state of

contemplation. It is not an activity, a state of life, but a way of being that

shines in itself: it is the unifying act of believing. The Spirit is working and

leads us to what is essential, that is, to follow the Teacher." Fr. Miguel

Marquez Calle also emphasized the role of discernment and spiritual direction

in keeping a balance between the contemplative life and active life.

The third keynote speech was given by Archbishop Jose Rodriguez

Carballo, OFM, who highlighted the paths of renewal that Consecrated Life

must take on, fifty years after Lumen Gentium and Perfectae Caritatis.

Commenting on Mark 2:22, he said, that we need to renovate existing

“wineskins” of consecrated life and create new containers to sustain new

charisms. In particular, the service of authority must be evangelized, ongoing

formation and the formation of formators must be given priority, and a solid

spirituality must be emphasized.

PAULINIAN ECHOES 17

On January 30 and 31, the participants were divided according to the

Form to which they belong and they discussed in depth some specific aspects

of their proper vocation. The Religious Institutes of Apostolic Life and

Societies of Apostolic Life gathered at the Basilica of St. John Lateran for the

Lectio Divina and later went to Pontifical Lateran University for the group

discussion. The following were the topics for discussion: The announcement

found in Evangelii gaudium regarding mercy, the intercultural situation in our

Religious Institutes, the serious issue of ongoing formation, relationship with

new foundations, communion with families and other vocations within the

Church, and religious pluralism.

On February 1, they gathered again in the Paul VI Hall for a panel

discussion on the theme “Consecrated Persons Challenged by the Gospel in

Today’s Church and World”. This was followed by an audience with Pope

Francis. In the evening, they were treated with an entertaining and prayerful

Oratorio “On Beauty’s Trail’, composed and directed by Mgr Marco Frisina.

The event ended with a pilgrimage to the Holy Doors in the morning of

February 2. In the afternoon, Pope Francis celebrated the concluding

Eucharist which also coincided with the XX World Day of Consecrated Life.

The very enriching activities during the international meeting deepened

and affirmed the directions and paths of conversion that we need to undertake

as a Congregation, both on the personal and communal levels. The gathering

of the various forms of consecrated life was an experience of the sensus

ecclesia, a strong sense of belonging to the Church, which exemplified the

unity of our various charisms at the service of the Church and to our brothers

and sisters.