The conclusion of the Papal Mass on February 2 ended the more than a year-long celebration of Consecrated Life and this special week of Consecrated Life in Communion. Most of the 4000 religious returned to their home communities. But not we Visitandines! With his usual foresight, our Assistant General, Father Corrignan, planned to gather the 39 of us together for a few more days of meetings.
So, on the morning of Wednesday February 3rd, we said very grateful goodbyes to the Sisters of Charity with whom we had been housed, especially Sister Mary, Mother Jacqueline, Sister Ramona, Sister Isabella and Sister Frances, and boarded a bus for our next destination, the Salesianum. Anne Goetze also would be among us and would take photographs of this historic gathering.
When we arrived at the Salesianum hotel, some peacocks greeted us.
We met in the afternoon, introducing ourselves, our Federations, and citing number of Sisters and communities. As we had already been together for a week, we had found our own ways of communicating, but Fr Corrignan greatly enhanced that by translating in rapid succession into three languages: French, English and Spanish, all that was said.
The second day we shared, by Federation, what we were thankful for, and what our hopes and challenges were. Our final morning consisted of some early brainstorming after it was announced that our General Assembly would be scheduled for September of 2017.
Mother Marie Therese Dennel, Superior of Annecy, also related the recent history of our Holy Source and encouraged us to think of ways to connect with hope and help to this treasured monastery of our Order.
