HE IS RISEN ALLELUIA!!!!!! - Sisters of Our Lady of Sion

Page 1www.notredamedesion.orgSion NewsV O L U M E 1 , N U M É R O 4M A R C H — A P R I L 2 0 1 2I N D E XCanada USA AssemblySr. TheresaCondonBrother and sisteractWhen the Churchwelcomes ...2345Vocational Watch 6HEEducation week 66Lent 2012... 7IS RISENLa Solitude 8News from Bartrès 920 January all 10-15over the worldALLELUIA!!!!!!

Page 2www.notredamedesion.orgCanada/USA AssemblyJan. 20-22, 2012a CELEBRATION of anew life!At our Canada-USA provincial chapter inJuly 2011, we expressed gratitude andbrought closure to our many years of livingas a Province. There was also an expresseddesire to come together as a'Gathering of North American NDS Communities'on Jan. 20th, 2012 to celebrateour new Sionian reality. Before plunginginto our celebration of our new reality, wecompleted the chapter process of choosinga new Leadership Team. We were pleasedto have a good Facilitator lead us throughthe day of Jan. 20th in a process of Discernmentand Decision-making to chooseour new LeadershipTeam. At the end of theday, we rejoiced andgave thanks for the twopersons who were chosenfor our LeadershipTeam for the next 2years: BernadetteO'Reilly and Joyce Sinnett.The overall theme,therefore, for our daysof Gathering ( Jan. 20 -22, 2012) was celebration. Based on theBiblical idea of celebration, we spent 3days together: (i) remembering our past(ii) affirming our present and (iii) anticipatingour future. As we remembered thepast, we recalled that we are who we aretoday because of all the wonderful womenwho risked, ventured, loved Sion and respondedto God and to their deep desire tospread the Charism in other lands. In gratitudefor all those wonderful women whohave gone before us, we rememberedeach one of them by name & by photo -using a creative power-point presentationtoremember their journey over manyyears as we now enter into our own newjourney in 2012. We prayed that we couldbe inspired by all the sisters who havegone before us - by their courage, theirstrength, their love of Sion, their mistakes,their humour, their freedom and commitmentto continue to guide and support us.We affirmed the present by saying "yes" toour present situation in the congregationand in the world. We encouraged one anotherby affirming our personal and communalgiftedness and recognizing God'spresence in our present-day lives and diverseministries. As a Congregation we arediminishing and likewise in our own Gatheringof Sion Communities in North America.Yet, in the midst of this, we stronglyaffirmed that we are very gifted and havereceived - and, continue to receive - manygifts from God in our life and ministries asSisters of Sion. We enjoyed naming eachsister's gifts and then we drew these giftsall together and createda beautiful "treeof life" which representedall of us. Weanticipated the futureby personally namingand choosing to liveout in the year(s)ahead one or two ofthe Apostolic prioritiesthat we had chosenduring our July2011 Chapter. Thefour Apostolic priorities of our ProvincialChapter are: 1. Interfaith [Dialogue, relationships,Cooperation, supportive presence];Sacred Scriptures/Writings and Interfaith[ongoing study of Hebrew Scriptures;Study of Islam, etc.); 2. Youth /Biblical Formation/Education/ Formation/Vocations 3. Stewardship of Creation, Ecology[care of the Earth], Ecology[SocialJustice context]. 4. Advocacy Role - AddressingIssues of Racism and Injustice. Itwas a hope-filled moment, therefore, aseach sister came forth and placed a" footprint" on the floor with her writtenchoice of an apostolic priority whichis near/dear to her heart.

Page 3www.notredamedesion.orgTogether we created a "path of life" with all our "foot-prints" leading into the Future.It was most encouraging. Throughout the day we had great moments of communityprayer and a joyful Eucharistic celebration. In the evenings we had good fun celebratingtogether in many different ways.....one of which was to try to identify thenames/photos of all the sisters who have gone before us......we certainly had manygood laughs and it 'stretched our memory'. The closing prayer of our 3 days of celebretionincluded this lovely litany of generosity: Gracious God, thank you for generoushearts...to share whatever gift it is that you have given us...to acknowledge youas the giver of all good gifts...to give without counting the cost...to share without expectingsomething in return...to be wise in the way of caring for ourselves and others...tohold all of our treasures with open hands...to have Gospel priorities thatalign our life, love and time in their light...to be gracious and unbegrudging in ourgiving...to recognize the abundance of your blessings in each passing day...to knowthe freedom that comes with true generosity...to experience the heart of a widowgiving her mite...to accept our talents, whether many or few, and to use them in theservice of the Kingdom...and to grow in celebrating and giving thanks for everything.Lucy Thorson—Canada/USSr. TheresaCondona woman ofhopeWe, Sisters in Australia,said goodbyeto a very loved Sister on 7th December,2011. Theresa died peacefully at the ageof 94 years, 73 of which were given toGod in Sion. Small of stature but with abig heart, Theresa spent thefirst thirty years of her religiouslife teaching in the PrimarySchools of Ascot Vale,Warragul, Box Hill and Sale.She gave herself untiringlyto every task asked of her:teaching large classes andoften, at the same time, beingthe School Principal.In 1971, Theresa was askedto go to the house of Ein Kerem, Israel.She had no idea what she would be askedto do there. In the Sherut on the way toJerusalem, her question was answered.She would be the House Bursar, alongwith Sr. Erna. As guests to the house oftencame from different countries, for thefirst time in her life, Theresa found herselfworking in several money currencies, visitingIsraeli Banks and, in whatever sparetime left over, fulfilling important manualjobs, which are never lacking in a largeguest house! With English as her only language,somehow Theresa never lost hopenor her big smile. She continued to workat whatever was asked of her in EinKerem for nine years. For health reasons,regretfully she had to return to Australiain 1980. For the rest of her life, however,she kept a special love for Israel in herheart. At the house of Shalom,Theresa welcomed any Friendsof Sion, Jewish as well asChristians, coming for meetingsor visiting the Sisters. Whenthe time came for her to receiveNursing Care, she acceptedthis challenge graciously.Her welcome remained thesame, warm and wholehearted.Several Jewish friends as wellas many former students attended Theresa’sRequiem which was celebrated by aSalesian priest who she had taught as ayoung boy and who never forgot her.May our beloved Theresa now celebratelife to the full in the Heavenly Jerusalem!Group of communities—Australia

Page 4www.notredamedesion.orgBrother and sisteractFrom 27 to 29 January a nationalgathering of young religioustook place at Passy-Busenval on the outskirts of Paris. I was very happyto participate and it was a wonderful meeting.We were 600 young religious from all over France.But what does “all over France” mean? I was reallysurprised when I looked around. First a few figures:we came from 120 religious Congregations andfrom 60 different nationalities. A real Noah’s ark!The title of the gathering perfectly illustrated theaim of the event: “Brother and Sister act! Missionariesofh o p e ” .The conferenceofreligious of France organised the event topromote a meeting between young religious(age limit: 45 years of age/or 15years from 1st profession) to foster thevisibility of religious life today and providea place for debate on the calls and challengesthat the world and the Church poseto religious life. What a fine programme!by testimonies, group meetings, forumsand dialogues. You may read alla b o u t i t o n : h t t p : / /www.viereligieuse.fr/-Brother-Sister-Act-rassemblementThe programme was indeed full. We startedwith a time for morning prayer followedOn Sunday afternoon, the 600 personswent to Paris, in front of NotreDame Cathedral. This is where wedid a “flash mob”. Here is an internetlink to our small film “flash mob”.http://www.viereligieuse.fr/Brother-Sister-act-la-Flash-mob (also onwww.notredamedesion.org)Anna Bodzinska—Europe

Page 5www.notredamedesion.orgWhen theChurchwelcomesandcalls …This morning our parish welcomed Audrey andMarion who for several months, attracted by theperson of Christ, have been journeying to discoverthe Christian faith. Today they entered the catechumenate.It was their journey, and we accompaniedthem with infinite respect. From now on it is ourjourney, theirs and ours, parishioners of Saint-Sauveur. We are engaged with them. But this firstSunday of Lent is particularly moving for all thedioceses which have adults preparing to be baptisedon Easter night. These catechumens are going tohear the official call of the universal Church, relayedby their Bishop in their diocesan cathedral.So today at 4pm in this cathedral Mgr Dufour willcall 31 adults, coming from all over the diocese withtheir families and those who have accompaniedthem, with their god-fathers and god-mothers, theirfriends and their parish priests. Will we know howto welcome them, as we welcome among them thefour catechumens of our parish, Anita, Benjamin,Hadrien and Martine? Will this call resonate in thelives of each of us? « Do you want to receive theinitiation of the sacraments of Christ, baptism, confirmationand the Eucharist? »To let oneself be initiated,to begin a new life, and accept to be led by another,accept to receive oneself from another, theCompletely Other, and to do this in a world whereeverything is driving us to want to lead our livesourselves, on our own, what a tall order! This year’sdiocesan booklet, « From Ashes to the Flames ofPentecost », on p.9, refers to the first Letter of Petersaying: to be baptised is to be committed to Godwith a clear conscience and thus share in the Resurrectionof Christ. To rise again with Christ? Yes,that can happen each day : we can pass from deathto life in all the little details of daily life, seeking theOne we love, and loving those we come across orwho share our lives, isn’t that possible ? Let us listenagain to the words of our Bishop to the catechumens:«God is faithful to his call; now it is your turnto offer himyour fidelity aswe have alldone, by hisgrace; with allyour heart, tryto come to thewhole truth ofthis call.» Fidelityis somethingwe have to care for daily, like a plant. Wecome to it little by little, right up to our last breath.But have confidence: He who has called you isfaithful, as St Paul likes to repeat. Just this morningthe Gospel asks us to contemplate the fidelity ofChrist in the temptations in the desert, recalling theexperience of his people during the Exodus: in thefirst temptation, Jesus does not use words to calmhis hunger. His food is to nourish himself on everyword that comes from the mouth of the Father, tobe faithful to the Torah, to love God with all hisheart. In the second, Jesus does not want to forcethe Father’s freely given love, by throwing himselffrom the top of the Temple, so as to astonish thecrowds: he receives his life from the Father, hourby hour, trustfully. He will go to the end of his lifewhen this moment comes.And finally, in the third, itis from his Father alonethat he will receive powerand the nations. He willnot take them himself. Itis with all his strength thathe loves his Father. Tolove God with all one’sheart, with all one’s life,with all one’s strength, isthat not the daily prayer ofa faithful Jew? That is ourresponse to the grace of this day: to be faithful withall our heart, with all our life, with all our strength!Let us try to come to the full truth of this call.Marie Claire Brézet—Europe

Page 6www.notredamedesion.orgVOCATIONAL WATCH ORGANISED BY THEVOCATIONS MINISTRYThe team from the Vocations Centre of the Archdiocese of Rio deJaneiro, coordinated for many years by a Sister of Sion, is organisingthe Vocations Watch during the 3 days of Carnival. At its outset,during the retreat, organised by the Charismatic Movement, at therequest of the Bishop, we were kindlygiven a space where we could work, which includedinterviewing the people who were interested inus. From the beginning, we have been considered‘perpetual participants’ of the huge gatherings thattake place.The people who gather on these occasions are on thewhole older than the young people we would desire,but there are always a few young people who comealong showing a desire to consecrate their lives toGod.During these years that the watch has existed (about 20), after Carnival, we look atthe registration forms and enter into contact with a few people who are interested invocations. These are accompanied by us or by other groups for a few months. Manyof these become priests and religious of different seminaries and congregations, includingSion. It is not rare to meet priests and sisters who say to us with gratitude “Ibegan to think about my vocation during your vocational watch.”We always invite a few religious to work with us. This year we had the joy of welcomingfrom Sao Paulo, our Sr Renata from the Sion Vocations Ministry.Maria Cecilia—BrasilEducation Week at the Sr Isabel Cristina Centre (CEI)The Sr Isabel Cristina School begins its activities withthe rhythm of Carnival.Carnival is an annual holiday, celebrated in differentways in different countries in the world. In attemptingto understand its meaning, we can learn a lot about ourselvesand about others. Carnival, contrary to what wemay think, is much more than a high point of the yearwhen foolish acts and funny games take place. Carnivalis a way of constant, evolving expression which links usto our past and which shows a lot about the way inwhich each culture interacts with its surrounding environment. The power and the creativitywhich Brazilian and Carribean Carnivals portray, exemplify the manner in which this artform can be a determinant in the life of peoples through the celebration of that which makesthem different from others.Community of Brasil

Page 7www.notredamedesion.orgLENT 2012—RECONFIGURATION,CHANGE, TRANSFORMATION…The beginning of Lent alwayscalls us to a review of life, to adeepening of the spiritualitywhich underlies our actions inlight of the Kingdom. This year, the liturgyoffers us the temptations of Jesus in theGospel of Mark. I like the Gospel of Markbecause I find myself in it, it is a simpleGospel and one which describes the fragilityof the disciple’s condition. It doesn’tdescribe what the temptations of Jesus inthe desert were but without describingthem, they permeate the whole narrative.‘The Spirit took Jesus to the desert.’The desert is the placepar excellence of the unpredictable,of risk, ofchallenge, of purificationso as not to lose thesearch for the Kingdom.The desert reminds me ofExodus and the journeythat I do not do alone andin which I am responsiblefor the other who walkswith me. The moment ofreconfiguration which we are living in theCongregation invites me to live congregationalunity at the same time that internationalityquestions me and challenges meto look at my capacity to learn the realityof the Congregation. The first challenge isto become deeply aware of what meaningI give to the word ‘internationality.’To assume the attitude of Exodus withoutlosing one’s roots is the big challenge,principally for people like myself who livein countries where growth is taking place,where media propaganda presents culturalstandards of a ‘better’ life than that whichhas been cultivated by our cultural traditionsfor centuries. These portray standardsof consumerism and individualismwhich become temptations for my dailyliving. In this situation, it is difficult tovalue my own roots. I run the risk of notbelieving in what I have as unique, of notbelieving in the gifts which God has givenme in my cultural roots. These includegifts of spontaneous solidarity, of welcomingtogetherness, of joy even when care oflife is a serious matter, of tendernesswhich embraces the situation of the other–all of which call me to be sensitive to thefeelings of others who are around me.This Lent for me focuses on the urgent necessityto discover to what extent I havepride in who I am, of the unique gifts Ihave received as a Latin American andBrazilian. Do I know the gifts I have receivedand do I have a responsibility toshare these wherever I go? For, as Fr Victortaught us, gift is not a present. With apresent, I can do whateverI wish, but with agift it is different. Ihave the responsibilityof sharing it as shownto us in the Gospel ofthe talents.The saying goes‘wherever you go, youbring yourself…’ Becauseof this, therearises in me the convictionthat it is not the place which buildsthe interior attitudes which permits me tolive internationality and be capable of livingwith what is different. To live withwhat is different is at the core of our charismand through it our mission which extendsto the Church and to the world. Thispreparation is not made simply by changingplace but by the reconfiguration of myinner life which is transformed through livingwith what is different in all circumstancesof daily life. This living together isin the words of Gonzaguinha: “live and donot be afraid to be happy…be an eternallearner.” I ask the Lord that this Lentgives us the grace to make fruitful thegifts that as Brazilians we have receivedand have the responsibility to share withour Congregational family.Judite Paulina—Brasil

Page 8www.notredamedesion.orgLa Solitude, hic et nunc.Situated at the edge of the town, our housei sboth withdrawn and at the heart of thecity. Our life is first ofall an interior one, turned towards theLord: it is prayer that animates us, analternation of personal and communityprayer, finding its source in listening tothe Word. This Word vivifies our life together.The chapel is open from 6.30amto 8.30pm, which is a ‘luxury’ that parishchurches can no longer afford. Peoplefrom Evry, by origin or adoption (thereare lots of immigrants),come to it for Mass, the Offices, and adoration (theBlessed Sacrament is exposed all day, except for a period during the lunch hour).We have a friendly relationship with the staff of the Lycée college, which is just oppositeour house. As well as the annual visit from ‘the new ones’ who are learningabout Sion, we collaborate with one or other of them in order to pass on, to bothyoung people and adults, the message received from Fr Theodore for the Churchand the world. It is a privilege for us to have the ‘Souvenir room’ here within ourwalls, as a good help towards understanding our history.As Grand Bourg is on of the sites of the congregation, we often have the joy ofwelcoming Sisters and Brothers of Sion from all over the world, and of helpingthem discover, or re-visit, Fr Theodore’s grave, and those of our first Mothers, andof Sisters we have known and loved, who have traced the path of fidelity for us;and this little plot of land where Fr Theodore loved to come, his room, and that ofFr Mary when he stopped by in between his journeys collecting funds for the housesin the Holy Land.The diocese of Evry-Corbeil Essonne is particularly in advance with regard to relationswith Judaism. The SDRIC teaminforms us regularly about everythingon this subject, in the diocese and beyond,and often meets here to work,and also to share its activity. Two rabbisare in contact with them for a programmeof formation for catechists,and Biblical study that is open to all.Happy to be here listening to the Wordof God, we try to respond to Fr Theodore’sdesire that we should be a centreof praise and intercession for theChurch and the world.La Solitude, Grandbourg (Evry), Branche Contemplative

Page 9www.notredamedesion.orgNEWS FROM BARTRESnear Paris, who is to be our future shepherd!!!The year 2012 began forus by a meeting here inBartrès of the international team for Jewish-ChristianRelations. We were so happyto meet these sisters, most of whomcame from far-off lands: Adriana, fromCosta Rica, Celia from New York, IsabelleDenis from Paris, Marianne from Australia,and Vaneide from Brazil. They workedvery seriously! But they also took time todraw the Kings with us merrily at theEpiphany!!! After a lot of sunshine, Februaryin Bartrès has been harsh, with a lotof snow and cold.On 20 January it was still mild and sunny.Our bishop came to celebrate Mass in ourchapel at 11am. Our neighbours the FranciscanMissionaries of Mary were with us,as well as Sr Anne-Cécile, our solitary,and Lydia, an English friend, who hasbeen a volunteer with us for two months.Our Bishop had lunch with us, and SrAnne-Cécile. He will be leaving the diocese,having given in his resignation, ashe is 75. February 11th, the feast of OurLady of Lourdes, is a solemnity inLourdes. As it was the last time that ourBishop would be celebrating it, we went tothe 10am Mass at the Basilica Pius-X. Wearrived at 9.30, but there was already nomore room to sit!!! The Basilica was fullof pilgrims – Italians [in great number],Spanish, British, Belgians and others...evensome French!!! It was a verybeautiful Mass with hundreds of priestsconcelebrating, and 20 Bishops, amongwhom 4 Russians.After Mass there was the Angelus at theGrotto, where the Archbishop of Toulouseannounced who was going to replace ourBishop!!! This had been expected, andprognostics were circulating!!! So it is the49 year-old auxiliary bishop of Nanterre,A week later, on the feast of St Bernadette,we went to Mass in the Crypt of theSanctuaries. Afterwards we went to theGrotto (freezing cold!!!) where we placedall the intentions of the Congregation inOur Lady’s hands. On the 18th, there issolemn Mass in the parish church ofLourdes and in the evening, at 8.15, aprocession which goes through the townof Lourdes, from the parish to the Sanctuaries– which Lydia went to.Community of Bartrès, Branche Contemplative

Page 10www.notredamedesion.org20 January 2012 all over the worldat BayonneThe previous evening, in a climate of trust and peace, we« celebrated the Transition » thanks to the beautiful pages sent by Anne Catherineand Kasia. Lauds of the Blessed Virgin Mary were sung joyously, and at the end ofthe morning we had a festive meeting to read together the greetings sent from Sionall over the world, and to reflect on the «inner movements» required by ournew structures.The Eucharist was a special time, marked by something new: our choir had themusical accompaniment of two young people, the assistant directress and the animator.To conclude there was the song «Marie Visage de l’Eglise», offeredto the community by the directress, and sung rousingly, with aboutfifteen former pupils from Biarritz who had come to celebrate 20January with us.It was a feast day for the Sisters, but also for the whole house ofOsteys, which is always very united to the Community.Colette Astrid Rousseaux and Ionel Mihalovici, EuropeCelebrating 20th Januaryin BirminghamOur celebrations this year had to be on 4th February as we werein Worthing on the day for a school celebration.A number of our friends were waiting in anticipation for their invitationand wondering why they hadn’t heard from us, although they knew that thecelebration of 20th couldn’t yet have happened in Birmingham! For one youngman, he mentioned that it was his 14th time celebrating the feast of Our Lady ofSion and he was sure his invitation had yet to come!A number of our friends gathered with us to celebrate. We had the great joy ofhaving Fr.Roy S.J. from Sri Lanka to celebrate Eucharist with us. He had certainlydone his homework and gave a wonderful recall of our history. We were veryproud of him. Anne Lee was also with us and one of her ex students from thechaplaincy, Matthew, who is now studying in Birmingham. He played the violinbeautifully during our liturgy and entertained our friends afterwards.In true style, it was well after midnight when thegroup went home. They never want to leave onthe same day as they arrive!We had a great evening together celebrating,chatting and eating. These are indeed true friendsof Sion.Brenda McCole and Isabel Herd, UK/Ireland

Page 11www.notredamedesion.orgGRENOBLE – 20 January 2012 : launchingballoonson Sion’S feaSt day!Although the sun was not shining on this Friday 20 January 2012, Notre Dame deSion college was specially excited. It was an outstanding event, on a special day –the House of Grenoble was celebrating its 70th birthday!And we wanted to celebrate it worthily. So the festivities began at the end of themorning with all the pupils gathered together in the gymnasium. The Head, DolèneLaurent, went through the history of the Congregation and the College, helped byMme Pinon, a former pupil of Sion, who has been working in the College for over35 years. The latter spoke with deep emotion to the pupils and teaching staff present,bearing witness to the values of our founding Fathers, and telling a few storiesabout the past.We continued the celebrations in the afternoon with the young people taking partin games and theatre workshops, and all sorts of other creative activities until4pm, when 70 balloons were thrown up in the air. There was a multi-colouredhandout for impatient hands which waited for the count-down to let go of thestrings. This was followed by shouts of joy as the balloons were quickly carried offby the wind, and all too soon out of sight!Then came tea-time, with three giganticanniversary cakes made bythe head cook of the College, servedwith hot chocolate and chocolate biscuitroses prepared by the youngstersin the cookery workshop.What a beautiful and colourful festivecelebration for our college, andwhat joy in the eyes of our pupils!Community of Bayonne, EuropeOn March 29 in Madrid, Sr. Ionel(Bayonne Community) was awarded theDECORATION DE L’ORDRE DUMERITE CIVIL

Page 12www.notredamedesion.org20 January in BrusselsHow could we make a real feast day of our anniversary in such a smallcommunity? Before the midday meal, we read the text of the marriageof Cana in front of a much-loved icon of Our Lady. Like this we wereunited to the sisters of the General Leadership Team who were surelyat Sant’ Andrea delle Fratte, to those in the region of Paris who weregoing to Notre Dame des Victoires, and to the whole congregation,communities and colleges, who throughout the day, in their own time zones, wererejoicing in the gifts of God and Mary to Sion.At 5pm we went to the celebration of the Eucharist inthe church of St Nicholas, near the Main Square inBrussels, giving thanks for Michèle’s vows on her anniversarydate. Following this, we stopped a while inthe chapel of Our Lady of Peace.Marie Pierre Jacobson and Michèle Debrouwer, Europe20 January 2012 at PérignatFrom the 13th of January, every day before the midday meal, werelived Alphonse’s extraordinary journey leading up to the event atSant’ Andrea delle Fratte: we read extracts from Abbé Laurentin’sbook to help us with this. All three of us were particularly moved by the unexpectednessof God’s love, and deeply struck by the insistence of Théodore de Bussières,by the faith of this man, and courage so unlike what we see today. Wecould see all the events that Alphonse was experiencing to be the invisible preparationsof God, who knows where and how he leads us.So this daily preparation, punctuated by the Memorare, really marked us this year.For the Eucharist on the 20th we were joined in our oratory by a few friends, andBrigitte who came from Lyon. It was celebrated by our former parish priest, nowthe vicar general. We had arrangedit under the theme of the «Sign of signs»: thatof the Apocalypse, of Cana, and the sign of 1842, where Mary said nothing, butmade a sign to Alphonse to kneel down, while her hands were «the expression offorgiveness and mercy». This Eucharist was thecentre of our day. We lived it with the whole ofSion, marvelling in the grace given to our Congregation.Later on Fr Mary heard the words«Walk on, walk on…» Doesn’t this take on aspecial meaning for us at this time when theLord is inviting us to « Go on », and so to follow,even blindly?Agnès Longet, Christiane Marie Formant, Marie Lise AdouEurope

Page 14www.notredamedesion.org”January 20-AnOpportunity toReturn to ourrootS”Each year the month of Januarymakes us think about different things, eitherof cold and snow (which we had inabundance this year), or the ending ofthe financial year, or planning activitiesfor the new year, and especially thisyear, with the begining of an “ad experimentum”period.Thinking about thestructures chosen by the Congregation istaking place through the perspective andthe vision of each one. For us, Sisters ofSion, January this year had a special importance.It prompted us to think againabout our roots as a Congregation on 20January 1842. It is that event whichtransformed Alphonse’s life and gave animpulse to Theodore to begin Sion’swork. It is that light, which Alphonsetalks about, the one that gives us courage,strength and enthusiasm, in order togo further “as if we are sure of the future”,as Theodore said. This year, thecommunity of Iasi celebrated the date of20th January together with the contemplativesisters, in a festive atmosphere,together with the community ofSabaoani. In the morning, children filledthe house with their joy and energy; imaginehow much joy was added whenthey were told that the sisters are celebratingafeast! Thew h o l em o r n i n gchildren hadthe feelingthat it is“the sisters’birthday”-itis how thelittle ones understood it! The afternoonliturgy, animated by the youth of theTaizé group, shed light on the 20th Januaryevent; the fact that “young” Alphonsehas something to say to youth of todaywas specially mentioned in the sermon ofFr.Marius. You couldn’t miss the “agape”moment together and then the festivemeal, when we shared and lived the familialjoy that reigns over our communities.Because 20 of January falls duringthe week of prayer for the unity of Christians,this year we wished to point thisout in the community of Iasi. So, we tookthe initiative that instead of the biblicalstudy that takes place in the house, toorganise a common prayer in the chapel,with Catholic and Orthodox students. So,on the 23rd of January, we gathered, sisters,youth of the biblical study groupand students in the house, to pray togetherand ask for the unity which Jesusdesired so much. The theme of the weekfor prayer for the unity of Christians sentus to the beginning of ecumenism, to thetransforming power of the prayer. It is abeginning that always has to accompanyeach Christian and each ecumenical engagement.We felt emotional and full ofinterior joy when all of us prayed together“Send us and together we will go!”:Changed by the Servant Christ;Changed through patient waiting for theLord;Changed by the Suffering Servant;Changed by the Lord’s victory over evil;Changed by the peace of the Risen Lord;Changed by God’s steadfast love;Changed by the Good Shepherd;United in the reign of Christ.

Page 15www.notredamedesion.orgAt the end of the celebration it was mentionedthat this week is preceded, in Italyand other countries, by a special daydedicated to deepening the developmentof dialogue between Catholics andJews. It is an important day, becauseJudaism is the mother of Christianity andthis memory is very important. Sometheologians say that Christianity needsJudaism, because Christianity cannotthink about itself without Judaism. PopeJohn Paul II said that the “Jewish religionis intrinsic to our religion”.We have links with Judaismthat we don’t have with otherreligions. They, the Jews, areour elder brothers (Rom 11).“You are not the one that carriesthe root, the root carriesyou” (Rom 11,18). ClaudeTesmotant defined the separationf r o m Judaism a s“prototype of schism” or “firstschism”. We are all togetherconfessors of a promise for the wholehumanity. In this way, the future of theecumenical movement between differentChurches is connected to the awarenessthat links with Judaism are the test ofthe fidelity of Christianity to God Himself.We, sisters of Sion, are aware ofthis fact and that is why we confess thisinside the Church. From this comes alsothe importance of dialogue and ecumenismthat remains in the hearts of the sisters.After the prayer, around a hot tea,discussions continued and we got toknow each other better. The words ofthe final song, “how good it is whenbrothers love themselves in God”, hadtheir echo among us. Yes, we were gathered,in thename of GodJesus, He wasthe first oneChristians!Iuliana Neculai, Roumaniawho prayedfor the unityof those whobelieve inHim, and thatis why He isour model onour path as20 January at Ein KaremOn this 170th anniversary of 20 January, we met together at Ein Kerem for the Eucharist,presided by Mgr William Shomali, the auxiliary bishop of Jerusalem. Withthe various religious communities who are close to Sion, our friends, and the 35people participating in the Spanish programme, we were about a hundred in all.We prepared everything together, brothers and sisters, contemplatives and apostolics.This was followed by an excellent buffet,the work of our cook, Elias. Everyone wasstruck by the joyous, friendly atmosphere. Itwas a beautiful family festivity, for both thecommunity and our church.Anne Catherine Avril, Méditerranée

Page 16www.notredamedesion.org“I DECIDED TO GO FORWARD AS IF I WERE SURE OF THE FUTURE”Theodore Ratisbonne (Memoirs)SENT OUT FROM the GENERALATE:NEWS FROM ROME (JANUARY –FEBRUARY 2012)PREPARATION FOR CONNECSION (TO YOUNG SISTERS)EASTER REFLECTION for THE SISTERS (APRIL 2012)DEATH NOTICES (MARCH—APRIL 2012)Sr. BRUNA DALSASS, Sr CLAIRE JORRAND