FCJ Marie Madeleine newsletter - St. John's International School

A Woman for our Time… a woman of the Church … the Venerable Marie MadeleineA newsletter issued by the Faithful Companions of Jesusthe Generalate, Gumley House, London, TW7 6DN issue #15 March 2013A kaleidoscope of Memoriesfrom September 2012The following reflections and memories werewritten very soon after the weekend of September 21 st2012 when the mortal remains of Marie Madeleined’Houët were returned from England to France. Morethan fifty FCJ sisters were in Paris for the Mass ofThanksgiving and soon after the event they were askedto write a reflection or memory of the experience.Though time has passed these memories must beshared. The initial plan was to edit them into onedocument but instead they are presented virtuallyunedited. Some are long, some shorter, some very briefbut all are beautiful and with a freshness. Expressionsof thanks have been left in place and are addressed tothe team that enabled the whole event go so smoothly.The memories are presented randomly but for therecord it is worth remembering the sequence of events:Thursday 20 th September 2012The casket containing the mortal remains of the MarieMadeleine was sealed by the French consulate and thePostulator in Stella Maris chapelFriday 21 st September 2012The casket was taken from Stella Maris, Broadstairs to63 rue de la Santé, Paris. That evening there was aprayer vigil in chapelSaturday 22 nd SeptemberThe casket was taken to the church of S Dominique andat 6.30pm Mass was celebrated by Mgr Eric de Moulins-Beaufort. After Mass the casket was interred.A reception hosted by the parents ofNotre Dame de France followed.Lights lit the path to the venue …ad majorem Dei gloriamMarie-Geneviève Renaud fcJFor a few years, I have been working on the letters ofour foundress and I have learnt to know her quite welland to love her deeply, and for many years I have beenpraying that she would come back to Paris. In my heart Iknew she would one day come back, her Cause beingintroduced in Paris, but I did not know if I would see theday. When I went to Stella Maris, several times a day Iwould go to chapel and sit near her tomb and wouldpray her to listen to me and my needs! She attractedme there, I knew it was powerful and could not explainwhy. When I heard that we had to prepare her venue toParis, I felt relieved and peaceful about it, and felt agreat joy indeed. The preparation has been a hard job,no doubt, I found myself in Stella Maris for the openingof the tomb, what a privilege did I think, yes, but what apainful experience, When reading her letters, M.M. isalive, I am often reacting to what she said or did, she isalive in her letters, I may not agree, but there is life. Infront of her mortal remains, I felt absolutely lost, maybeI was expecting her to come out in a miracle! And it wasa sad reality of death. Of course, she was not present inher tomb, she is glorifying God eternally in love and joy.A step was taken to go forward. When the reliquairearrived in our chapel it was fascinating , her presencewas felt at once, her bedroom door being opened,everything seemed familiar, and she attracted us. Ithank God for this extraordinary grace of having herwith us for a day. What a privilege we got, she was ours!When the funeral Agency came to fetch her, and takeher to the church, I was submerged with feelings, wehad to say good-bye, forever, she was not going to beours any mor e, we were giving her to the Church. It wasa strange experience. Another step was taken forward!The Postulator told me that it was a beautifulexperience that each FCJ and also her family have to dofrom now on, if we do not want to have a shock whenshe will be beatified and when the gift will be madepublic. The church was beautifully decorated, thecelebration was superb, the singing, the participation,the devotion of the assembly was palpable. Mgr Eric de1

Moulins-Beaufort spoke beautifully of our foundress.We thought and prayed in union with all the FCJ andcompanions in the world. The Lord has been glorified ina beautiful way. Now our foundress is resting in abeautiful reliquaire near the Blessed Sacrament. Let ushope that her presence will attract people to letthemselves being loved by the Lord and be companionsof Jesus for the greatest glory of God.Ruth Casey fcJA letter written to the sisters in Kersal.I have the memory of you being so interested in whatwas to happen in Paris that I thought I would write youmy impressions of the Celebration there on the eveningof Saturday 22 nd September. There will surely be officialrecords, but here are my impressions!!Rita and I had been in Belgium for the council meetingand we arrived in Paris on Saturday afternoon. We tookour cases to the Cluny sisters where we were to sleep,and then went straight to the church to practise thesinging of the psalm. We were thrilled to find Sr JoanMcGeough in church, looking very confident and sure ofeverything that was tohappen. She made sure wehad microphones and wewere able to practice ourpsalm in an empty churchand for this we weregrateful. Joan provided alovely calm presence andknew all that was tohappen, and whereeverything was, so noone needed to beanxious! Just as Rita and I finished our practice, SrKatherine Mary arrived to practise her words at themicrophone and she, too, had peace and quiet in whichto test the sound. The church was looking beautiful –much lighter than I had remembered it and the bencheswere new since I was there the last time. The flowerswere beautifully arranged by a Mme de Bengy and alsoSr Juliet. They seemed to be white roses and lilies andthere was a simplicity about them.On the steps in front of the altar there was a placeprepared for the Casket containing the mortal remainsof Marie Madeleine and here Juliet had prepared alovely arrangement of flowers.At 5.30 the Casket arrived from rue de la Santé, and wasplaced in front of the altar. By this time many peoplewere arriving, - about 50 FCJs, perhaps the samenumber of members of Marie Madeleine’s family –some de Bonnault d’Houët, and some de Bengy. In thefront bench was Antoine de Bonnault d’Houët, MarieMadeleine’s most direct descendant with his family.Two of his children were in the bench with him, and thethird one was among the altar boys; this was Louis, forwhom we prayed for a long time. Many people camefrom our school – Notre Dame de France – and in factthe teachers led the singing with voices andinstruments. There were also many parishioners as itwas the SundayMass for theparishioners of StDominique.Françoise Massartand Françoise Féret– two former FCJs – seemedvery happy to join us for thecelebration, and there weremany other friends of thecommunity in Paris, as well asrepresentatives from ourschools in Nantes, Brussels,England and Ireland. There was even a teacher fromGenazzano in Australia – and perhaps others whom Ididn’t meet.The Bishop who celebrated seemed warm and happy tobe with us. He had just read Marie Madeleine’s life andcommunicated his enthusiasm as he spoke about herduring the homily, about her desire to provideeducation especially for the poor, about her reachingout to the poor in many ways, and of course about hersearch for God’s will and her desire to quench the thirstof Jesus.The whole Mass was beautifully prepared and there wasa great sense of participation. During the Mass therewere some special moments: one was when all the FCJspresent stood up and renewed their vows, together, inFrench! We had each been given a scarf to wear – as a2

distinguishing mark, I think – and so we must havelooked quite impressive. It was only as we were halfway through the vows that I realized we were doing it inFrench – it just seemed so natural and it was a good,strong sound. I heard afterwards that some people inthe congregation had been moved to tears at this point.Another very powerful moment for me was the BiddingPrayers. In the booklet the prayers were in French, butthey were read by Irene in Italian, Bernadette O’Malleyin English, Yustin in Indonesian and Ely in Spanish. I wasmoved to tears as I listened, because it was so touchingto see Yustin and Ely, whom I had just met for the firsttime that day, reading the prayers in their ownlanguage. It is one thing to read about the fact that theSociety is in many different countries; it is another tohear the young women themselves, praying the prayersin their own language! That must surely have been apowerful moment too for members of MarieMadeleine’s family.Two members of the family carried the Casket, at theend of Mass, to the Chapel of Our Lady where a placehad been prepared in the wall. The Casket was thenenclosed with a beautiful piece of metalwork, which youcan see in the photo and which expresses Pentecost andthe flames of fire. The FCJs at thispoint sang the Dolly BramleyMagnificat, unaccompanied, but itseemed to be a lovely sound,although the acoustics aresupposedly not at all good in thatchurch. This was yet anothermoment whichbrought tears topeople’s eyes.Sr KatherineMary had tospeak severaltimes in French: she welcomed everyone at thebeginning, she introduced the renewal of vows and thenat the end she thanked all for coming and invited us toschool for refreshments. Everything was done to makethe celebration easy to follow for those who might nothave known what to expect.A team of young people from our school served the‘finger food’, on the playground outside the Lycée, andit was a perfect space to meet and talk to all sorts ofpeople. There was a great atmosphere of chat andlaughter and reunions and the only difficulty was intrying to get round to everyone.I felt deep joy that evening, and gratitude, and everyoneseemed to feel the same. There was a very specialatmosphere of consolation, and a sense that ‘all will bewell and all manner of things will be well’.The celebration and its preparation had requiredamazing organization, and the team must have felt soproud! Claire Sykes (as the Vice-Postulator of theCause), Joan McGeough, Marie-Geneviève Renaud andLorenza Magagnin were the core group who had donemuch of the work, though there were lots of otherpeople involved too, as you can imagine. Everythingwent well, it couldn’t have gone better – and that issurelybecause of allthe prayers ofthe peopleleft at home!Some of us were privileged to be there,but you were the ones whose prayershelped to make the celebration such alovely, peaceful and memorableoccasion for all who came.Christine Anderson fcJI hadn't expected to be so excited and moved by seeingour Foundress' remains brought back home to Paris. Itwas a gracefilled occasionIrene Maria Spinato fcJQue d’émotions en ces jours de fête pour accueillir lesreliques de notre Vénérable Mère !Une voix au téléphone me dit : « Je suis baptisée MarieMadeleine de Bengy, je suis une directe descendante devotre Fondatrice ».Une autre voix demande que les Sœurs FCJ prie MarieMadeleine , sa grand-mère, pour elle qui est malade et3

angoissée. « Ma grand-mère ne peut pas oublier sespetites filles!», dit-elle.… Ces voix au telephone, … la rencontre avec lesnombreux descendants de notre vénérable mère,présents à la magnifique celebration, … l’arrivée dureliquaire contenant les restes mortels enveloppé parun ruban bleu, blanc, rouge, … la présence dans lachorale des professeurs de l’Ecole de Notre Dame deFrance, … 51 FCJ représentantes nos Communautésdans le monde qui ont prié en différentes langues *qui ont renouvelé leurs vœux et ont chanté leMAGNIFICAT de D. Bramley avec tout leur cœur,… me font percevoir que Notre Vénérable Mère estencore bien vivante parmi nous (en dépit de notre petitnombre) et dans l’œuvre que Dieu a voulu commencerà travers elle.Que dira it-elle à chacune de nous, aujourd’hui ? Jepense : « COURAGE ET CONFIANCE ! »It is an expérience that will never depart from me.Dominique Kaufmann fcJ and Klara Brumann fcJFor us it had been a real privilege that we had been ableto take part at the ceremony in Paris on the 22nd ofSeptember 2012.The celebration inthe church St.Dominique wasreally very movingand a wonderfulexperience. Wewere very touchedat the mom entwhen the reliquarywas being put intothe wall and thechoir sang sobeautifully theLitany of all theSaints. This was avery powerfulmoment. Anothermoment we recallvery specially whenthe FCJ's sang the Magnificat.It also was great to see the crowd who was so movedand interested to see all what was going on and to meetwith so many FCJ's and friends at the receptionafterwards.A huge work went into this celebration we would lik etothank you Claire and all your helping team for all youdid to make this day so memorable for us all. We had agood journey back home and we will never forget the22nd of September 2012.Gloria Calabrese fcJJust being present in St. Dominique's was a veypowerful and moving experience for many reasons:… praying with a large group of FCJ's from around theworld, … meeting many members of Marie Madeleine’sfamily who all seemed so delighted to be there… celebrating the beautiful and dignified liturgy with somany celebrants and servers on the altar, and theexcellent choir, especiallywhen Ruth and Rita sang thepsalm together, … thepowerful moment when ourFoundress was finally placedinside the reliquary and weall sang the Magnificat ofDolly Bramley.Kathryn Lennon fcJThere were several ‘specialmoments’ for me during thetransfer of MarieMadeleine’s remains to Paris.The moment that the people from the French Consulateput the ribbon round the casket and sealed it with theFrench seal was very touching as it said to me that thisFrench women was going home after all those years.The moment when the remains arrived in Rue de laSanté and we FCJs sang the ‘Magnificat’The ‘vigil’ in the Chapel in Rue de la Santé was a veryspecial time. It was as if she had just died in the roomnext door.4

When the casket was taken to beplaced in the wall so many ordinarypeople, ‘the faithful’ rushed over to bethere. It seemed to be the momentwhen she was received again by thepeople of St Dominique and by herfamily.Maeve Shannon fcJI was particularly moved when the carbearing the relics of our Foundress,(accompanied by Katherine-Mary, thePostulator and co.) drove into theproperty. It was a real 'home-coming'to a place she had bought, where shehad set up a school 165 years ago,where she had lived, worked (in suchsimple surroundings) and died....- Another moving moment for me wasmeeting our sisters from almost everycountry where Marie-Madeleine'scharism has been carried and knowingthat they too had answered the call tobe 'Faithful Companions of Jesus'.- Praying in our own chapel in front ofher remains, whether alone or incommunity was also very special..- Finally, being part of that verybeautiful ceremony at St. Dominic's,surrounded by so many FCJs, family ofMarie-Madeleine and friends wasindeed very special (even if I had a fewstrange moments when I thought sheis no longer 'ours' but belongs to theChurch!)Margaret Hill fcJMy first memory is the wonderful feeling of having theChurch, Marie Madeleine's family and our FCJ Sisters allgathered together, … I was very struck by the similarityof Marie Madeleine's shrine to a tabernacle.Imelda Zandona fcJGrazie molto,molto per tutto la didizione che hai messoper la prep arazione, grazie il Dignore ti colmi di tantapace e serenita.Marie-Annick Guillouche fcJUn immense merci du fond du coeur à toutes celles quiont si bien organisé ce week-end depuis de longs mois5depuis l'Angleterre jusqu'à Paris. C'est unweek-end inoubliable pour moi et une grandejoie d'avoir été présente pour cet évènementlier avec nos racines fcj et sa famille et leretour de Notre fondatrice sur sa terre natale,où elle repose dans cette Eglise St Dominique.Continuons de la prier avec courage etconfiance. Le bon Dieu a tout conduit luimême.Mary Costello fcJI have so many good memories of September22nd but at the moment I'm thinking of theschool's contribution.Congratulations to Notre Dame de France!The staff orchestra added joy to the eveningof September the 22nd by helping uscelebrate in song a unique event in ourhistory. After the Mass we were welcomedto the school by parents and our steps to therefreshments were lit up in a fairylike way.The pupils of the school served us graciouslygiving u s FcJs the opportunity to mingle withthe guests. Well done to parents, pupils andstaff of Notre Dame de France.Mary Murphy fcJI was just thinking that I had better just writemy impressions. If I wait until I have time I'llnever get round to it. At one moment duringthe Mass I had a strong feeling ofthe presence of Marie Madeleine. I wassitting near to the resting place/ niche...It wassurprising to see so many people rush forward whenthe casket was put in place. I felt they thought MarieMadeleine was a saint. .... A feeling of awe whensomeone introduced herself as Sylvie de Bengy, adescendant of Sylvain.... a feeling of joy at meeting Marie Sturdza again. Hergrandmother was Marie Madeleine Victoire deBonnault . Her mother was there and desribed beingsent to St. Georges' Broadstairs as a child. She latermarried a Romanian prince in exile . When I wasintroduced to him I didn't know how to address him sosettled on "Monsieur".

Yustina Tukiyem fcJTwenty-six FCJ sisters plus the postulator and hissecretary, had vigil prayer in the chapel in Rue de laSanté in the presence of Marie Madeleine whosemortal remains was in the casket onthe night before being reinterred in St.Dominic Church of Notre Dame. Behindthe chapel is the very simple bedroomof Marie Madeleine when she was incommunity in Paris until her death. Onthe evening of the vigil, I felt as if all ofus were staying and keeping watch,feeling sad because someone who lovedus and whom we loved had died. On theother hand, being aware that we arehere now because of her courage andconfidence in founding this little society,I was full of gratitude. She diedphysically but her spirit is alive in ourhearts.The second moment that touched mewas in St. Dominic Church. After theMass I was seeing many people (herdirect descendents and others) come tothe place where Marie Madeleine’smortal remains is reinterred with thegrill open and candles alight . They werepraying there. Marie Madeleine is reallya holy woman. I am grateful that she isreburied in the church, because shenow belongs to the public not only to usFCJs and her descendants. Her life isnow known by more people in Paris/France. It gives megreat hope that many people will be touched by her lifeand want to join FCJ.My experiences in Paris have strengthened my desire tobe an FCJ as I make my final vows on October 28, 2012and to live the Charism that Marie Madeleine lived andpassed on to us.Anouska Robinson-Biggin fcJ'If you love her, let her go.’My over-riding memory of the installation of MarieMadeleine's mortal remains in the Church of St.Dominique, Paris was when the casket was sas carriedfrom in front of the altar to the side chapel and the FCJsisters stayed in their places whilst the parishioners,clergy and family gathered around. For me this washugely symbolic of us handing her over tothe Church and to the world. Some of thepriests and people blocked my view butrather than being cross about this I justexperienced the rightness of this action.We, the FCJs in England may lose theintimacy we have had the privilege ofhaving for so long but rather than that beinga sad thing, it reminded me that MarieMadeleine did not do any of her w ork forour good alone, but she searched and foundGod's will in her life in order to give glory toGod. By returning her to a public placewhere people from all walks of life can praythrough her intercession she continues tobe a companion of Jesus, at the service ofthe poor, educating all who visit St.Dominique's and she continues being onmission, all of which she desired in her lifeand now models to others in her death. Ilove her and although I did not necessarilywant to let her go, having had theexperience of the Mass in Paris andreturning to the Chapel on the Sundaymorning, I know it is the right place for herto be and so give thanks to God and to allthose who made the transfer possible. Amen, Amen,Amen.Moira Cashmore fcJThe atmosphere in the church was more like a wedding:there was a real ‘buzz’ as people greeted each otherwith joy, ... both branches of O.V.M’s family wereseated in their respective places, ... the happiness andgreat joy of the fcJ sisters was very apparent, ... thesinging and music throughout the Mass was justbeautiful – especially the singing of the Magnificat asMarie Madeleine was placed in her last resting place; itwas a truly wonderful occasion in every aspect.6

The singing of the Litany of the Saints reminded me ofour Final Vow ceremonies and it seemed so appropriate– almost like a seal of approval for her ‘coming home’.Lorenza Magagnin fcJThe moment that touched me…Looking back at the experience I have lived over theweekend of the 22 nd – there are some special momentsthat have touched me deeply but I would say the onethat touched me most wasthe arrival on Fridaynoontime.We were – but for twopeople – all FCJs and therewas expectation in theair….and the cararrived…Marie Madeleinewas coming back to a placeshe had bought, a house shehad opened and were shehad lived and died. And shecame in “by the back door….”I found myselfwondering…Here was thewoman who had done somany things, who hadopened and closed so manyplaces, who had undertakenso many difficult journeys, who had sent hercompanions all over Europe and who was able to holdher own in front of powerful people coming back insuch a small reliquary…At this moment she spoke to meof humility, of simplicity, of a desire not to occupy toobig a space, of not being the center of attention.So there she is, back to her own country. Is this theend? Or is it a new beginning? Now she no longer is“ours” and I have a sense of loss hanging over me, butat the same time I know that this is right, MarieMadeleine is for the Church and the people of God.7The whole celebration was so good, everybody was soserene and happy that I am sure that Marie Madeleinehad arranged it to beso and now she mayeven decide to obtainthat famous miraclewe have been askingher for so long….Rita McLoughlin fcJWhen I think of thecelebration of thetransfer of MarieMadeleine’s remains,the very first thingthat I think about andfeel is awe and deepgratitude as Iremember again the extraordinary and amazinglydetailed planning that made of the complicated processsuch a wonderful occasion. Then I just want to thankGod, Marie Madeleine herself and all the FCJs and otherpeople, too many to name, who had a part in bringinginto being this amazing historic event.Among many other significant or touching momentsone picture remains vividly in my mind and brought alump to my throat. It was after Communion when twomembers of Marie Madeleine’s family approached thealtar, lifted the casket together, gently carried it in theprocession, as the Litany of the Saints was sung, andplaced it in the wall. This solemn moment was extendedas the very beautiful silver grill depicting the flames ofthe Spirit at Pentecost, was placed in front of the casketand we continued to respond to the canted Litany ofthe Saints.Installing the reliquary on French soil, in a public Churchnot far from Rue de La Santé where Marie Madeleinehad lived and died, felt so right, proclaimed a new era inthe following of our Foundress, and was a momentoushome-coming for her family and our sisters in Franceand Mainland Europe.Another deeply moving part of the ceremony was thesinging of Dolly Bramley’s Magnificat immediately after

the prayer at the reliquary, by FCJs from around the FCJworld. It always carries so many memories and so muchmeaning for us, but for those of us privileged to bethere in the Church at this time, I think this occasion’ssinging of it will be unforgettable. It was beautiful, filledwith feeling, love, and humble pride in M arie Madeleineand all that she was responsible for bringing to birtharound the world for the ‘glory of God’ and the ‘good ofsouls’! It spoke to me of our union of minds and heartsand a realisation, in part, of Marie Madeleine’s dreamsinvoked by the ‘I Thirst’. - For these memories, and somany more, I say a deep-felt ‘thank you’ to God and theSociety.Marie-Antoinette de laVilletanet fcJ.Quelques réflexions de Sr.Marie-Antoinette sur lescélébrations en honneur deMarie-MadeleineEn plus de mes impressionspersonnelles de joie etd’action de grâce pour leretour de Notre Fondatrice àParis, je veux soulignerl’impact que la célébrationet les reliques ont eu sur lesparoissiens de S.Dominique : la beauté trèsremarquée etenthousiasmante de lacérémonie, ... la présence de Fidèles Compagnes deJésus venues de pays éloignés, la simplicité del’intervention de Sr. Katherine Mary, le poignantMagnificat chanté par les religieuses, le nombreimpressionnant des descendants de Notre VénéréeMère ont suscité chez les uns et les autres un vif intérêtpour la Congrégation peu connue à ce jour et pour sonœuvre missionnaire. Les livrets sur la vie de Marie-Madeleine disparaissent des présentoirs au fur et àmesure du remplissage de ceux-ci. Les publicationsparoissiales ne cessent de nous faire connaître. Noussommes appelées à animer l’heure d’adoration du 1 er8jeudi de ce mois et Sr. Irénée, à la demande du FrèreMariste, responsable des rencontres des religieuses duquartier, a témoigné, à la Messe de ce dimanche desactivités des FCJ à Paris.Merci à Sr. Katherine-Mary d’avoir favorisé, par leretour de Marie-Madeleine à ses origines et à celles dela Société FCJ, le nouveau dynamisme de la mission à laParoisse et à Notre Dame de France.Susan Boyce fcJI'm still re-living some of the wonderful experiencesfrom the 22nd September ceremony; the bright yellowcolour of the church, the chatty FCJ sisters with theirblue scarves as they welcomed us an d the large numberof Marie Madeleine's family who were present. Someof the French phrases from the songs and posters suchas: Les Mains Overtes devant toi Seigneur, MarieMadeleine, une femme de Dieu and the encouragmentfrom the homily to be self-sacrificing.Veronika Schreiner fcJFor me the whole celebration, although so beautifuland moving, was linked with other things and I waswondering whether it was the end - or the beginning ofsomething new. Maybe Marie Madeleine Victoireherself will see to the answer to this question.Mary Rose Rawlinson fcJWhen I think of the weekend of September 21st, 2012,in Paris, the words that come to mind are beauty,generosity, hospitality, talent, dedication … purposeful,peaceful, joyous, vibrant.I think of the beauty of the casket and the reliquary, theradiant faces of FCJs, the peacefulness on the face ofPère Slavek (Parish Priest), the joyousness of the musicand singing, the simplicity and apparent ease withwhich one event led to another (obviously the fruit ofcareful, generous planning), the involvement of somany, the faces of Marie Madeleine’s family, theinterest of parishioners of St. Dominique.As I stood behind the video camera and looked at theFCJs, of course I saw aging, but far more importantly Isaw 49 strong, committed women who were genuinelyglad to be with each other. I saw women of 3 or 4continents, depending on how one defines a continent.I saw seven women (of five nationalities) who had been

part of ‘Courage to Dare’, a gatheringof younger women in the Society. Isaw happy women, rightly proud oftheir heritage and enthusiastic toshare with the whole Church thewoman whom God had called to havethe name ‘Faithful Companion ofJesus’, a name for which she waswilling to give everything, ‘even myonly son for whom I would give athousand times my life!’I remembered from her Memoirs, the time when shehad been to Paris where she was diagnosed with amortal illness and then returned to Amiens to find MèreLouise (her only adult companion) whom the doctorsthought was also dying. Believing that the Society wasGod’s work, she called Julie Guillemet and entrusted thework to her. ‘Julie promised to do her utmost. So itwas, that after two years of effort and most painfulcrosses, all now depended on a child of thirteen, obligedto work for her living’. I felt her present with us in Paris,I felt she would look at us with love and pride and say,‘Go for it, Look at you, What’s your problem?’Mary Campion McCarren fcJMagnificat anima mea DominumThe Vigillights, flowers – a real celebrationthe casket in chapel next to the room where shedied… a sense of rightness – homecoming - fullcircleMarie Madeleine’s voice across the years in theFrench readings – 1820 and the CTS quotation veryfresh, very powerful despite (English) familiarityThe Churchgiven (back) to the People of God… we haveperhaps kept her to ourselves too long… like thecharism she is not just given to us – but to us for theChurch; the tangible joy of the Bishop, Père Slavik,the crowd which gathered at the reliquaryIMMEDIATELY; the speed with which the literatureetc went…DNA in casket - DNA across the aisle in church –spiritual DNA in us!again – the great sense of celebration – joy –thanksgiving9the rightness of the LAY Heads being there andtaking such a part in the celebration(The river)that is without the least dapple or shadow –that is nothing but light –scalding, aortal lightin which we are washed and washed- out of our bones(Mary Oliver):These lines were with me very powerfully in church –light / fire/ pentecost theme – purgation - purification… Marie Madeleine body - dust – bones – furtherreduction? the very essence distilled…Notre Dame de France‘wholeness’ – people (family, Society, colleagues,friends, students, nationalities etc)- place (Berry, Paris, Nantes, Italy, Torino, Suisse,Belgium, England, Somers town, Gumley, GreatGeorge’s Square, Lingdale, Ireland, Laurel Hill…) herwhole life was there – and the aftermath … (Canada,USA, Philippines, Indonesia, South America)the beauty of the lighted paths in the darkness – Yourword is light for my feet… and there she was againlooking out from all the lighted lampsa simple family style celebrationClaire Sykes fcJAn overwhelming sense of gratitude to God…that all worked out so wellFor a team of wonderful workersA sense of awe as the ordinary people of God crowded infront of the shrineThe pride of Andrew Nobes, the craftsman as thereliquary was fitted into placeThe joys of talking with David John, the artist whodesigned the reliquaryDavid John, liturgical artist who designed the reliquaryThank you for your invitation to give some reflectionson the making of the elements for the Paris reliquary.These rememberings crowded in – but the writingdown simply did not happen. Now however this hassomehow become possible.The revolutionary times and visionary life of MarieMadeleine d”Houët took me back to my teens and the

eading of ‘the Tale of Two Cities’ by Charles Dickens.The turmoil of the French Revolution and its effects onall including a small group of English travellers vividlyaffected me at the time and - and remains with me.In reading the biography of Marie Madeleine it becameclear that her guiding spirit derived from those very firstchapters of the new testament – Pentecost – also by theearlier anxious gathering following Christ’s death andResurrection featured in the very end of each of theGospels – where he consoled, reassured –pressingthem into teaching and missionary work.Pentecost became the theme of the visible signs forSister Marie Madeleine’s reliquary in the shape offlames divided and appearing above each of thosepresent. Pentecost which came at the end of theharvest festival of the Jewish communities brings with itan element of seed, the new life and the spreading ofChrist’s example and teaching . All of this came to meduring the intense period of work in the early days ofthe project. The meetings with the Sisters from variouscontinents during the course of this year simplyconfirms - Pentecost - and the continuing inspiration.10