Info Sessions "Picpus 2007"
July 7-9, 2007
The official opening of Picpus 2007 took place after dinner on July 7th.
During our first gathering, Bernard Couronne, sscc in his role as Director of the Picpus Centre, gave the general meaning of the session: some days to go on pilgrimage to the origins of our religious family, to enter into our charism and to experience the diversity of the Congregation (as you can see in the group photo). We come from nineteen different countries.
Bernard outlined the content of the three weeks and invited us to set out on our journey as pilgrims.
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First week: fundamental questions of religious life, the vows, the historical context in which the Congregation was born, the context of the French school of spirituality.
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Second week: re-visit the principal themes of our spirituality (reparation, adoration, zeal …)
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Third week: Father Damien as model “in flesh and blood” of our charism.
All this will be reinforced by a visit to the historical places of the Congregation.
Marie-Lucie, sscc then gave some practical information. The evening closed with a prayer around the well: “Come and drink from the source”.
From there, we went to the Chapel and placed the lighting candles that we were carrying at the foot of Our Lady of Peace.
Sunday July 8th was given over to the Integration of the group, this day was animated by Richard McNally, sscc and Brigid Falahee, sscc our two Vicar Generals.
The dynamics of the integration enabled us to get to know some of the participants better and to share the hopes that each participant was bringing to the session. .
Fitting in with the Liturgy plan, we began the day with Eucharist in the house along with the “parishioners” of the Chapel and we finished with prayer at the Tomb of the Founders. There we felt ourselves abundantly blessed by a continuous rain.
Monday July 9th, feast of Our Lady of Peace. Morning prayer, Adoration and Eucharist were all on the theme of Mary, the Pilgrim Virgin who accompanies us everywhere and always. Marie-Lucie Geniteau gave us a detailed input on the history of this statue which has been known in turn as the Virgin of the Joyeuse family, The Madonna of the Capuchins and finally Our Lady of Peace.
In the after-noon, there was a guided visit, led by Jeanne-Cecile Deloustal, sscc, to the museum which allowed us to discover the recently inaugurated “Treasury of Our Lady of Peace”.
During lunch one of our brothers, Poldo Antolín, sscc was greeted in fifteen different languages on the occasion of his birthday.
07/07/2007