In this time of Jubilee, which spans all cultures and continents,
In this time of instability and upheaval,
In this time of fragility, doubt and creativity, we celebrate the Trinity!
It is a great feast for us, members of the Holy Family....
It is more than a commemoration: it is a reality that is capable of touching us, amazing us and filling us with life-energy!
‘The Holy Trinity being the great model of the Sisters of Loreto, since their hearts, their possessions, their works and their merits must be lost in God Alone, and moreover their Institute having been founded on Trinity Sunday, they shall have a very great devotion to this Feast.’ Constitutions 1825
Today, celebrating the Trinity means tapping into this same vital energy...
Let us bring to mind those ‘moments of the Trinity’ from the beginnings of our Family.
In the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, on Trinity Sunday 1819, Pierre Bienvenu was ordained a priest. ‘Me, a priest, it seems like a dream!’
The following year, on the eve of the same feast day, the first three members of the first community gathered, and the next morning, at the Church of Sainte Eulalie, it was Pierre Bienvenu who gave the homily at the first Mass of Amand, his youngest brother.
How emotional it must have been!
And Catherine-Aimée, the first Sister of the Holy Family, was given the name Trinity!
It was the first Family celebration... of the Holy Family!
The Family to which we belong... And we too take these first recommendations to heart:
"You will never be poorer, weaker, or more deprived of human support than you are today, and yet, are you not happy to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph? Always remain the same, and you will grow in the midst of storms."
And the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph grew...
Trinity on earth, Seed of the Church...
And today, we, like the first three members,
are faced with the same realities of uncertainty, fragility, doubt – and Hope!!! ...
Walking together on the same pilgrimage...
In this land of exile, we follow in the footsteps of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, ‘the first three members’ who open the way for us.
This is what keeps us together!
It is time to gather the sap that nourishes us and flows forth.
Let us harvest and share the fruits of life!!
For so much faithfulness, for the love shared,
O God, we give you our heartfelt thanks!
Thank you God, thank you!
Sr.Thérèse SEGRETAIN
France