PROVINCE OF FRANCE

Mother Ste Clairie, Marthe DESRUORS, first Provincial Superior of France 1949 – April 1950

During her mandate, the integration of the Sisters of the Holy Family as choir sisters of the Presentation of Mary was officially celebrated at the Mother House. But her mandate was cut short by the General Chapter of April 1950 which elected her assistant to the Superior General, Mother Ste Jeanne d’Arc.

In 1952, she will have the joy of founding the Region of Senegambia, it is in the lack of vocations that the adventure of the foundation was made in response to the call of the Pope.  An international community was born in Senegal with sisters from Canada, France and Portugal. The Province of France will keep the accompaniment of this region until 2010, date of the erection of Senegal as a Province, and The Gambia keeping the status of Region.

Sister Marie Gilbert, Olga Reboulet, was appointed provincial superior in 1961. For two terms, until 1974, she served the Province of France, the mission of Senegal and Gambia, with courage and dynamism. Each year, she visited the multiple communities in France and overseas, strengthening the sisters in the spirit of Marie Rivier and their apostolic vocation. After a sabbatical year, she was appointed to be in charge of Bordeaux, Institution Sainte Marie.

In 1979, Mother Jean Théophane appointed her superior of the Region of Castres, which had been merged with the Presentation of Mary in 1978.

The program during her mandate included: To make Jesus Christ known and loved, Marie Rivier, the Rule of the Presentation of Mary, the different establishments in France and abroad, and above all to teach Jesus Christ. On her return from the 1981 General Chapter, she gathered a group of people in Castres and the first fraternity in France was born.

In 1991, Mother Carmen attached the region of Castres to the Province of France. Sister Marie Gilbert was then appointed to Verdelais.

In 1993, weakened by age and illness, she was welcomed in Bourg, preparing herself to meet her Lord whom she had served and loved so much.

The Sisters of the Mother House were experiencing a new beginning in the administration. The Provincial House was leaving this large house to settle in BRON, a city near Lyon.

Under her mandate, important decisions were taken, several communities were withdrawn and it was necessary to consider the transfer of responsibility for schools that had become too heavy for us. Thus, the establishment of the Nativity, in Aix en Provence, was handed over to the diocesan direction of the Catholic Education.

In 1978, the first merger with the PM Congregation was the Sisters of Our Lady of the Presentation of Mary of Castres. Sr. Marie Gilbert was chosen to become the Regional Superior.

In 1981, Bron was far away and there was no highway yet; it took two hours or more in the summer to get to the council meetings. The decision was made to move the Provincial House back to Bourg Saint Andéol.

In 1982 was year full of joy and international meetings, the Congregation came to Les Sources to celebrate the beatification year of Marie Rivier, our foundress.

Father Claude MERCIER, priest at Mayet de Montagne and preacher of several retreats, asked our Province about the place where it would welcome vocations… because vocations will come, he said.

The two mandates of Sister Marie du Christ were marked by great changes for our sisters and for our schools. We have to reorganize, remove communities and to leave the leadership to lay directors. We must keep the essential, the spirit of the Presentation of Mary in our schools.

In 1985 was the first annual meeting of directors, lay people and religious who meet to exchange, to form themselves, and to give thanks for this common heritage. Thus, was born our Trusteeship service which continues to this day to help us exercise the canonical trusteeship that the Church recognized for a congregation over the establishments it has founded.

IN 1986, The novitiate opened its doors on the 2nd floor of the Provincial House. It will welcome the vocations of our Province, but also the year of Spiritual Renewal, a year of preparation for perpetual vows, of many sisters from all over the countries where we are present. Great joy for the young people and also for our older sisters of the Mother House. There, the young and not so young have  experienced internationality with its joys and difficulties.

In 1992, our forces were diminishing and we had many works to follow in terms of the accompaniment of the charism but also of the buildings. Sister Marie du Christ had the audacity to create a position of person in charge of the properties. He would be the first of our lay collaborator within the Provincial Administration.

It was necessary to walk with the sisters, the directors of our establishments; not only to withdraw the sisters, but also to reflect in the province on the future and to make choices on the apostolates which seemed essential to us. This was a turning point in the apostolate of the sisters. We inserted ourselves in the parishes often without the presence of priests. Our sisters retired from teaching, launched themselves into parish ministry.

In 1995, the Province set out to prepare the festivities of the bicentenary of our congregation which would take place in 1996. What joy, it was to welcome delegations of sisters and lay people from each of our provinces, regions and missions.

Sister Marie-Sylvie had launched our province in an inter-congregational work for mutual aid in the tutelage of schools, the school network was widening. AGI was created, associating other schools of other Congregations to this service of the Church.

During her mandate, we would see the development of the infirmary of the Mother House into a Retirement House with a lay direction and the hiring of a lay delegate for the direction of the Tutelage of the schools.  

September 13, 2009, the Sisters of Compassion of Rouen merged with our Congregation.

A new challenge to be taken up: should we keep the management of the retirement homes and health establishments or transfer them to other organizations?  A long process of reflection with our directors was underway to find the best answer together.

The building of the provincial house was empty. The sisters of the Notre Dame community, less numerous, have moved to the rooms at the Mother House. The novitiate being closed and the year of renewal no longer being in Bourg Saint Andéol. These premises were not used enough, the financial cost was too great, it becomes urgent to organize the services of the provincial administration at the Mother House. Some levels of  Marie Rivier school was transferred to the former building of the Provincial House.

Sr. Marie-Josiane launched a two-year work for a reorganization of the provincial administration, in order to lighten the administrative worries of the Provincial Superior, so that she has more time for her first mission which was the accompaniment of her sisters, and of the Provincial Treasurer, so that she can engage in a pastoral apostolate. 

She responded to the call of the Archbishop of Rouen for the spiritual animation of the Marian Shrine “Our Lady of Good Help” in Bonsecours (76), 3 years later the Bishop of Viviers asked to provide animation at the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Help in Lablachere. We experience this as an invitation from Mary to entrust our congregation even more to her Bon Secours.

Her mandate also marked the setting up of the spiritual journey of Marie Rivier at the Mother House.