ConnecSion 2024 was an opportunity to learn more about the Congregation’s roots through actually being in the places where it all began, as well as a chance to bond with each other as sisters of Our Lady of Sion today.
This was the second time the gathering has been held in France since the first ConnecSion in Jerusalem in 2009. In other years it has been held in Brazil and the Philippines. After a long gap due to Covid, the invitation to this French gathering was extended to sisters who had made their profession since 2016. For some, it was the first time they could embrace, after years of knowing each other only through videoconferences, emails and messaging apps.
“I had only met half of the group in person,” said Sr Crystal. “My heart skipped a beat meeting my sisters and those we are related to like the Sisters of St Louis in Juilly. It felt like meeting relatives I didn’t know I had.”
Getting to know Sion “relatives” the sisters of St Louis.
The first week was spent in Alsace. The sisters began by gaining familiarity with the context of Strasbourg during the mid-to-late nineteenth century, then they journeyed to places of historical significance for their founder, Théodore Ratisbonne, such as Bischheim, where his family had once lived, and Molsheim, where he was invited to study Theology by the Bishop of Strasbourg.
At the Castle of Turquenstein the sisters took some time to pray and reflect on the event that had taken place there. In 1797, Louise Humann, Joseph Ludwig Colmar and Madame Breck sealed a pact there, pledging to dedicate themselves to making education available to children living in poverty. Half a century later, inspired by Louise Humann’s spiritual guidance, Théodore Ratisbonne laid the foundations of the Sion congregation, and the first schooling began, realising the vision set out in the Pact of Turquenstein.
At the site of the Pact of Turquenstein.
In Paris, the ConnecSion participants visited the churches the first sisters had frequented, and the houses where they had lived with the children in their care. At the Archives of NDS, as well as at those of the Company of the Daughters of Charity and the Sisters of St Louis, the history the sisters were gradually reconstructing became clearer still as they browsed through original letters, documents and artwork that brought the past to life.
“We are happy because now everything we read and studied when we were in formation makes sense,” commented Sr Alejandra.
At the Paris Shoah Memorial, they found the names of some sisters and fathers of Sion who had earned the title of “Righteous among the Nations” for saving Jewish people during World War II.
At the Paris Shoah Memorial.
The second last day was spent in the company of the contemplative sisters in Grand Bourg, just outside Paris. These were invaluable moments for all, which laid bare the beauty of a religious life that transcends common notions of success and happiness and brings a sense of wholeness in intimacy with God.
ConnecSion participants meet their contemplative sisters in Grand Bourg.
“The contemplative life is much more than simply living in silence through the day; it is a continuous invitation to rediscover the Sacred in inner silence, where the soul quiets down and becomes receptive to God’s voice,” explains Sr Lúcia.
“In this silence, the distractions of the world lose their power and the heart opens up to a profound and transforming encounter. Silence is not just the absence of sound, but a space where the divine presence can be tangibly felt. Living this contemplation is an exercise in surrender and trust, where every gesture, prayer and breath becomes a bridge to the divine.”
These musings led well into the final day, which was one of reflection and gratitude. Having spent two weeks tracing the steps of Théodore and Alphonse Ratisbonne and the first Sion sisters, the group left feeling energized and ready to journey onwards in their respective places of mission.
Prayer and reflection on the last day.