June 2, 2016

Today the sisters are meeting privately to discuss and elect the next council so we have a day off.
Therefore, we have time for a little more newsy sharing...
The sisters are concerned about several things: some had difficulty getting to the meeting because of the scarcity of gas and now some are not going to be able to return home because of a railway strike and/or the flooding that is affecting their areas and closing highways. Some sisters are already planning on staying at other monasteries for this reason. We also heard that Air France is on strike which doesn't affect Hilary and me directly - at least not YET! There may be spin-offs depending on how long the airline strike continues. Please keep this situation in your prayers.

Many sisters have remembered the visit of Bernadette Therese and Marie Louise 3 years ago and ask about them, which is very touching.

Below are some photos taken from around the area: the lobby of l'ermitage, the museum of St. Therese and surrounding scenes:

Sewing kit 'of the time'

Writing desk 'of the time'

Wall of plaques referring to answered prayers 

There are hundreds of these dating to the early 1920's!

The first burial site of Therese. Underneath this photo,the museum has running photographs of the prayers of gratitude inscribed into the cross in the first years after Therese's death. 

Facsimile of Therese's manuscript

Below: scenes from foggy, cold Lisieux

River outside the meeting place

River...

In Lisieux, in order to get from one street to another, you often have to climb a set of stairs. Hilary climbed these and found 2 interesting gates at the top. 

From our small group: L - Sr. Marie-Gabrielle (Saint-Saulve) & Sr. Odile (Saint-Maur)

International guests from Belgium:
Sr. Helen & Sr. Christiane

This evening will be a party for Christine in gratitude for her last 6 years of service. 

Tomorrow there will be a pilgrimage to the Lisieux Basilica. More about this & the election results - tomorrow. 

Please keep in prayer our friend, Sr. Anne from the Carmel of Frileuse, who attended the 2014 CCA meeting with Christine. Anne has been struggling with cancer for some time. It spread to her hip causing an inadvertent fall a few days ago. She underwent surgery last evening. 

Au revoir from Claire and Hilary!!