First Companions - Part 2
There were 15 members of the Society, including Emilie, divided into two communities:
Strasbourg : Marie de l’Immaculée Conception
Marie de Sainte Madeleine
Marie de Sainte Anne
Marie de Saint Joseph
Marie de Saint Ignace
Marie de la Saint Enfance
Paris : Marie de Jésus
Marie de Saint Jean
Marie de la Croix
Marie de Saint Stanislas
Marie de Saint Georges
Marie de Saint François Xavier
Two postulants : Marie Masse
Adéle de Cicalty
May 1, 1857, on the evening of their Clothing Ceremony, Julia Bell, who had received the name Marie de Ste. Madeleine, writes in the Journal of the House: “Thus was spent this precious day which will forever be engraved on our memories. Months and years will flee before us, this little nascent Work will grow old, but the pages revealing its origin and its cradle, this flower of May 1, will remain imprinted intact in its freshness, its youth, its exquisite perfume! Like a radiant star, its gentle light will be cast over the future days which may be sad and difficult. For religious who are vowed to share the work of reparation with Mary Immaculate there must be hours of suffering, struggle and storms.” I find this paragraph both inspired and so true!
Mid-August-September 1857 Emilie traveled with her four children to Belgium for their vacation. First, they went to visit her brother Charles in Presles and then visited many friends in Liège. Emilie was received with smiles but behind her back the comments were not nice.
In Strasbourg, the community was getting ready to move to the house in Rue Ste. Elisabeth. The move began October 1st and was completed by the evening of the next day. The Sisters of Charity of Strasbourg, who were to be their neighbors, offered to have the house cleaned and to receive their belongings.
Friday morning October 2nd the last Mass was celebrated in the small chapel of Rue des Pierres. The altar was moved to the new house with everything pertaining to the chapel. About 6 pm the remaining sisters left the house where they had started their religious life. The Sisters of Charity had prepared a light supper for them at the hospital. By 8 pm they were home happy to be able to rest in the new house.
The first Mass there was celebrated on Wednesday, October 7.
Emilie was not able to travel to Strasbourg until November 8. She had a very practical sense and immediately went through the whole house suggesting improvements. The plans for a chapel were approved but they decided to wait until the Spring to begin construction
In October 1857 Emilie went to visit Fr. Petit to consult him about two postulants. Olympe went with her. After talking with Olympe, Fr. Petit met with Emilie and told her that Olympe wanted to enter religious life and had asked him to tell her mother. He believed she had a true vocation. The next day Olympe opened her heart to her mother. Emilie was happy but feared the storm of opposition from the family. On January 20, 1858, they went together to Belgium to tell everyone. The whole family was upset; there was even talk of taking legal steps to remove her children from her custody. Only her brother Charles and his wife supported her.
Back in Paris, Emilie and Olympe had to tell Adrian, who was 19 and Edmond who was 17. We can only imagine the pain of these young men who had lost their father in childhood and whose family life was disintegrating.
Olympe began her novitiate in Strasburg on March 4. Emilie wrote in her journal: “Olympe was very brave, not a word, not a tear in my presence but our hearts felt the separation none the less!” Another young woman, Eugénie Müller, joined the novitiate the same day. On Saturday, May 1 both young women received the habit. Olympe chose the name of Marie de St. Victor in memory of her father. Eugénie had chosen Marie de Ste. Philomène. Emilie placed the white veils on the young novices.
All the sisters from Paris who had gone to Strasbourg to pronounce vows returned to Paris on April 30th at 11pm.
Photo: Mother Mary of St. Victor (Olympe) and
Mother Mary of St. Julienne (Marguerite)
Concepción González Cánovas, smr
conce_gonzalez@comcast.net
Sources:
Présentation Historique de la Société de Marie Réparatrice (1818-1953). Henri de Gensac, SJ. Rome, 1992.
The Beginnings of the Society of Mary Reparatrix (1855-1858): Journal of the beginnings of the Society, house of Paris, house of Strasbourg. Introduction and notes by Anne Marie Bertaud, smr. Translated into English by Emma Gravlin, smr.