by Terry Curran

At the November 19 meeting of Our Lady's Sodality we were fortunate to have as speakers, Sr. Gail Ripley and Sr. Alice Kirby. They shared with us the highlights of their recent pilgrimage to LePuy, France, the birthplace of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Sr. Gail explained that every year the Congregation has a lottery and this past year her roommate Sr. Alice had won. Then in January, Sr. Gail was the winner of the top prize in the Thousand Club, here in the parish. It seemed divine providence that the two make the journey to France.

On October 10, along with 27 other Sisters and Associates, they boarded an Air France flight from Boston to make the eight-hour journey to Paris. After a four and half-hour layover, they flew another 90 minutes southeast of Paris to Lyon. There they were met by the Superior General of the Congregation and their pilgrimage began with the assistance of their interpreter Philippe.

The Sisters of St. Joseph were formed in 1648 by six women under the guidance of Fr. Jean-Pierre Medaille. They came together to pray, proclaim the glory of God and to help their neighbors in need. The Order flourished through the 17th and 18th centuries, educating the people and transforming them into true Christians. They also worked extensively on issues of social justice and were engaged in trying to improve the conditions of the poor.

The French Revolution was opposed to all religious life and the Sisters were despised by the radical rulers. The government turned the convents into jails, and all those who were opposed to the Civil Constitution were guillotined. Mother St. John Fontbonne, along with a group of her Sisters, defied the civil authorities, went to jail for close to a year, and came out the stronger for it. Among the slides we saw were her familial home, the jail/convent she was sent to, and many photos of her cincture and the habit she wore. Sr. Alice pointed out that it was remarkable that the cincture was the same style as the one that she and Sr. Gail had woven for themselves when they first joined the Order.

At the end of the French Revolution, Mother St. John Fontbonne was approached by Cardinal Fesch of Lyon. Since most of the young religious women had gone home to their families, he challenged her with the job of re-founding the Sisters in Lyon. They became the first non-cloistered order, and began ministering to the sick, the elderly, widows and the youth. They founded hospitals, schools and orphanages.

Sr. Gail explained that the Congre-gation is unique in that, although they all sprang from the same tree, they are on many branches. The first group that came to American settled in St. Louis where they set up a school and worked with their neighbors. Next they moved on to Philadelphia, then to New York and finally ended up in Boston. With each move, they came under the authority of the bishop of the Archdiocese in which they resided. So, although separate, they are all linked by a common history.

Here in Boston, they opened, staffed and/or sponsored over 125 educational institutions. In Sr. Gail's opening statement, she mentioned that she and Sr. Alice had been at the School for the Deaf, among many others, a testament to the work of the Sisters. Remarkably Sister Gail has served as principal of Sacred Heart School for the past 22 years. Of the experience, she said, "It is like the Feast at Cana, the Lord has saved my best ministry for the last."

We are very grateful for her ministry among us and for the rich legacy that the Sisters of St. Joseph have forged in our own Sacred Heart Parish, in the entire Boston area, and throughout the world