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Traditional
Religious Orders - Women
January 2002
The
Little Servants of St John the Baptist helped ninety handicapped pilgrims
News from The Little Handmaids of St John the Baptist The Little Handmaids of St John the Baptist are a traditional congregation of active nuns in western France who take care of the sick, aged and children [See Catholic May, 2001]. Initially a faithful remnant of the Institute of the Lamb of God founded in 1945 by the French Jesuit Fr de la Chevasnerie († 1968), the young community has remained true to the spirit of its founder, grown and prospered. One of their best-known works is the care of the sick at the annual pilgrimage of Tradition to Lourdes for the feast of Christ the King. Here are some extracts from their newsletter, La Petite Diligence no. 17 of 2002:
So many things
have happened at Le Rafflay this past year! The ninth of May was a
great day. His Lordship, Bishop de Galarreta came to bless our chapel,
which is dedicated to the great St Joseph, as well as all the rooms
of our hostelry. The bookbinding workshop attracted a great deal of interest, and our Sister Bookbinder had the splendid trimming machine - a museum piece back in action thanks to our dear Monsieur Lebland - in constant operation. On 1 July the new rooms were opened, and the kitchens began their service. The Dominican Fathers inaugurated the new facilities by preaching a retreat for 43 ladies. It was a perfect exercise for familiarising the Sisters with their new duties! The gentlemen’s retreat the following week was a calmer affair - only 25 retreatants. Before the retreats we tried something new. We embarked upon the formation of 20 young ladies and girls in their role as homemakers. [...]. There was much precious counsel to be had, and some encountered for the first time those principles which should be fundamental in every Catholic family, but which today are often unknown. After the first day, the participants were put into groups in order to try their hand at sewing, mending, knitting, housework and first aid for children. A teacher of home economics from Switzerland completed the practical work of the Sisters by her theoretical instructions on food hygiene, keeping to a budget [...] and so on. After these hectic
weeks, August was a calm succession of visitors, convalescent patients
and holidaymaking families. The month of
the Rosary saw two postulants joining us. We welcomed them with great
joy and gratitude. We hope that you will not hesitate to visit Le Rafflay if you are in the region, since we are blessed with the facilities to welcome you. The garden remains to be put in order. Any person of good will able to help us with this work will be most welcome. †
News from The Little Handmaids of St John the Baptist The Sisters of this traditional community of nursing religious in France [see Catholic March 2003] have kindly sent us some pictures of their community life, as well as an invitation to all to participate in the Christ the King pilgrimage to Lourdes this year, the 150 th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Pius IX in 1854. The Sisters aim to facilitate the participation of as many of the infirm and handicapped in this pilgrimage as possible.
The Sisters prayer in the chapel
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