Testimonies of Faith at Notre Dame Secondary School, Besançon.
To mark the Bicentenary of the death of Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret, the pastoral team at Notre Dame Secondary School was delighted to invite five Sisters and two lay people, who came to speak to pupils and teachers about their Christian faith and their mission.
The members of the management team and the students involved in pastoral care gave them a very warm welcome, showing their faith and fraternal respect.
Each speaker visited four classes to address the pupils.
With great simplicity of heart, the sisters shared not only their mission but also the inner source that nourishes their religious life. Their testimony enabled the pupils to discover the profound meaning of their consecrated life: a life given to God and to others, as well as community and fraternal life.Sister Claude-Marie, who was a teacher and later a headteacher, is therefore familiar with pupils’ lives. She gladly agreed to come and speak to the pupils about her faith and her missions. She captured the young people’s attention, and they asked her many questions. The exchange was lively and very dynamic.
Sister Yvelise spoke of her commitment to caring for the sick, and her gentle manner immediately touched the audience. She explained how a smile, an attentive presence or a word of comfort can become acts of healing. Through her testimonies, the pupils came to understand that charity is lived out in the small, everyday acts of kindness. In the spirit of Jeanne Antide, we are all called to care for others and respect those who are vulnerable.
Sister Marie-France shared her life and her mission in Africa over the past thirty years. A rich and vivid experience, marked by poverty, but also by incredible vitality. She spoke of the children she has welcomed, cared for and supported. The pupils at Notre Dame realised just how fortunate they are. They admire the courage and thirst for learning of young Africans. They fully understood the importance of sharing and solidarity. On this earth, we are all brothers and sisters.
Sister Elisabeth, an Indonesian sister, spoke of her family, her Christian faith and her vocational journey. The pupils were very interested in her country, its culture and the faith of Indonesian Christians. She also spoke about her mission in France: welcoming people in Sancey, catechesis and youth ministry in the parish. Through her account, the pupils perceived the beauty of a discreet and patient mission, which opens up paths of trust.
Sister Ngan, a young Vietnamese sister, spoke of her joy at being a Sister of Charity and serving in youth ministry. As she recounted her vocational journey, the pupils admired her faith in God. They were delighted to learn about the country and the daily life of the Vietnamese people.
Arnaud P. is married to Marie-Hélène; together they are parents to four children. He has encountered God and bears witness to the fruits of that encounter, which continues in every moment of daily life, at the heart of his work and his life. Starting from the realisation that all the children listening to him, and he himself, will die – it is the only thing that is absolutely certain – he answers a barrage of questions about the consequences of his encounter with Jesus, and the friendship he has developed with him.
Being a child of God, being part of his family, leads to the urgency of bearing witness, and helps us understand that it is through our friendships that God makes himself present.
On that day, 400 pupils and around fifteen teachers were able to benefit from these testimonies of faith.
This time spent together will no doubt remain etched in the pupils’ memories. The simplicity of their sharing opened up new horizons. May these testimonies from the Sisters accompany the young people in their search for meaning in their lives, and we entrust them into God’s hands. As Saint Paul says: ‘I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.’ (1 Cor 3:6)
