In Besançon, the neighbourhood and parish thanked the community of Clairs Soleils for their final departure, in a spirit of fraternity and gratitude.
On Sunday, 4 May 2025, the small church of Saint Paul brought together priests, sisters from different communities and lay people to celebrate the Eucharist and thank the sisters who had been present in this place for 47 years.
Brief history: On 1 October 1978, a community of four Sisters of Charity arrived in the working-class neighbourhood of Clairs Soleils in Besançon after the departure of sisters from another congregation.
It was a response to a mission that was in line with the Church following the Council: to participate in parish life with priests and very committed lay people, to reach out to the modest populations of this multicultural neighbourhood with its diverse cultures and religions: in 1990, 103 out of 195 families were Muslim, working with various lively and creative organisations and associations to provide literacy training, educational support and assistance to the sick and the poorest families.
A beautiful mission that has undergone many changes…The years passed… and faced with the difficulty of not being able to rebuild a community, the decision was made to leave this place.
At the end of the Eucharist, Sr. Louisette Duriaux, who was the last Servant Sister of the community, addressed the priests and all those present on behalf of the Congregation and her sisters: Sr. Marie Madeleine Prêtre and Sr. Claude Marie Frankhausen.
“This is not a time for regrets but for thanksgiving! Thanksgiving for what we have been able to experience with you, at Clairs Soleils, in the Hauts de Bregille, in Palente and in Les Chaprais. We have met families of very different nationalities and religions, but they coexist, marked by respect and fraternity, faith and charity, despite the shortcomings and obstacles, visible or not!
How many times have we prayed and given thanks as a community for parishioners and neighbours, seeing through you the work of the Spirit.
I do not want to be naive: we are realistic about national, international and Church affairs. We know that the mission is not easy: it requires zeal, tenacity, fidelity in prayer and hope, and like everyone else, we have experienced difficulties and tensions, including among ourselves, in living the mission of the Gospel to the fullest; but our faith convinces us that where we are, where we will be, Christ will always be proclaimed and alive, because there are Christians.
Allow me to conclude by expressing our heartfelt thanks; we have received so much. We cannot name you all! I would simply like to mention the priests Bruard and Pétot (Michel and Norbert) who lead or have led the parishes, and I would also like to mention Bernadette, who has often helped us to discreetly finalise our work and projects and has rendered many services that were not visible.
THANK YOU to those who organised this morning: the liturgy, the organisation of the hall where we will meet later… Thank you to those who prepared the delicacies that we are about to enjoy.
Sr Marie-Madeleine will be leaving for Italy soon, entrusting her catechetical mission to Muriel, who has generously and faithfully agreed to take on this responsibility.
Sr Claude-Marie and I, from our community on Rue des Martelots, will continue the work and mission begun and lived with you in our two parishes: Sainte Jeanne-Antide and Saint Vincent de Paul.
Yes, in this neighbourhood, in this parish, the Sisters have been able to live out the mission entrusted to Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret, our foundress, by the Church: ‘We have heard the voice of God,’ she said, ‘we have heard the voice of the poor who are the members of Jesus Christ who are our brothers and sisters…’
For these 47 years spent at Clairs Soleils, we thank the Lord and all those who have been our companions and brothers and sisters on the journey to ensure that the Gospel is lived and proclaimed in everyday life.
