IHM Founder's Day and Commissioning of IHM Associates
Sr. Jean Louise
Bachetti, IHM
November 11, 2007
Founders Day: A
Sacred Memory that Continues to Challenge
A vine you
transplanted, O God. We, as the vine are here today because we choose to make
sacred the act of remembering. We do this in prayer by celebrating and claiming
the legacy of the founding of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary in 1845. Through this special remembrance of memories that continue to
challenge, we marvel at how relationships endure, how life is precious and how
dreams become a reality. Today, we remember and celebrate the dream of two
idealistic people, Theresa Maxis Duchemin and Louis Florent Gillet who broke
ground, planted, watered and stirred up the powers that be. In spite of
separation after two short years of working together, their relationship
endured over 44 years in mystery and faith, not knowing if the other was still
alive, but always trusting in Divine Providence. With so many odds against
them, they had no idea that their redemptive suffering was truly bearing fruit
on the IHM vine that "took root and filled the land." Watered by
their tears and pain this legacy of mystery and faith grounds us today as we
journey into a future that is not yet clear.
God works in and
through mystery and slowly some of the unresolved pieces of our founding are
still coming to light. In a recent paper he presented at the Conference of the
Redemptorist Institute of Historical Studies in North America Father Gilbert
Enderle, explained the extensive research he is doing on Father Gillet. In
search of truth, he has discovered revealing information about Gillet that
parallels Theresa's as they both became outcasts of the very community they
founded. Both were tragic victims of harsh judgment from superiors and bishops;
both suffered because of their zeal for the mission of Jesus, both eventually
moved into other congregations, Theresa to the Grey Nuns in Canada and Louis to
a Cistercian Monastery in France. Drawing from his research, Fr. Enderle
quotes, Father Carl Hoegerl regarding the bad treatment that Gillet received,
"A vindication should come from us Redemptorists because it was
Redemptorists who treated him with embarrassing shabbiness. We do not think it
too extreme or harsh to say that Father Gillet was more or less railroaded out
of the [Redemptorist] Congregation because he was too apostolically
minded." And Theresa too, at the hands of church hierarchy was maligned
because she was a woman of color, a strong and determined woman ahead of her
time. Perhaps Bishop Hafey in the introduction to our S. Immaculata's book on
Theresa made an attempt on behalf of bishops to vindicate Theresa when he
placed her among God's heroes and heroines. It's a stretch. When we look back
at our roots, as Founders' Day gives us the opportunity to do, we see that the
wandering in the desert experience of both Theresa and Louis was truly a dark
night of the soul. Ineffective as they thought they were, weak as they
perceived themselves to be, they were in fact what Paul describes as God using
the weak of this world to confound the strong. Theirs is not a legacy that is
easy to claim.
Living today in mystery
and faith as prophets of vision and pilgrims of the dream (using the brilliant
lyrics of our community song) finds expression in our mission statement to be a
clear and understandable prophetic witness to the presence of God in the world,
and in our direction statement that stretches us IHM Sisters and Associates
beyond the status quo when we channel our energies to foster respect for
diversity! I dare say, if we authentically live as prophetic witnesses and
channel our energies to foster respect diversity, we will most likely find
ourselves like our founders alienated and criticized for our solidarity with
the immigrant, those who are perceived different and because of our stance
against racism.
In her poem,
"Christ in the Margins," Edwina Gately, has effectively
described present day founders
Brave, reckless souls,
these founders,
who dare birth dreams
and run with them
down our city streets,
driven by a passion
that leaves us gasping
in wonderment—
and disapproval.
Brave, reckless souls,
these founders,
who would change the world
with their visions of God
and have us
(pouting saints and reluctant angels)
do the same.
Brave, reckless souls,
these founders,
whose lights we flee,
refusing to dance
to an unknown tune
lest it whirl us,
dizzying, into God.
Brave, reckless souls,
these founders,
who in league with Wisdom
(God's wild free Spirit)
forever run amongst us,
singing aloud
their songs of love
and trailing
clouds of glory!
(From her book, Christ
in the Margins)
Like these present day
founders Edwina Gately describes, Theresa and Louis, I believe, are calling us
to be in League with Wisdom, God's wild free Spirit, and claim our legacy as
Prophets of Vision and Pilgrims of the Dream. The questions remain however,
Will we prefer to be
"pouting saints and reluctant angels" in the process?
Do we look at this
challenge with wonder or disapproval?
Are we afraid to sing
the unknown tune lest it "whirl us, dizzying into God"?
Where and how can we
break new ground today?
I believe Founders Day
gives us the occasion to stand on the shoulders of Theresa and Louis, broad
shoulders that will hold us in their presence so that we can continue to claim
the vision, to practice perseverance, to feel the passion and the hope of two
dreamers, Theresa our founder and Louis our co-founder. It is saying to us as
IHM Sisters and Associates that it is our mission today to live the legacy they
have left us through this turbulent and uncertain twenty-first century. In the
words of Sr. Michele's prayer I pray, "Give increase to our holiness; give
increase to our courage...break our ground again, plant and water, stir us up,
and nourish our growth within and without."
