I have been in Carmel for 63 years, where I entered at 23. Above all, I received my faith from my mother, a very fervent woman who herself had thought about religious life; from my father, who had become a believer, I received the example of a man very committed to helping the poorest.
Around the age of 15, I felt called to religious life. This came to me as a request from Jesus; not a request that we hear with the ears of course. My younger sister was very sick then and we were all worried, I prayed a lot for her. One evening, I was all alone in my room and inside I heard in my heart: “You are praying for the healing of your little sister, but what if I asked you to be mine? ". I was suffocated, and inwardly I said “Yes! ". After this call, I fell in love with Jesus who had chosen me! At the time, I didn't like going out to do errands, but nevertheless I volunteered because it allowed me to visit Jesus at the Church, I am in love with Jesus.
I believed then that God called me in the teaching congregation where I went to school but the events decided otherwise. God speaks in events, this is a truth that I have experienced many times in my life. Failing the undergraduate year gave me a year to think about my vocation.
Prayer, silent prayer, that is what attracted me to Carmel. As I was in love with Jesus, I liked to stand before the Blessed Sacrament. And then the Carmel is apostolic, Therese of Avila says that without this desire for the apostolate, one is not a Carmelite.
my favorite saint : Marie, she helped me so much. Mom loved the Blessed Virgin very much, and she was happy that I entered a Marian order. I made my profession the very day of the proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption, the 1erNovember 1950. For the occasion, we were lent a radio and just after hearing Pius XII proclaim the dogma, we went to the oratory where I made my profession in the hands of Mother Agnès. The image I have chosen for my 50 year jubilee of profession is therefore this magnificent XNUMXth century icon of the Assumption.
A Word from the Bible which struck me recently: God is love (1 Jn 4,7). God loves us and it is because he is love that he sent us his beloved son into the world to truly become one of us.
my greatest desire : the parousia! The return of Christ: no more misery, no more violence, it will be over, and as God is love, it will end well!!!
A Carmelite from Lisieux
