Have you ever felt betrayed, hurt, disappointed and let down by those whom you thought were your friends, people whom you trusted implicitly?

This is exactly how Sr. Marie was feeling as she remembered and pondered the hurtful words of Mother St. John just days before,

“If you are so convinced that you are right and I am wrong in confining

our Mission to London alone, then why don’t you join another Congregation?”

How easily she was dismissed!

Sr. Marie found herself in a real quandary. Her mind was in turmoil as she seemingly saw God’s plans for her come tumbling down around her, yet in her heart of hearts God’s call was so clear. She had lived as a Sister of Compassion for ten years, had shared in all the trials and hardships of those early years, had not spared herself in serving the sisters and the poor among whom they now worked and she had to agree that there was much to do among the poor and destitute of London.

The London that Sr. Marie knew, lived and worked in was characterised by corridors of narrow, dirty alleyways. Hunger, Poverty and disease abounded among the poor people who lived there.  Running water in their hovels was unheard of and the very primitive sewage system was practically non-existent. The River Thames itself became so dirty and polluted, especially in warm weather that it became known locally as ‘the great stink’! Even so, ragged urchins scavenged along the muddy banks of the river looking for empty bottles and any kind of saleable junk.  These destitute children were called ‘mudlarks’ and few, if any, went to school.

It was into this deprived and often hostile environment that the sisters brought education.  Some schools were already established for boys but there was nothing for girls.  In the thinking of the day the girls, especially those from poor families, did not need education because their role in life was simply to be mothers and homemakers.

The sisters, however, offered education to all and concentrated especially on the girls.  The children who attended came dressed in rags and looked half starved.  The numbers increased and word went around. Soon the sisters were faced with large classes of often unruly and street wise children who were keen to learn but had little discipline.  As time went on these establishments became known as ‘ragged schools’ but they offered golden opportunities and opened a whole new world for these ‘starved’ children.

‘Yes’, thought Sr. Marie, ’there was so much good to be done in London, but, she could not lose sight of her original call – to go to foreign missionary countries.’ She spent long hours in prayer asking God to show her the way He wished her to go.

One evening, just before Christmas, Mother St. John summoned the whole community to a meeting for she wanted to make an announcement.  Briefly she said, ‘From this evening, Sr. Marie is relieved of her positions of Assistant Superior and novice Mistress.”

The meeting ended abruptly and there was no explanation given so the surprised sisters were left completely mystified.  In effect Sr. Marie had been deposed and was now the lowest of all the sisters, Her response was to spend longer hours in prayer. These prayers were about to be answered!

It was some days later when an unexpected visitor came to the convent, “ I am a missionary – a Marist Father,” he explained to Mother St. John.  “I have heard that the Sisters of Compassion are a missionary Congregation and I am looking for Missionary sisters for our missions in New Zealand and the South Pacific.”

Mother St. John was astounded and confessed that the sisters of Compassion were no longer available for the foreign missions but that if he returned in a day or two she might be able to put him in touch with someone who could help him!  Sr. Marie immediately came into her mind!

As soon she returned from work, Mother St. John, hurried to tell Sr. Marie about her visitor. “Pray, pray sister,” she said, “this may be the answer you seek!”

Sr. Marie spoke to the Marist Fathers in London who then did some research into her background. When this was completed and feeling very satisfied and impressed with the good reports received about sister, they left her in no doubt at all that they definitely wanted her for their New Zealand mission.

In her enthusiasm, Sr. Marie lost no time in contacting the authorities in Rome and she was given permission to enter a new Congregation more suited

To her vocation. She was now convinced that God was telling her to go ahead and she felt both elated and somewhat frightened.

Sr. St. John was relieved that Sr. Marie’s future was becoming clear but she was also sorry to lose such a faithful and generous sister. She helped Sister in any way she could and even suggested a companion for her – Sr. Wilfrid, who also felt strongly that she was called to be a missionary sister.  So it was that Sr. Marie and Sr. Wilfrid left the London Convent together. They were met at London Bridge Station by a Marist Father who was to accompany them to Paris.

THE MARIST FATHERS

The Marist Fathers had been founded just twenty five years before and had been sending missionary priests to the wild islands of the South Pacific.  For years they had had little success in their work – some of their Priests and Brothers had even been murdered for their efforts – but at last their patient endurance was beginning to make a difference.  Now they saw the need for women missionaries to work with women and children.  In new Zealand, a Marist Bishop – Philippe Viard had a flourishing mission in a small town called Wellington and he wanted sisters urgently.

In the meantime Sr. Marie and Sr. Wilfrid travelled from Paris to Lyons where they were met and taken to a small apartment belonging to the Marist Fathers.  They noted the address – 4, Rue St. Bartholomew.

“Welcome to your new home,” said the kindly priest who showed them the apartment, “that is, until Bishop Viard sends for you.”

It was August 15^th 1861 – the feast of the Assumption.

Next time: Dashed hopes open up new possibilities.

Sister Louise Shields, Rndm 

nothing is more comforting than finding a

 friend [or friends] whom you trust and who

can show the way.”

                                   [Toba Beta]

The sisters had finally reached dry land.  As they took their first faltering steps, it seemed that the whole Island of England was heaving and dipping, knocking them off balance, making it difficult for them to stand or walk upright!  Onlookers might have thought that they had imbibed too much French wine on the voyage across the channel!  Since they had disembarked at Newhaven, they still had some more journeying to do to reach London. So, tired and hungry, they boarded a train and, after an uncomfortable few hours finally arrived in the great city, the biggest in the world!  As they made their way out of the station through teeming masses of humanity it seemed to them that the whole world actually did indeed live in London!

Now that they had reached their destination, what would they do ? Where would they go?  Remembering that their parish priest had given them the name of a very respectable French family – the Morels – who had settled in London, the sisters resolved to search for this family who lived in a suburb called Marylebone and who might be able to help them. The streets of London, like the station, were busy and so no one paid much attention to the two very simply dressed ladies, who made their way through the mayhem and raucous banter so gently and gingerly.  Not understanding anything that was happening around them they were terrified that someone would stop them, challenge them and thus find out that they were foreigners from the country at the other side of the Channel!

Their first plan of action was to find the home of the Morel family. Necessity and fear gave speed to their leaden steps, and, after losing their way many times and seemingly going around in proverbial circles, the two weary travellers eventually arrived at the Morel residence, unsure of the reception they might get. After their timid knock, the door was opened by a chubby, friendly faced woman – Mrs. Morel herself who had no idea who these ‘ladies’ were or of their plight. She welcomed them warmly into her home and since they had nowhere else to go, she agreed to let them use two rooms in her attic until they could find a more permanent place of their own.

“This is quite a nice area of London,” declared Mrs. Morel, “there are a few French families here and nearby there is a small church called ‘the French Chapel’ because many French people go to Mass there.”

Relief surged through the sisters, for, after such a welcome they felt that the good Lord had led them to a place that seemed like home from home!

It soon became known that the two ‘ladies’ who had taken up residence with the Morels’ were good seamstresses and when the first sewing orders came the sisters worked all the hours of daylight.  Everything had to be done by hand – sewing machines were rare and expensive.  The work was poorly paid so, in spite of their hours and hours of tedious, tiring, work they barely managed to pay the rent and also put a meagre supply of food on the table.

These were days of struggle and hardship for they knew that their sisters in France were depending on them.  Then came the news that three more sisters would be arriving from France any day. This news caused more anxiety for the sisters knew that the small rooms at Morels’ would be too small to accommodate them all!  Where to go?  What to do?

Each morning the sisters attended Mass in the French Chapel and here they prayed for guidance and help.  It was in this hallowed spot that their prayers were answered.  The parish priest, Fr. Philpin, also French, had noticed these two retiring ‘ladies’ and wondered about them.  Unable to curb his curiosity, he approached them one morning after Mass and blurted out,

“You aren’t religious sisters are you? You are sisters! Why didn’t you tell me?  Where have you come from? What are you doing here?”

After having so many questions fired so rapidly at them, and sensing that they had found a sympathetic ear, the sisters felt obliged to tell this kindly priest the whole story.  Then things began to happen!

                                                                         [Mandy Hale – The single Woman]

1848 had been a year of political upheaval in France but in the peaceful countryside of Cuves, the sisters, so far, had seen nothing of the riots and disturbances that were tearing apart the large cities in the north.  However it does not take long for violence and unrest to spread and so it was.  Before long even the quiet, serene village of Cuves was threatened.  Disorder was rampant and the entire country seemed to be on the edge of a bloody revolution.  People were very afraid and danger lurked around every corner.  Things became so dangerous that parents decided to keep their children close to home even at the cost of their education!

By the end of 1849, the boarding school at Cuves was almost empty because of this and the sisters’ income had dropped drastically.  The new socialist government now began to confiscate church property and the sisters waited in fear as they watched the violent events unfold. However, they were granted a partial reprieve for the time being, because they were given permission to stay in their convent but on one condition – that they teach the children of the village free of charge!  They saw their meagre income diminish and disappear in a puff of black smoke.  Soon they were unable to pay bills as more and more demands were being made for money that they did not have.  They were destitute and desperate!

During the months that followed they worked like slaves trying to earn a living.  They cultivated every inch of their vegetable garden in an effort to put food on their table.  They used their skills as laundresses and seamstresses to earn money but they were paid a mere pittance for the work they did.  They were prepared to do anything which would bring in even a few coppers.  All the while they taught in school anxious to keep a roof over their heads!

There were now thirty sisters in community and they knew that things could not go on as they were, something had to be done, so, it was, at this point, that the sisters devised a bold new plan and prayed that it would succeed!

They needed to get out of France away from the violence and turmoil if they were to survive as a community.  Their eyes now focused on the land across the Channel – England and London in particular.  It was decided, to send two sisters to London to prepare the way for the whole community to eventually move there.  The plan was fraught with unsurmountable difficulties it seemed.

They had little or no money, they knew nothing of English ways, let alone speak a word of English and they had heard stories that the people there were extremely bigoted especially towards Catholics!  The question also arose – which two sisters should they send?  Which of them would be able to embrace these formidable challenges and inevitable hardships with courage and determination?

After praying for guidance, the two sisters were finally chosen – Sr. Raphael, an older sister who was experienced and very level headed and the young Sr. Marie [Euphrasie] because she was not afraid of hard work or deprivation, she had proved herself courageous and she was both reliable and generous in everything she undertook.

Sr. Marie was excited at the prospect of going to London for another reason.  She saw this mission as another step closer to realising her dream of going to foreign mission countries to bring the Word of God to those who had never heard it.  She realised that, as well as being one of the largest cities in the world, London, even at this time, was the centre of commerce.  Everyday ships set sail from London to trade and colonise all over the world – America, Australia, New Zealand, India and the Islands of the Pacific.

“We can learn English in London,” thought Sr. Marie,” and then we can travel anywhere in the world!”

However the two sisters were warned to be very cautious as they explored possibilities.  They were advised to lay aside their religious habits, to dress very simply, to present themselves as French Governesses and to tell no one that they were religious sisters.  This was because of the anti-Catholic feelings that were running high in this seemingly hostile country!

After much preparation the two sisters were finally on their way.  They travelled North West by train and coach and it was on a cold bleak blustery day that they left French soil and stepped on board a ship bound for England.  The shabby little ship butted its way through rolling angry, grey water and as it rose and fell, the miserable passengers felt shaken to the pit of their stomachs and some even turned a sickly shade of green!

Sr. Marie [Euphrasie] herself felt so ill on this violent voyage that she wondered anxiously if she would even live to be a missionary!  The pain of leaving home and France was blotted out by the misery of trying to stay alive on this heaving ship!

A wave of relief swept over the passengers when land was at last sighted.  From their viewpoint, as the coast drew near, England looked surprisingly like France.  Soon they were able to see houses, streets people going about their business and all looked surprisingly normal apart from the language!  However they had arrived not in London but in Newhaven!

Sister Louise Shields, Rndm

It may be just the beginning of a great adventure! Life is like that.”

   (Peria Chodron – ‘When things fall apart.’)

 It seemed to Euphrasie that things were indeed falling apart!  The thought of going back to school at the age of nineteen years with girls who were much younger, absolutely terrified her.  However, she was also convinced that in a strange and oblique way, the Lord was preparing her for her future mission.  She had, from an early age, learnt to trust the Lord and so her prayer now was, ‘Not my will but yours be done!’ So she applied herself with her usual enthusiasm and generosity. Observing her Sr. Marie Guyot and Sr. St. John soon came to realise what a huge mistake they had made in insisting that Euphrasie went back to school to improve her education, for they now saw, with careful observation that she was both intelligent and experienced, far beyond their other pupils with regard to maturity and sound judgement.

One day, Sr. Marie Guyot called Euphrasie aside as her class was being dismissed and asked, “The novices are moving into a new wing at the convent this evening, do you still wish to join them?”

Surprised and scarcely able to believe what the implications of this question meant, she answered, “Yes, Yes, Yes!” as joy and thanksgiving bubbled up within her.  She did not need a second bidding.  Now she felt that at last, after so many delays and disappointments, she was beginning her true life. She flung herself heart and soul into her Novitiate training and found a true friend and guide in her Novice Mistress, Sr. St. John.

Though she applied herself seriously to her new way of life, her old sense of fun was never far away and at recreation time many a laugh centred around the pranks of the tiny Novice with dancing eyes and witty tongue!

She was a good companion at work as well and pulled her weight in every way even when it came to the unpleasant jobs.  She certainly was no shirker!  Always eager to learn new skills, she willingly taught others what she knew and gave them the benefit of her experience.

It came as no surprise then, that because of her former training and experience, Euphrasie was put in charge of the laundry but she found that the work here was so much harder than any she had ever done before.  The laundry was poorly equipped and, in fact, was quite primitive. There was no such thing as tapped water.  All the water they needed had to be carried in buckets from a huge stone trough which was situated quite a way from the convent.* The water that supplied this trough came from a little stream which flowed down a steep hillside nearby.

In winter the icy water and the harsh mountain winds that blew down ferociously upon them, left them frozen with cold, their hands numb and chapped.  The laundry itself was draughty with little heat so, chilblains on their hands and feet ached and itched.  Morning and evening the young sisters rubbed the sore patches with lard or dripping but there was little relief until the valley of Cuves was green once again in the hot summer sunshine.

Yes, life was extremely hard but all persevered and remained steadfast because they saw themselves as missionaries in training and every hardship was a step towards their final goal.

One day, Sr. Marie Guyot called the group together to give them the news that they would all be clothed in the habit of the Sisters of Calvary on August 6^th 1849 and would from that day become novices.  There was great rejoicing among Euphrasie and her companions and, unable to contain their happiness and gratitude, their preparations for this special day began immediately.  However, in the midst of all the excitement no one noticed that their beloved leader, had grown very pale and thin.  They didn’t see the gradual deterioration in her general health or the fact that she often went apart from the group to hide her pain and weakness and her distressing cough. So it came as a terrible surprise and shock to all, that not long before the Clothing day dawned, their kindly, wise leader was dead!  She was just twenty eight years old. They laid her to rest in their tiny little chapel.*

Life had to go on and some days later Sr. St. John was chosen to serve as their new leader.  Trying to cheer up the young distraught sisters, she told them,

“Come, the clothing ceremony must go ahead.  Dear Sr. Marie Guyot would have wished it so.  She has gone to her reward in Heaven but God’s work on earth must go on! We are the ones chosen to continue this work.”

August 6^th was a day of quiet joy for Euphrasie and her sisters in spite of their recent sorrow.  As they received and were clothed in the Habit of the Sisters of Calvary, each one was given a new name as a sign of the new life that they were now embracing. Euphrasie became SR. MARIE OF THE SACRED HEART.

Euphrasie or Sr. Marie of the Sacred Heart, as she would now be known, became zealous in her prayer, devotions and duties for she wanted to serve God perfectly and immediately. However, as her good friend and teacher, Sr. St. John, wisely pointed out – ‘all growth in the spiritual life takes time and needs patience and perseverance otherwise you could become a spiritual burnout harbouring mountains of scruples, and with little joy in your life!’

Sr. Marie of the Sacred Heart, though zealous for the things of God, had much to learn!

• The trough mentioned can still be seen in the little village of Cuves though it is no    longer in use.
• Marie Guyot’s tomb lies to this day in the tiny chapel in Cuves. We as sisters have visited her tomb as part of a pilgrimage to celebrate the 150 years since our founding.

Next time: Upheaval in France – London beckons!

Sister Louise Shields, Rndm

It was October 1848.  After a long, tiring and  eventful journey, Euphrasie had finally arrived at the Hermitage in the village of Cuves where the Sisters of Calvary lived and where they had a boarding school.

Although the Congregation had been founded only eight years before by Fr. Chantome, a Divine Word  priest, it was flourishing because many young women, like Euphrasie, felt called by God to work in far off mission fields.  At this time however, Fr. Chantome was away working on an important project and so the young Congregation was in the capable hands of the very first Missionary sister of Calvary, Sr. Marie Guyot.

It was Sr. Marie Guyot herself accompanied by another sister, Sr. St. John, who hurried down to welcome their new postulant. As  the weary traveller climbed down freom the rickety old cart feeling both dishevelled and tired, the two sisters greeted her warmly and with great excitement though they were surprised that she seemed so young.  After arranging for her to have something to eat, they left her to eat quietly and went to ‘make arrangements’, they said.  Euphrasie was puzzled by this and wondered why she was suddenly feeling anxious and uneasy – maybe, after seeing her,  they felt she was unsuitable or not strong enough for their kind of life!  Had the Lord brought her all this way just to try her and confuse her once again?

Eventually the sisters returned and, as Euphrasie stood up,  her heart beating unnaturally fast, she was being questioned.

‘How old are you?’ asked Sr. Marie .

‘Nineteen’, replied Euphrasie. ‘I shall be twenty on the 4^th of January next year.’

‘You seem very young and very small!’ Sr. Marie continued hesitantly. ‘We are very happy to have you here my dear, but we think it might be advisable for you to wait a little longer before becoming one of us!’

Euphrasie stared at both sisters in consternation and disbelief.  After leaving all those whom she had known and loved, undertaken a hazardous and tedious journey, convinced that God was calling her to serve him as a Missionary Sister, was she to be disappointed and turned away?

Just as her hopes and dreams began to crumble in a mist of dismay, Sr. Marie continued, ‘We do not mean that you should return home again but we do think that you would benefit by further education.  You are very, very young in appearance so we thought that you might like to spend a year in our boarding school before finally deciding your vocation!’

Euphrasie was crushed.  Thoughts were racing around in her head in panic. ‘Is God testing me? What does He want me to do?  What is God’s will for me now?’  There was a poignant silence and then Euphrasie remembered the words of Fr. Lefournier, her spiritual director. ‘Live for God and God alone – He will guide and direct you every step of the way.’

Although the words nearly choked her as she struggled to swallow a huge lump in her throat, Euphrasie spoke to Sr. Marie, ‘ All right, I will go to the boarding school for a year.’

The next morning, school began again and the new student applied herself totally to her studies. Time went on and Sr. Marie realised that Euphrasie was far beyond her companions in maturity and judgement.  Her academic work  was surprisingly good, she was gifted with her hands.

As they observed her closely, Sr. Marie and her companion Sr. St. John were soon forced to review their earlier decision, especially when they saw Euphrasie’s acceptance of their recommendation to go back to school in spite of her bitter disappointment.

‘That is in itself, a sign of her spiritual depth,’ said Sr. St. John. ‘It takes most of us a long time to accept God’s will especially when He seems to contradict our dearest wishes.!’

Eliza Taylor once wrote,

“Disappointment is to a noble soul what cold water is to burning metal – it strengthens, tempers and intensifies but never destroys it.”

 The Lord was indeed preparing Euphrasie in so many ways for her future mission!

Sister Louise Shields, Rndm

  [Brock Thoene]

 Guilt and grief were like dark clouds hanging over the Barbier household, even though Adele and Louis had now, albeit reluctantly, agreed to allow Euphrasie to go to the convent.  It was days before anyone could broach the painful subject of her leaving home.

One evening, Louis asked, “When are you leaving us?”

“At the beginning of October,” Euphrasie answered.

“So soon?” cried Adele, “we must get ready then. What do you need to take with you?”

Over the next couple of weeks Euphrasie, with her parent’s help, gathered and packed her trousseau.  It was during these weeks that she became more aware of her parent’s goodness, generosity and love; of the sacrifices they were willing to make in order to help their beloved daughter follow God’s call. However, they were still broken hearted at the thought of losing her as were her younger brother and sisters!

At last the day of her departure came.  Adele insisted that they have an early dinner together and set about preparing a particularly nice meal but none of them really enjoyed it for all had heavy hearts and stomachs that were turning somersaults!

After the meal, Euphrasie  went to her room for the last time and put on her bonnet and cloak.  She then kissed and hugged each member of her family for the last time.

“Be good to mama and papa, take care of them”, she whispered to her young brother Louis.  She picked up her little sister, Marie and hugged her close. There was so much she wanted to say but before she could do so, her father, not wishing to prolong the sad goodbyes, and fighting back his own tears, announced gruffly, “Come, come everyone, to the coach stop!”  The whole family hurried after him

Soon they heard the clattering of hooves and the rumble of wheels as the coach that was to take Euphrasie away, rounded the corner and stopped in front of them.  While the horses stood stomping and snorting, the coachman loaded Euphrasie’s box onto the coach.  With a another hug for each of her loved ones, she turned away quickly to take her seat.  As she fumbled for her handkerchief tears streamed down her face but she did manage to give her family a final watery smile.  This should be the happiest day of my life, she thought.  She did not feel very happy!  One phase of her life was now over a new one was about to begin! She was just nineteen  years old!

All through that long day the coach rumbled through lonely country roads, through villages and busy towns.  By evening they arrived in a large town called Evreaux where she would board a train for Paris.  Euphrasie had never seen a train before so she was absolutely terrified when she heard a loud shriek, a piercing moan and felt a rumble that seemed to shake the very ground she stood on.  Then a huge machine appeared rolling along metal rails.  – a monster of black iron, shining brass and bright green paint that seemed to belch out clouds of steam in angry protest. This ‘monster’ was to bring her to Paris which was said to be the most beautiful city in the world.

The train was incredibly fast, faster than any horse could gallop she was sure and it was amazingly comfortable.  As the train chugged along there was so much to see and how she wished that her family could have shared her experiences with her.

In Paris she transferred to another train which would carry her to Chaumont.  As she approached her destination the countryside changed.  There were great stretches of wastelands and pine forests with small shabby villages dotted among the hills and rocks.  The country grew wilder, rougher and more mountainous.

At Chaumont she had to leave the train and find a way to get to a small village called Cuves.  The only means of transport was a country cart and so, precariously seated among crates, kegs and clucking hens and  holding tightly onto her bag and her luggage , she watched the fields and hedgerows roll slowly by. This last stretch of the journey seemed endless. At last the cart crested a hill and in the valley below she saw a tiny stone church with two tall lime trees standing like sentinels on either side of it. Nestling around the church she could see many small houses.

“Cuves!” said the driver gruffly and, drawing to a stop in a courtyard behind the small church, he pointed to a building beyond the boundary wall and said, “ This is the Hermitage where the Sisters of Calvary live!”

She had arrived at last. She had come to the end of her journey or was this just the beginning?

Next time: Delays and decisions.

 Euphrasie’s dreams and God’s plans for her were  gradually becoming clearer, since now, thanks to Fr. Lefournier, she knew of a Missionary Congregation for sisters in Cuves.  With the impetuosity and impulsiveness of youth she thought that all she had to do was to pack her bags and go!  She had not expected opposition from anyone and certainly not from her God fearing parents! When, in a surge of enthusiasm and excitement she burst into her home telling them,

“It’s all settled!  I must go to Cuves immediately to join the Sisters of Calvary!”

Her parents stared at her in horror, “No! No! You must not! I will not allow it”, gasped Adele, while Louis, her father, was even more adamant.  They were not prepared to even consider the matter.  Euphrasie could not believe what she was hearing –  that her parents, always so strong in their faith, were refusing to allow her to respond to God’s call to her.  “But Mama, Papa, God is calling me – I must go, I must go”, Euphrasie cried in desperation as she sobbed uncontrollably and her tears flowed,

Frightened  and angry, Adele pleaded, “We cannot allow you to do this!  We would never willingly stop you from doing what God wants but how can we be sure that this is what God wants from you?  Why can’t you go to the good sisters who taught you here in Caen instead of going to the ends of the earth to work among strange people and cultures! “

Louis also put forward his objections, “What if you were stranded in a foreign, faraway country alone, ill, unhappy and completely lost.  How would we know and how could we bring you safely home?”

Euphrasie argued and wept but Adele and Louis insisted and held on to their views.  The whole family was in turmoil.  It was Fr. Lefournier who finally came to support Euphrasie in her hour of need.  “I have made further enquiries,” he said, “and I am satisfied that these Sisters of Calvary  are both sound and reliable.  Let Euphrasie go to them and try her vocation.  Should things not work out, I will be responsible for bringing her home.”  Even after this assurance, it was only after further argument and discussion that Adele and Louis reluctantly agreed to allow Euphrasie to go.  If God really wanted this they could not possibly refuse but they loved their firstborn child and were naturally very fearful for her safety.  They were broken-hearted.

Sister Louise Shields, Rndm

No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is,

if we lose hope that is our real disaster!’

                                                         [Dalai Lama X1V]

1845 heralded a year that was to bring tragedy and heartbreak to the Barbier household!  Euphrasie was now sixteen years old and her sister Nathalie a year younger.  Nathalie had left school not long after Euphrasie and had begun her training as a seamstress in a workroom run by the Sisters of Providence.  The girls were very close and realised how lucky they were to be getting such good training and to have steady jobs.  Laundering and sewing would always be needed and would provide a reasonable income in the years ahead.  Both girls were dedicated and reliable workers and they worked from dawn to dusk six days of the week but they looked forward to Sundays when they would have time to spend at home, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the younger members of the family thus giving their mother a well-earned rest.

It was on a sunny Sunday morning that the clouds of tragedy gathered over the Barbier family.  Euphrasie and Nathalie were upstairs cleaning and dusting and no one was clear as to how the accident happened.  Had Nathalie been  cleaning the open window or had she just sat down on the window ledge to rest? Whatever the circumstances Nathalie lost her balance and went plunging head first through the open window to land on the paved courtyard below.  Horrified, the family rushed outside.  Louis ran to fetch the doctor, Adele spoke gently to her injured daughter while Euphrasie, practical as ever, grabbed towels to mop up the dark mass oozing from Nathalie’s head.  When Louis and the doctor arrived they found the family sitting around the patient who, by this time, had come round and was trying bravely to smile up at them.  Carefully they carried  her upstairs and put her to bed.

“She will be stiff and sore tomorrow,” said the doctor “but there is nothing broken, just a cut on the head.  Let her rest and sleep. She will be all right in a few days.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and gave thanks to God for Nathalie’s narrow escape.

Months passed and the incident was almost forgotten apart from the fact that the children were strictly forbidden to play near open windows!  Then, less than a year later, Nathalie came home from work one day feeling very ill.  The doctor was sent for and, after examining her and asking for symptoms of her condition – blinding headaches, vomiting, spasms of paralysis, confusion.  He told her parents,

“I am afraid that your daughter has suffered a serious injury to her brain, a blood clot has formed causing congestion.  She will need constant nursing but sadly there is nothing that I or any other doctor can do for her.”

The Barbiers were absolutely inconsolable as they realised that Natilie would not be with them much longer.  In the weeks that followed, Natalie’s condition deteriorated rapidly and they were constantly at her side.  She lay still and silent as a stone, her mind beyond reach. So it was that one night, as her parents and Euphrasie sat watching and praying at her side, in the dim candlelight, Nathalie’s short life ebbed away and came to an end. She was not yet sixteen years old!

Euphrasie proved to be a tower of strength to her parents and family at this sad time though she herself was overwhelmed with grief and shock and she missed her sister greatly.  Externally, life went on but it would never be the same, for a gentle, loving, shining light, which had brought such happiness to all, had been extinguished.

One Sunday morning, not long after Nathalie’s death, Euphrasie went as usual to Mass at the nearby Cathedral.  There she listened attentively, hanging on every word, as a visiting missionary bishop spoke about his life on the missions and asked for help for his poor mission.  He was an old man, tall, bearded and bent, obviously worn out from the many hardships he had endured.  Euphrasie, who had never lost sight of her own precious dreams of one day going to a missionary country, felt her hopes rise and with the impetuosity of youth, went to speak to the bishop after Mass, told him of her hopes and dreams and even offered to go and work in his poor mission.

The bishop listened intently and stoked his long beard thoughtfully.  “My dear young lady, this is a wonderful offer,” he said, “but you are very young and I do not know you.  Why don’t you ask your parish priest if he thinks you are ready for missionary life!”

The parish priest, Fr. Lefournier was neither amused nor enthusiastic and as a way of stalling the inevitable, told Euphrasie once again to put in writing her reasons why she thought God was calling her to be a missionary.  “That will keep her busy for a long time,” he thought!  However, to his amazement Euphrasie returned a few days later with a sheaf of neatly written pages.  When reading it he was surprised that someone so young could put her thoughts so clearly, logically and with so much common sense.  He was spurred into action realising at last that God was indeed calling Euphrasie to become a missionary and he began making enquiries about congregations of Missionary women.

Quite by chance, [or was the Spirit at work], he saw an advertisement for a missionary community called the Sisters of Calvary.  Founded only in 1840 by 1848 they were flourishing and growing in numbers.  At this time they ran a very good boarding school for girls in Cuves, a village in eastern France and at the same time they were preparing themselves to go to the foreign missions.

Euphrasie was overjoyed when Fr. Lefournier gave her this information.  She had never doubted that she would eventually find the missionary group that God wished her to join.  Her plans and dreams were now falling into place and she was full of hope!

Next time: Opposition and sad goodbyes.

when a door opens and lets the future in.”

[Deepak Chopra]

Euphrasie’s happy school days passed all too quickly and it was when she reached the age of thirteen that a door did, in fact, open and let the future in – a door that she did not particularly want to go through.

She had grown and matured over the years and her parents, looking to the future, thought that the time had come for Euphrasie to leave school and learn a trade or skill which would enable her to earn a decent living in time to come.  However, knowing how happy she was in school, they dreaded telling her of their plans. They had given her a good education – better than most working class girls could expect, but now she needed to move out of childhood and learn to provide for herself and her future. What better way to do this than to learn a trade?

Euphrasie’s mother had a good friend in town called Mademoiselle Roget.  This lady owned a laundry and had a very good reputation as a laundress.  She also trained young girls in laundry work.  It happened that at this time a vacancy came up in this laundry training course and, hearing about it Adele, Euphrasie’s mother, never one to miss an opportunity, managed to secure this place for her young daughter. When telling her of their plans, Adele said to Euphrasie, “Mademoiselle Roget is a very good woman.  She seems to be very stern but she has a kind heart, she is very fair and trains her girls well.”

Euphrasie was quiet and thoughtful as she bowed to her parent’s wisdom and did not seem to be too unhappy at the prospect of learning a trade.  Her feelings were mixed though – to leave school and move into an adult world was quite frightening in some ways but in another way it was the beginning of an adventure which opened up unchartered possibilities and opportunities  that she felt ready to embrace.

The following Monday morning, Euphrasie was up early, ready to meet what this new day and this new adventure would bring.  As she entered her workplace she was met by Mademoiselle Roget who looked her over sternly.

“You are very small but if you are a hard worker like your mother, you will do! “ Then came her first instructions, “Now remember, no talking is allowed in the laundry during working hours.  This job needs nimble fingers, concentration and good judgement!”

During her first days as an apprentice, Euphrasie was assigned to washing and wringing – washing and wringing – continuous washing and wringing!  The work  was so hard and tedious that, as she returned home each evening, her arms and legs felt as though they might fall off!  As time went on though, she progressed to washing and ironing, handling delicate linens and laces that were fashionable among well- to- do ladies of the time.  She found herself working with precious and fragile fabrics some of which she had never seen before.  It was painstaking and laborious work especially since they used quite primitive and basic methods  – flat irons which were heated on wood stoves –charcoal – tongs and boiling water.  In spite of this Mademoiselle Roget, taught her trainees to see their work as a beautiful and exacting art, worthy of the utmost attention and devotion.  Euphrasie took her apprenticeship very seriously.  She grew to love her laundry work and in time became very skilled.  Adele and Louis were proud of their daughter’s progress though they still regretted having had to take her out of school. They talked to her godfather, Uncle Francis about this and he offered to come and teach her three times a week.  With her work, her studies and involvement with church groups, Euphrasie’s days were very full.

It was around this time that Euphrasie’s mother gave birth to another daughter and Euphrasie was overjoyed.  Her delight knew no bounds when she was asked to be godmother to her new little sister.  Like Euphrasie herself, because she was so frail and sickly, the baby was baptised soon after birth.  They named her Eugenie.  For eight days, Euphrasie, raced between home and work as she tried to care for the younger members of her family. She spent much time cradling her little sister who seemed to be sleeping her life away. One evening, as she lay in her mother’s arms, Eugenie fell asleep forever. The Barbiers were heartbroken and Adele never really recovered from this sad loss.

Life, of necessity, soon resumed its old routine and Euphrasie’s days became as busy as ever.  However, Euphrasie still clung to her ‘impossible dream’.  “Someday,” she thought, “someday I will become a missionary,” and secretly she saw her present experiences as training  and preparation for a needy mission that was waiting for her somewhere in the world

A new curate arrived in her parish when she was about fifteen.  He was devout, enthusiastic and energetic.  After his first sermon, Euphrasie felt that, through him, God was speaking directly to her so she went to speak to him and told him about her conviction that God was calling her to be a missionary sister in some needy foreign land.  Father Lefournier was astounded.

‘A sister?’ he asked, ‘a missionary? Have you ever heard of a woman going to foreign lands as a missionary? I certainly haven’t!’

Not wishing to discourage the young girl, he advised her, ‘Go home and start working on the 3P’s – Prayer, Patience and Perseverance.   Try to grow closer to God every day of your life and in His own good time God will show you what He wants!’

Though he regularly guided and encouraged Euphrasie’s spiritual growth and asked her to write in detail the reasons why she wanted to be a missionary and what this would mean to her, he made no attempt to find out if there was such a thing as a missionary religious order for women.  Meantime she continued to work on her 3P’s especially the middle one – Patience!

Was that long cherished dream of Euphrasie’s really going to be impossible?

Sister Louise Shields, Rndm

                                                                                                                  [Emily Bronte]

 Euphrasie was just six years old when the family moved from Louvigny back to Caen, a small town in Normandy, France.  While they lived in Louvigny, Louis, Euphrasie’s father, had helped to manage the farm but now he wanted to take up his own trade once again – that of shoemaker.  He found a suitable apartment near his shoemaker’s shop in Caen and when the day finally came for them to move, the children were breathless with excitement as they ran from window to window of their new home, pressing inquisitive little noses against steamed up glass, their eyes wide with wonder.

They gazed enrapt at the world below them, which was so different from the quiet, pastoral world of Louvigny.  There were many houses and shops, with streets full of people hurrying about their business.  Directly opposite their father’s shop rose the towering grey steeple of St. Peter’s church – now their parish church.

Once they were settled in their new home, the next very important task was to find a suitable school for Euphrasie and Natalie.  So, one morning, Adele, their mother, took her two little girls to enrol them in the sisters’ school nearby.  Their teacher was to be Sister Arsene and in time  the two new pupils grew to love Sister very dearly.  “Sister Arsene said….” became the catch phrase at home.  Her word was law in school – and in the Barbier household as well!  With the enthusiasm of many a six year old, Euphrasie declared that she was going to be a sister like Sr. Arsene when she grew up!  ‘Out of the mouths of babes…..!’

Louis and Adele were delighted to see their children so happy in school.  They were very bright and made good progress in reading, writing and arithmetic but the lessons they looked forward to most were those about religion.  Each day they came home with tales of joys to come when they would be able to receive Jesus Himself in Holy Communion.  These were the happiest days of Euphrasie’s young life and she blossomed in mind and spirit.

Happy and rewarding though it was, school was not the only source of education for the children.  Louis, their father, was a man of wide experience and was well educated.  He had, at one time, been a Napoleonic soldier and had seen service in Guadalupe, where he had been born and brought up. He had vivid memories of days filled with warm sunshine, sandy beaches and of being immersed in a sea of colourful tropical plants and flowers.

Sitting around the open fire at night with his family beside him he would tell gripping tales of travels and adventures, of strange people and their customs, of terrifying tropical storms and the hardships and dangers he encountered.  He told tales of slaves and masters, soldiers and pirates, superstition and voodoo and most importantly of all he spoke of the brave missionaries who came and tried to bring God into the whole dangerous and volatile situation.

Euphrasie was spellbound as she listened to these stories especially!  The seed of things to come was already being sown!

“I will be a missionary when I grow up!” she cried, “I will go across the sea and tell the poor people about Jesus!”

Louis laughed at his little daughter’s eagerness and enthusiasm and said,

” Euphrasie you are a good girl but you could never be a missionary.”

“Why not?” she asked, “why can’t I be a missionary?”

“Because,” she was told, “it is far too dangerous.  Only big brave men can be missionaries.  It is a very hard and rough life – no life for a well brought up young lady like yourself!”

“I wouldn’t be afraid!” declared Euphrasie and her face took on a determined look. It was enough for her to be told. “You can’t!” for her to want to prove to all that she could!

At the age of nine, impressed by her knowledge and eagerness, the parish priest allowed Euphrasie to join the First Communion class and, under the guidance of Sr. Arsene and after intense preparation on her part, the longed for day finally arrived.  She received her First Holy Communion on Trinity Sunday and celebrated the event with her family.  She was overcome and overwhelmed by the wonder of the moment and, for the first time in her life, lost for words!  She knew and understood, even at this tender age that she now belonged to Jesus and that she would one day be a sister and live her life all for Jesus.  As she outgrew childish games, Euphrasie said less and less about becoming a missionary but she still thought about it.

The dream of going to faraway places to bring the knowledge of Jesus to people who had never heard of Him became a real force in her life and she could not bear to have this precious dream laughed at, even in good humour!

Sister Louise Shields, Rndm