Several months ago, the General Council invited sisters and friends from all geographic areas of the Congregation to take part in a pilgrimage to Holy Union beginnings in Belgium and norther France. Thirty-eight sisters and two friends enthusiastically answered "Yes"! This number grew smaller when ten sisters from Cameroon were unable to get travel documents to enter France. However, each day the Pilgrims remembered these Cameroonian sisters in prayer. The Pilgrims stayed at the Maison des Augustines in Saint-Amand-Les Eaux, a short distance from the places they would visit.
Some Highlights of the Pilgrimage:
- A visit to the tomb of Father Debrabant in the cemetery in Lecelles.
- On June 23, the Pilgrims attended a Mass at the Collégiale Saint-Pierre in Douai where the presider Don Emmanuel Rousselin wore a chasuble used by Father Debrabant. Children and staff from the local LSU school and members of the "Fraternity of Jean Baptiste Debrabant" as well as members of Father's Debrabant's family joined the Pilgrims.
- On June 24th, the Feast of St. John the Baptist, the Maison Sainte-Union in Froyennes, hosted a special liturgy. Many family members, friends and former students joined the residents and pilgrims. The Bishop of Tournai, Monsignor Frederic Rossignol CSSP and the Archbishop of Cambrai, Monsignor Vincent Dollman concelebrated the mass. During the mass, Sisters Asunta Biko Fabian and Lucy Makauki from Tanzania renewed the vows. An outdoor luncheon followed.
View photos of the Pilgrimage below.
