June 2007 Print

The Little Handmaids of St. John the Baptist are a community of active Sisters with a health and social services vocation, broadly speaking. In the old days, active Sisters were a familiar sight. They went everywhere, bringing help of all kinds to persons and families in need: nursing care and counseling and practical advice. They often had access to non-practicing Catholics, where their activities smoothed the way for a priest's visit. We are a community of Sisters that is not trying to reinvent a new way of life, but that wishes to remain faithful to the program set in place by their founder.

Who is your founder?

Our founder is Fr. René-Marie de la Chevasnerie (1889-1968). He founded the Instittue of the Little Handmaids of the Lamb of God at Brest, in Brittany (France) in 1945. He was a Jesuit and a doctor of theology whose passion was the gospel. He visited the Holy Land several times, and was charged by his superior with making the gospel accessible to simple people. Thanks to Mother Marie de Magdala, our foundress, the former bursar general of the Institute of the Lamb of God who left the Institute as a result of the crisis in the Church, we have in our possession all the writings of Fr. de la Chevasnerie.

How did you fare during the crisis in the Church?

The Institute of the Lamb of God was canonically recognized by Rome in 1967. Unfortunately, the ravages of the Council and aggiornamento began to make themselves felt. In 1969, Mother Marie de Magdala went to Cameroon to found a mission. She stayed there for five years, under the authority of Bishop Zoe, setting up a dispensary and a home economics school. Returning to France for health reasons, she discovered that her community had gradually become quite modern. She was even invited to look for a job and give up her religious habit. She did seek employment, but did not give up the habit. She became a social worker, and worked for several years in a kindergarten in Nantes. In 1979 she left her community in order to create a traditional branch of the Institute. And that is how the Community of the Little Handmaids of St. John the Baptist came to settle at Le Rafflay, in Chateau-Thébaud (about ten miles northeast of Nantes, south of the Loire river).

What is the special feature of your Community?

Fr. de la Chevasnerie frequently preached retreats in French boarding schools especially in the west of France, and he was struck by the number of vocations that did not come to fruition because of health problems and the like. His work and his observations during retreats made him understand the need for a feminine congregation based on the doctrine of the immolated Lamb of God, that would apply the Lord's exhortation: "Learn of Me, for I am meek and humble of heart" (Mt. 11:29). Unlike many active congregations, it is not the chosen apostolate that unites us, but the doctrine of docility and humility of heart. For us, the apostolate comes after as a response to the needs that exist at the time we are looking for some good work to undertake. Thus the main reason for this Community's existence is to make known the gospel by living according to its precepts of docility and humility of heart. The second purpose of the Community, which is specific to our Community, is to accept as members persons of every age, background, and educational attainment; the healthy, but also the infirm and feeble, provided, of course, that they have a genuine religious vocation.

This mix of cultures and classes, and the presence of the feeble and infirm in our midst, is the Communicty's source of mortification. For the infirm and feeble, they have the mortification of accepting themselves as they are; for the healthy, it is to accept living with them, with all the accommodations this entails. That is why it was necessary to have, not just an activity, but a doctrine to bind us together. It is often very much easier to take the discipline than to live in close quarters with a handicapped person day in and day out. It is not always very easy. Fr. de la Chevasnerie was quite aware of the difficulties that this would raise, and he really thought through our life, our statutes, and our constitutions in detail. Thinking of what our life would be like, he composed an Office that is simple.

What are the requirements for entering your Community?

In addition to the general qualities for a religious vocation, the aspirant should have a particular aptitude for humility and docility in order to correspond to the spirituality desired by our founder. We have no age limit. To enter, it is indispensable that the candidate speak French fluently, since difficulty with the language would make discussion and spiritual advancement impossible. It is illusory to think that a foreign language can be learned in a convent.

What are the stages in the religious life in your Community?

First there is a pre-postulancy, which can be accomplished by visits made before entering, or upon her arrival. The length of the pre-postulancy varies according to each situation. The postulancy itself lasts from six months to a year, during which the postulant begins to become habituated to the religious life (a daily schedule, common life). This period concludes with the reception of the habit. Then follows the novitiate, which lasts for two years, at the end of which the first temporary vows are made. Then follow six years in temporary vows, after which the Sister makes her perpetual vows.

What formation do the Sisters receive?

During the postulancy and the novitiate, the Sisters devote part of their work time to the study of the catechism, sacred history, and the Gospels, with particular emphasis on the doctrine of the Lamb, a study that is facilitated by the abundance of Fr. de la Chevasnerie's writings.

What Office is recited by the Community?

The Office of the Lamb. Sometimes people reproach us for not reciting the great Office. First of all, the recitation of the Divine Office is not very compatible with the active life, and it is even less compatible for weak or sickly persons. Fr. de la Chevasnerie composed for us an Office that is simple, which selects texts from both the Old and New Testamtents pertaining to the doctrine of the Lamb of God.

This Office is recited thrice a day: in the morning, at noon after the meal, and in the evening before retiring for the night. The Offices are short, each taking about a quarter of an hour. The noon Office is preceded by the recitation of the rosary, as is the evening office, Compline.

Every day in the morning the Sisters together make a meditation written by Fr. de la Chevasnerie. These meditations are greatly influenced by St. Ignatius, and follow the Ignatian method. Three points are considered: 1) a page of the Gospel taken from the day's Gospel; 2) a page on the Blessed Sacrament in which he relates the first point to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament; 3) a page of personal reflection which concludes with a colloquy with the Virgin Mary. It is extremely simple, and extremely profound. He leaves us with his "word of light" on which we can reflect throughout the day and so recapture the essence of the morning meditation.

In the afternoon each Sister makes a half hour of adoration, the time varying according to her activities. Of course, the most important time for prayer is during holy Mass, which we have every day. Finally, there is an important devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, each Sister making an hour of adoration weekly to pray especially for vocations. And once a month, there is night adoration before the Blessed Sacrament exposed.

Is it necessary to be a nurse or healthcare worker to become a member of your Community?

No, of course not, because all sorts are needed in our Community. Sometimes we are presented as uniquely hospital Sisters, but that is false. We have a few Sisters who are nurses, but they are not all practising their profession presently. Every sort of skill is needed in our house, and we do not want to have religious personnel exclusively: we need cooks and laundresses and gardners... So the door is wide open to all.

What are your current activities?

First of all, we have a small agricultural enterprise (cows, goats, pig, rabbits...) which helps us to live because we do not buy our milk, butter, or meat. A few years ago we built an inn, which was conceived of as a hospitality house for the sick and convalescents, but also for people needing a place to rest or for families on vacation, etc. Periodically, our guest house is used to host spiritual retreats preached by the Domincan Fathers or by the priests of the SSPX.

A few years ago, we launched a program of classes for homemakers, offered to girls or young women wanting to learn how to take care of a family. These classes teach such things as cooking, knitting, sewing, housekeeping, ironing, entertaining, infant care, budgeting, and the role of women in civic life. In 1998, we opened a bookbindery, where we do repairs as well as complete bookbinding.

To make the community better known, we travel to different places in France, selling at the doors of SSPX chapels the wares produced by our Community, which may be anything from Christmas cards to patés and cakes and cheese, or from children's clothing to rosaries and holy cards. Also, having obtained the necessary rights, we sell the writings of our founder which he wrote for the general public.

Every year since the year 2000, we have been organizing the chapter of the sick for the SSPX's international pilgrimage to Lourdes, requested by the Blessed Virgin, who appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Having taken 42 sick people the first year, this year we hope to have 150, since the number of participants has been steadily growing from year to year. The sick come from all over France, and we receive them in a big hospital placed at our disposition, with the nursing care and house keeping taken care of by us and by volunteers.

Do you plan on starting other foundations?

Certainly, but first it is necessary to reach a certain number of Sisters. For the moment, we are consolidating our Community, hoping that the good God will send us numerous vocations.

How many are you now?

We have 25 Sisters, of whom 22 are professed, 2 are novices, and 1 is a postulant. We hope to be receiving some other postulants soon. Several nationalities are represented. After the majority of French, we have Sisters from Mexicoand Guadalupe, Gabon, Switzerland, Austalia, and New Zealand.

Who is your chaplain?

A priest of the SSPX is our chaplain, currently Fr. Jean-Pierre Putois.

What is your daily schedule?

All the Sisters follow the same schedule. The study time is included in the work of novices and postulants.

 

For information:

Mother Superior

Les Petites Servantes de St Jean-Baptiste

Le Rafflay

44690 Chateau-Thébaud, France

Telephone: [33] (2) 40.06.51.68 Fax: [33] (2) 40.06.59.15