“What I experienced here is that the Americans, those from the state of Maine, are very welcoming. I was touched by that every time I met someone. Whether they knew me or not, they always said hello to me. They always smiled at me,” she says.

Sister Colette traveled to Maine as part of her responsibilities as the treasurer of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon’s General Council, which is based in France, but she stayed here for an additional two months as part of the sisters’ Kindling the Flame program. Launched this summer, the program encouraged sisters to spend time with members of the congregation in another part of the world.

“The purpose of the Kindling the Flame program is really to allow sisters in our different countries to meet one another, to get to know one another, and to build relationships because most of them have never been to another country,” says Sister Rita Bujold, CSJ, who guided the program in Maine. “They get to understand the others’ culture, and they get to learn another language because our congregation has three languages: French, English, and Spanish.”

 The Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon serve in 16 countries, and those invited to be part of Kindling the Flame had the choice of four of them: Egypt, France, Mexico, or the United States, specifically, Maine. In all, 19 sisters, all under the age of 60, participated in the program this inaugural year, including three who chose to come here. Along with Sister Colette, they included Sister Sabine Traore, who is also from Burkina Faso, and Sister Christina Salame, who is from Lebanon.

“It was really an invitation for me to leave what I already knew and move out into the unknown. I took time to discern before really deciding this because such an experience demands that I let go of what I know and really accept and receive what is being presented. I felt it was God’s call for me to just risk moving into this new world, not knowing what it would be,” says Sister Sabine.

 “I never dreamed I would go to another country. I tried not to dream before I got the ticket,” says Sister Christina. “I didn’t put an image in my head of where I was going. I thought that I wanted to live this trip as an adventure.”

Sister Christina says she was given the choice of going to either Egypt or Maine but chose to come here because it offered her a chance to improve her English language skills, knowing that in Egypt, she could fall back on speaking Arabic.

“I wanted to perfect my English. I would like to speak English more quickly,” she says.

The visiting sisters took English language classes while they were, and in addition, volunteers spent an hour each day conversing with them so they could practice what they learned.

 “Part of our mission is to foster unity. You can’t have unity without understanding each other, so we were fostering unity by providing this language program so that each area would at least become a little conversant in a different language,” says Sister Claudette Poulin, CSJ, one of the Maine-based sisters.

“When I arrived here, English was like an unknown, but now I have something that I can continue to learn and I want to continue to learn,” says Sister Sabine.

 “For me, it was not only a choice, but it was a need, a necessity in the sense that being on the General Council, it was time for me to learn English,” says Sister Colette.

Sister Colette says spending time with the sisters in Maine helped her to better understand American culture.

“In the past, I lived with American sisters, but it was them who came to me. Now it’s the opposite,” she says. “The program we had here made us discover a lot about the mission of the sisters but also about secular life because they put us in a relationship with different types of people.”

 That included having lunch and interacting with seniors at the Muskie Community Center in Waterville, sharing a meal at the Lighthouse, which is the Waterville area soup kitchen, and visiting the library, where a group of refugees was learning English. The sisters checked out the supermarket, took a walk through downtown Waterville, went swimming in the ocean, and enjoyed a boat ride on the Belgrade Lakes. They also went to Lewiston to meet with lay associates and to Jackman, where the first Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon to arrive in Maine served.

“It expanded my thoughts on the history of the sisters here in America. It gave me a great image of our congregation. We know the history of the congregation, but we don’t know the specificity of each region,” says Sister Christina. “I feel that there is something that unites us. When I was here, I didn’t feel that I was a foreigner or that I came from a faraway country. I met you, and I felt that I had known you for a long time. Yet, it was the first time. So, this is an internal spiritual experience that really broadened my mind.”

While they were here, the visiting sisters were paired with sisters from Maine, who say they, too, benefited from the experience.

“It was wonderful. It was a great opportunity to learn about their culture in many ways, their ways of doing things that are different from ours,” says Sister Claudette. “The reports that the general team has been receiving are that it’s been a huge success everywhere, and plans are in the works for next year.”

“I think everybody enjoyed it, and the staff here was wonderful,” says Sister Rita.

The visiting sisters say they are grateful to have had the experience.

“Lebanon is a very small community, and our community there is very small. There are only five sisters in Lebanon. But, encountering all of these sisters from the different congregations, I have marveled at meeting them. It was a wonderful experience,” says Sister Christina.

“I thank God for all I have lived and for all the sisters who have accompanied me,” says Sister Sabine. “When I came, it was really difficult for me. Today, I can say that there is a light that rises in my heart.”

“I grew more open-minded. I discovered many new things, many new ways of doing things. I feel that I am no longer so set on my way of doing things. I would accept more easily that there are other ways of doing things that are correct,” says Sister Colette. “I’m returning to Lyon very pleased, very happy, and with the hope that I can continue to perfect my English.”

The sisters will continue to work on their English language skills through monthly Zoom sessions. They will also be able to stay connected with each other through Zoom. 

Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon celebrate their 375th anniversary 

Saying that their witness is as essential today as it was in the year 1650, Bishop James Ruggieri celebrated a Mass at Notre Dame du Perpetual Secours Church in Waterville on October 15 honoring the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon on the 375th anniversary of the congregation’s founding.

“This celebration is not merely about endurance through time but about divine fidelity, the God who keeps writing His story of love through you,” the bishop said. “You are women of relationship, builders of unity in a divided world.”

 The history of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyon dates to 1650, when the congregation, made up of six women, was recognized by Bishop Henri Cauchon de Maupas, the bishop of Le Puy-en-Velay, France. The women, mostly uneducated, joined a Jesuit priest, Father Jean-Pierre Médaille, in dedicating their lives to service. Unlike other religious congregations, they were not cloistered but lived and worked among the people.

“They were touched by the misery around them. They shared the dream to dedicate themselves to God, to live among the people, and to address the needs of the poor. They cared for the sick, the aged, orphans, and imprisoned. They also instructed young girls and guided the poor women and worked tirelessly to alleviate suffering,” said Sister Janet Gagnon, CSJ.

Religious communities were disbanded during the French Revolution, but through the determination of Mother St. John Fontbonne, the congregation was reestablished in Lyon, France, in 1808.

In 1836, the first Sisters of St. Joseph came to the United States, journeying to St. Louis, Missouri. Then, in 1906, at the request of Father Joseph Forest, six sisters arrived in Jackman to educate the children of French-Canadian families.

Stella Dubé Paquette and Elaine Dubé Smith, who both attended school in Jackman with the sisters, shared some memories during the anniversary celebration.

“What I really feel I got from my education with them was striving for excellence and just paying attention, you know, being focused and being a good person,” said Paquette.

“They didn't expect perfection from you, but they wanted you to try your best to succeed,” said Smith.

From Jackman, the Sisters of St. Joseph went on to serve in other parts of Maine, including South Berwick, Lewiston/Auburn, and Waterville/Winslow.