Reflection On The End Of The Pilgrimage

Our pilgrimage did not end in Le Puy - it began there. We 12 have returned to the lives we left; we are the same, yet not the same.

We have learned more about our shared history, and have come to experience with greater insight the struggles and sacrifices of our founders. We have walked in their footsteps, and come to know their stories and be inspired by their faith.

The founding Sisters formed a community of women who would love and serve their “dear neighbor.” They worked in orphanages and schools; they took care of the poor and the sick. What began in that little village of LePuy, France, more than 350 years ago continues to be lived every day, by the Sisters of St. Joseph here in Springfield, and by congregations like them throughout the world.

Our pilgrimage has been, like all pilgrimages before ours, a questing, searching journey.
In the end, we have found what we were looking for: a deeper connection to our founding mothers, a deeper reverence for the struggles of Christians throughout the centuries, and a deeper faith in our God.

For this experience, and for our many blessings, I am thankful. I am forever changed.

Annie

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