Grandbourg – today

Our life

Our life is first of all an interior one, turned towards the Lord: our mission is to keep watch in faith, to remain in the presence of the Lord, to bring to Him all who are around us: the community, the city, the world; to give thanks for the marvels the Lord has done. This is the prayer that animates us, with personal and community prayer alternating, drawing from the living spring of the Word of God. This nourishes our sisterly life.

Our liturgy: Starting in 1975, Magdalith, who was of Jewish origin, gave up an artistic career and came to the Solitude. She composed the tunes of our liturgy that are in reference to the Gregorian tunes that have their source in the liturgy of the synagogue.

We live in community, where in daily life, we support one another in our weaknesses; we want to welcome one another in faith, thus discovering the marvels of God in our midst; one of our sisters expresses this in paintings, which are the fruit of prayer. We are happy listening to the Word of God as we try to respond to Father Theodore Ratisbonne’s desire that we be a place of praise and intercession for the Church and the world.

Our day is guided by attentiveness to the presence of God in the Blessed Sacrament, which is exposed every day, and to the Word of God. “The divine Word incarnated in a certain sense in Scripture, is in some ways analogous to the Eucharistic Bread.” (Fr. Th. Ratisbonne) Each of us has a long time of biblical reading/study during the day and a time of personal prayer in the morning and the afternoon.

Our spirituality: “Charity is the main virtue of the daughters of Sion… The word ‘Sion’ should be for you the synonym of charity, for charity is among the other virtues what Sion is to Jerusalem.” (Fr. Th. Ratisbonne) Every day during lunch, we listen to a press review that is read by one of us. “The events of our world and of our lives urge us to hear the cry of the poor and to respond anew to the call of God to do justice.” (Constitution art. 15)

Our presence in the diocese: It is a joy for us to “listen” to the life of the diocese, especially through the priests who preside over our Eucharistic celebrations and whom we like to welcome; we carry the diocesan events in our prayer.

Our mission: In 1843, Father Theodore Ratisbonne founded the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion to witness in the Church and the world of God’s faithful love for the Jewish people, and to remind Christians of their Jewish roots. This mission leads us to be open to the present reality of the Jewish people and to be attentive to the way in which Jews interpret the Bible. We are in touch with the diocesan service for relations with Judaism. We have regular meetings with two rabbis in Essonne.

Our work: we make cookies, cards with dried flowers, and we decorate candles.

Hospitality: The chapel is open all day. We welcome whoever wishes to join us in our prayer. Four rooms are available to persons who wish to spend a fews days of retreat.