Salesian Center
Pentecost 2014
“Your seven holy gifts are given
to those who have faith
and trust in You.”
– Sequence of Pentecost Pente
Dear Friends and Sisters,
We will soon celebrate the Holy Spirit’s descent on the Apostles ten days after the Ascension of Jesus. He was promised to them, and they waited, united in prayer. We also, have received the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Spirit is a gift that God gives us, the “Gift of God” that exceeds all others (see Jn. 4:10). When we welcome Him, He gives his gifts: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. This list of seven gifts of the Spirit – seven being a number that symbolizes abundance – is taken from the book of Isaiah:
“But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him; a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord. . .” (Is. 11:1-2).
This text, which we read during Advent, mentions only six gifts. But the Latin translation of the Bible, the Vulgate, changed “Fear of Yahew”, cited two times, to “filial piety”. As Daughters of St. Francis de Sales, we pray every day the Veni Creator, in which we recognize the Holy Spirit as the “spirit of seven gifts”, and we ask Him to give us His “seven holy gifts” when we pray the Veni Sancte. The Church tells us that these gifts “complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1831). With the Novena of Pentecost, let’s prepare therefore to welcome the Holy Spirit and not forget to ask him for his “seven holy gifts.”
Many of you are now up to date on the good news: the cause for beatification of Madame Carre de Malberg has advanced significantly. In effect, last May 10, Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing that the virtues of Madame Carre are heroic. This means that the Church has studied and evaluated the virtues of our Founder, that they refer essentially to a witness to the Christian life shown by her intense relationship with God and her constant search for the perfection of the Gospels.
This decision is made following the examination of the cause by a Congress of Cardinals and Bishops, which met last May 6th. It seems that they were especially impressed by the fact that Caroline Carre, founder of a movement for laity, was not a religious, but a laywoman and who was moreover, the mother of a family!
The recognition of a person’s heroic virtues in the Church today, gives the title of “Venerable”. Now, Mme Carre already carries this title since the introduction of her cause in 1909! Several of you have asked how that is possible and I have posed the question to Fr. Brinon, Postulator of the cause. He replied to me that the procedure changed in 1983 and that since then, one gives the title of “Servant of God” at the moment of introduction of the cause; and that it is only after recognition of the heroic nature of the virtues that one becomes “venerable”.
What happens now? First of all, Fr. Brinon must edit, with the help of a member of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the decree which will then be translated into Latin. He wants to integrate some of Mme Carre’s thoughts, which are dear to us. Then, there will be the study of a miracle. In effect, there is already a miracle attributed to the intercession of Madame Carre and which is described in a thick notebook. All sorts of experts, in particular medical doctors, who will say if it is truly a miracle, will now study this. If yes, the cause will practically be finished. However, it will be necessary to await another miracle, which will in turn be examined by the experts. Therefore, now more than ever, we should continue to pray to the Lord for the beatification of our dear founder.
Preparation for the General Assembly continues. We will soon enter an important phase, the election of delegates. In view of this election, the Regionals have brought up to date the list of the members of the Regions. This is tedious work, but so necessary. These delegates, once elected, will have the responsibility, together with “members by right” of the General Assembly (out going Councilors and Regionals), to elect the future Councilors of the different Territories of the Association. This election may hold some surprises since the number of Councilors is a function of the number of members of each Territory!
While waiting for these elections and to prepare well for our General Assembly, we must pray. You will receive today, with this letter, the Prayer for the General Assembly. It has been prepared by the Councilors and will allow each Daughter of St. Francis de Sales to participate in the preparation for this great event, praying and asking the Holy Spirit to send His lights on all those who participate in the General Assembly, so that, all together, we will be able to discover what the Lord wants from our Association and how to get there.
I wish you a beautiful feast of Pentecost!
Annie Trabichet, General Directress
