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Year of Mother Christine

August 2005



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I - Who was Mother Christine?

Mere ChristineMarie Marguerite Labitte was born in Paris on February 5, 1865.
Her mother fell ill when she was 14 years old, so she became a pupil at Sion, together with her sisters; they were day boarders.
On September 19, 1888, Marie Marguerite entered the novitiate, and she made profession on September 8, 1890. It looked like her whole life would be dedicated to teaching "her dear children". After profession, she was put in charge of the drawing room, then named second sub-novice mistress in the novitiate.
In 1894, Mother Christine became superior in Royan, and when that house was closed in 1903, she was sent to San Jose, Costa Rica, as superior. There, after the strong earthquakes in 1910, she received the grace of a "big conversion" during her retreat.

But the event that led to the foundation of the Solitude happened a few days later, on October 24, when she was making a Holy Hour that evening in the small chapel of the Três Rios country house. After that experience, she sought a contemplative life, and she asked herself: "So what should I do? … Leave Sion? … I was torn apart by that thought …" For her, this was the beginning of a long search for God's plans …
She submitted all her questions to the superior general … and it was only on October 31, 1926, the Feast of Christ the King - which was celebrated by the Church for the first time that year - that the contemplative Sion took its first steps with Mother Christine, Sister Marie and Sister Désirée.


Mere ChristineMother Christine felt deeply attached to Sion: "The spirit of the Solitude is nothing other than the spirit of Sion." For her, this was obvious, and she instilled it into the novices. "I was convinced that the Branch could only exist in connection with the Congregation…"
During the last week of her life, at the age of 93, when she was already very weak, she was still interested in the Church's questions.
On August 3, M. Marie Félix came to her to give her blessing and again to entrust to her all the Congregation's intentions. Mother Christine told her then: "I am asking God that the fire be enkindled in the Congregation!"
She died on August 19, 1958, three months before the first Solitude community was founded in Curitiba, Brazil.

"We really exist because of a very special result of Our Lord's love for his people. I had nothing which made it possible to foresee what happened…!"
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