Greetings from Rome.
We are on the eve of a significant milestone for our Congregation – the anniversary of our JM foundation day on October 6, 1818. On that day, Claudine, with complete trust in God’s providence, embarked on what she then considered a “crazy and presumptuous enterprise,” which today spans 29 countries. Inspired by this spirit of hope and trust in a good God, we are pleased

to announce the upcoming 38th General Chapter of the Congregation,
scheduled to take place at the Generalate in Rome, from October 15 to November 15, 2025.

Claudine herself lived through the turbulent times of the French Revolution, which deeply affected her family with the tragic loss of her two brothers. In response to the violence and hostility of her surroundings, Claudine guided by God, responded to the needs of girls at risk in her society with compassion and love. She rented a two-storey building in Pierres Plantées, and commenced with one woman, one orphan and one loom. On the night of October 5, 1818, she felt desolation and anguish, acutely aware of her fragility and vulnerability and wondered if her effort would amount to anything. Yet she embarked on a journey of founding the Congregation from nothing, walking an untrodden path in obscurity and darkness, with the sole desire to help the helpless of society, with that deep certainty that God was with her.

Today with gratitude, we look back on Claudine and her companions, as we live in the present with hope, and move into the unknown future, confident that God continues to guide us, opening new paths and horizons.

The General Chapter is a blessed invitation from God to delve into the roots of our Congregation, so as to extend the treasures of our charism, as a fitting response to the needs of our world today, and the years to come. It is a call for a transformation of heart, mind and will in these changing times, empowering us to respond valiantly with the same courage and humility that Claudine demonstrated on the night of October 5, 1818. Thank you, Claudine for leading us forward.

The aim of the General Chapter is: ‘To promote the spiritual and apostolic vitality of the Congregation and to assure its unity in fidelity to its charism, in view of greater service to the Church…’ (C. 70).

In this spirit of revitalizing ourselves and our society with the gift of our charism, we have chosen two women Ruth and Naomi to journey with us.
…

Monica Joseph RJM
(Letter to Religious-Announcement 38th General Chapter. Rome 1 October 2024)