Where It All Began, by Sister Elaine Hollis, SSJ

What an amazingly powerful and tiring day this was! After lunch we set out walking to visit the old city of LePuy and the sites significant to our history. I walked about five miles over every imaginable surface and returned after supper grateful I had not fallen on the cobblestone pavement.

After passing the entrance to climb the mountain to the chapel of Saint Michael, we headed down a narrow street that led us to the chapel of St. Claire. Not far from there we walked along the complex of buildings that used to belong to the Sisters of Saint Joseph of LePuy. Besides housing about 50 of their Sisters and some lay people, there is also a school still on the premises.

Chapel of St. Clair

Walking down a few more streets and alleyways we came to the entrance into the area that contains the rooms which trace our history and the famous kitchen where our Sisters first gathered. Since our group was large we took turns at the two sites.

Entrance to the convent with the history rooms and kitchen 

The history rooms are really incredible and the technology absolutely amazing. One receives a small circular chip which, when placed on the timeline that runs through the rooms, brings up an explanation of a time in history in one's own language. There are displays including a lock and key that were part of the original walled city, and documents from our early founding including a letter from Father Medaille.

Interactive wall that pulls up information by touch

After taking an elevator down a floor in another building, one can visit the kitchen which is the only room remaining of the earliest house. One of its walls that used to be the entrance backs up to the pantry now being used to store food for the catering service that makes food for the residents of the building that surrounds the kitchen.

Sister Simone, who lives in LePuy and is one of our translators, gave us a detailed description of what we were seeing in the kitchen. Hanging on the wall were some samples of the kinds of bed warmers the Sisters may have used when the weather turned cold.

Rani, one of the Indian sisters in the kitchen

Simone asked us to imagine the first six Sisters in this space and then to reflect on the fact that there we stood -- Sisters from all over the world who came from this humble beginning and to whom the charism has been passed over 360 years later!

Some of the group posing for pictures in the kitchen 

More tomorrow about the rest of our pilgrimage.