© 2012 Sisters of the Holy Family of Bordeaux
2. The Spiritual Project and Its Realisation
In this way, Marie-Thérèse Dubouché wanted to establish, not just a religious community, but a new people living adoration. It included lay people living a life like that of others in the world, lay people living a kind of religious life in a hidden way, and also religious who were their support. The religious themselves led a very simple life. The Rule of Carmel taken as a basis, was mitigated and simplified; even those of poor health could practise it. A little revolution consisted in the fact that there were no lay sisters. All the sisters were to be involved in both adoration and work. The Religious did not have a purely contemplative life: they exercised an apostolate by means of retreats.
The community began in Paris and then in Lyon with the help of Cardinal de Bonald and St. Pierre-Julien Eymard . Marie-Thérèse had much difficulty in ensuring the integrity of the original project. The Carmel disturbed her; she had to separate herself from it. Certain people, or certain sisters, wanted a more monastic life, others a more apostolic life. There were crises due in part to ill-advised counsellors. She succeeded, however, despite many struggles, in founding and maintaining houses in Paris , in Lyon and in Châlons-sur-Marne . She attempted to establish a branch for men which did not develop. She died in Paris on 30 August 1863 . Her process of canonisation has been introduced.
After her death Rome requested changes in the initial project. The notion of Society disappeared as well as the equality of the sisters and certain lay forms of the Work. It remained a Congregation of Religious so the Foundress’s idea was destroyed. The houses of adoration remained, however, and fulfilled their role. That of Ulm Street in Paris is well known in the capital. For some years now, reflection, better information, and evolution in Canon Law have led to the rediscovery of the initial intuitions of Marie-Thérèse Dubouché .
With her we find ourselves before a mystic adventure. This is much more obvious than in the case of Pierre-Bienvenu Noailles who was reserved about his interior life. The initial project broke with the customs of the 19th century in a way which is somewhat reminiscent of Fr. Noailles . It was a matter of creating something very new under the form of a family. Fr. Noailles called it an Association uniting in a common spirituality all states of life, but the realisation was only partially achieved. The need to rely on the houses of cloistered religious made the work vulnerable at first. The lay branch was not able to get the strength which would have allowed it to continue. The canonical realisation did not help the charism, so that up to the present day at least the primitive intuition has not attained its full measure.
© 2012 Sisters of the Holy Family of Bordeaux