Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions

Written By Teresa Rayner

I’ve just finished reading ‘Euphrasie,’ a beautiful book written and illustrated by NZ Sr Mary Philippa Reed, detailing the life of Euphraise Barbier, foundress of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions (RNDM).

92 year old Sr Sheila O’Toole sharing her experience of living in Vietnam during the war

What strikes me, as it did during my stay with the RNDM sisters, is the emphasis on God’s Missions - often different to our own grand ideas and plans. In 1861, when Euphrasie named the Order she founded, she wasn’t referring to overseas mission (although that was where she longed to make an impact). Euphrasie envisaged a community participating with the ‘Divine Missions’ - bringing the love of God into the world, as Mary did through her wholehearted yes, and in co-operation with the Trinity (Spirituality - RNDM Website).

The book ends with Euphrasie saying;

“It was never my mission - always it was God’s mission! Always it is God who goes out, who reaches out, who touches people and brings them to life…It does not matter what we do, be it teaching or digging drains. It does not matter that no-one else sees or knows or cares. It matters only that we give ourselves completely to God…”

This concept of mission is particularly highlighted by the patronal feast days of the Mission Sisters - one being Pentecost, where God poured out His Spirit of love enabling us to continue boldly proclaiming the Gospel. The second is the Visitation, where we see Our Lady heading out on mission, carrying Christ to her cousin Elizabeth, humbly seeking to support and serve her cousin in her time of need.

In just two days with the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, I heard many amazing stories of great solidarity in war torn countries and the heart breaking ordeals of recently arrived refugees. But I also heard stories of the commitment of sisters back ‘home’ or behind the scenes, whether it be in the kitchens, giving music lessons, tending gardens or doing laundry. I witnessed a real understanding & acceptance that the sisters are called to ‘God’s Missions,’ not their own, and that can take many shapes and forms.

Talking with Sister Colleen Morey RNDM

While the humble Sr Colleen told me of her time teaching music, saying she wasn’t as ‘spectacular’ as other sisters, another sister who was a presence of peace in Palestine told me that as a music teacher, Colleen was one of the breadwinners of the community, bringing in a much needed income to support other voluntary mission works. While Sr Margaret has spent many years supporting and helping resettle refugee families, I’m also told of the amazing sisters who worked in the kitchens, often keeping 100+ people fed.

I’ve come away from my time with the RNDM sisters uplifted and empowered in my own mission. I may never be called to mission living alongside those in a third world country, or experiencing first hand the horrors of war. But God’s Mission - as the life of Jesus shows us - is about faithfulness to the little things just as much as a willingness to do big things. The majority of Jesus’ ministry was simply coming alongside people, communicating the Father’s love by his words and actions. Most of Mary’s life was simply faithfulness in the ordinary things - bearing and raising a healthy child and remaining attentive to God through her motherly duties, humbly serving those around her.

Sr Anne Sklenars RNDM, who welcomed me
into her home during my visit

For some reason, a classic line from Horton Hears a Who popped into my head as I reflected on my time with the Mission Sisters:

‘A person’s a person no matter how small.’

But instead, I got thinking;

‘A missions a mission no matter how small.’

That I feel is what Euphrasie Barbier had in mind when she founded the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions.

God’s Mission is about faithfulness to the little things just as much as a willingness to do big things.




FURTHER RESOURCES:

  • Treasuring Our Past, Shaping Our Future documentary celebrating 150 years https://youtu.be/FviXpvs9FgY

  • Behind the Visor - my Life in Wartorn Vietnam📚 by Sr Sheila O’Toole RNDM. A gripping biographical account of Sr Sheila’s experience in Vietnam

  • Euphrasie📚 by Mary Phillipa Reed RNDM. A detailed account of the life of foundress Euphrasie Barbier and the beginnings of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions

  • A Thoroughly Modern Nun📚 by Kelsey Wilkie, a 2017 article in the Waikato Weekend newspaper. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/90817187/

  • International Website for the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions: https://www.rndm.org/

  • Stories from a Nun’s Heart📚 by Barbara Cameron RNDM

  • Palestine Peace Mission📚 a collection of emails by Barbara Cameron RNDM

Teresa Rayner
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