| Marie 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.
Mother 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.
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