In May and June 2025, younger members of the congregation gathered in Paris for a formative course on the history of Our Lady of Sion. As well as being a history lesson, it was an opportunity to renew identity, purpose, and shared mission.
The course, led by historian Sr. Patricia Watson, focused on key figures and events that shaped the Congregation’s origins: the Ratisbonne family, the spiritual insight of pedagogist Louise Humann, the conversion of our founder Théodore Ratisbonne’s brother, Alphonse, and the Congregation’s foundation in Jerusalem. These stories are not just part of the past, they are the DNA of Sion’s charism: to witness to God’s faithful love for the Jewish people and to build bridges across traditions and cultures for a world of justice, peace and love.
What made this gathering particularly rich was the intergenerational transmission it fostered. More senior sisters shared knowledge preserved through decades of research, a gift that younger sisters from diverse parts of the world received with both reverence and responsibility; they will be the ones to carry Sion’s history and meaning into the future.
In the midst of the study and reflection, there was also room for joy. The sisters shared meals, celebrated a birthday, and enjoyed time with other members of the broader Sion family. Daily prayer, Eucharist, and quiet time together deepened their sense of community and reminded them that the heart of Sion is lived in relationship.
This event offers a glimpse into one of the characteristics of Sion: a community that values history as a guide for mission and study as a complement to prayer on the life-long path to spiritual wholeness.
A study session with Sr Patricia Watson and a brother of NDS.