Sr Marie-Lise Adou took part in the opening ceremony in her capacity as the school’s Autorité de tutelle (Guardianship Authority). In French Catholic education, this responsibility involves safeguarding the school’s original and ongoing mission.
Emmanuelle Estrangin, the Headteacher, welcomed all the guests. Father Pierre Brunet, Vicar General, blessed the new building, in the presence of the priest responsible for pastoral care.
Sr Marie-Lise had the honour of cutting the ribbon alongside Emmanuelle, Mr Jacques Le Loup, the Diocesan Director, Mr Ludovic Perney, the Regional Vice-president in charge of Youth, Sport and Student life, and Ms Pascaline Lécorché, the Deputy Mayor responsible for Education. In keeping with tradition, the ribbon was then cut into pieces so that several people could take a souvenir home.
There followed a tour of the building’s spacious, bright and airy premises: the magnificent library, the room for NDS Web Radio and the recording studio.
Once gathered in the auditorium, attendees were treated to contributions from two pupils before the formal speeches began. Anaël, winner of the “ÉlocuSion” public speaking competition for Sion schools throughout France, gave a remarkable repeat performance of his speech, “A door must be wither open or closed”. Another young person performed the Ave Maria, after which the invited guests delivered their addresses.
The celebrations concluded on a joyful note with a talent show, placing the students – fittingly and literally – centre stage as they showcased their developing gifts and creativity.
After SION II was blessed by Fr Brunet, Sr Marie-Lise cut the ribbon. Speeches and performances in the auditorium brought the day to a close.
Father Pierre Brunet, Mr Leloup, Mrs Stephan,
Ladies and gentlemen of the OGEC and APP boards,
Dear members of the educational community, teaching and non-teaching staff,
Dear Emmanuelle, Dear young people,
Dear friends,
Today, we are witnessing a moment that goes far beyond the opening of a building. We are witnessing an event of fidelity.
Fidelity to a history, to an intuition, to a charism: the one our founding fathers received and passed on, the one that continues to keep Sion alive here in Marseille.
When Théodore and Alphonse Ratisbonne founded Sion, they had no other ambition than this: to reveal to every person their profound dignity, and to make education a path of human and spiritual growth.
They believed that the world can only be transformed by transforming hearts. They believed that peace can only be built by learning to see others as brothers. They believed that truth can only be passed on when we seek it together. And they knew that every true work begins in humility.
These words, which accompanied the early days of Sion, still resonate today:
“The works of God usually have humble, obscure, and almost imperceptible beginnings… like poor seeds that germinate for a long time underground before raising their branches, laden with flowers and fruit, towards the sun.”
What we are inaugurating today is one of those branches. Our local history bears witness to this.
In 1885, just ten classrooms opened their doors to welcome the pupils. Ten rooms… but already a vast undertaking: that of educating young people to understand the world and play their part in it with justice and integrity.
In 1973, Mother Emma, faithful to the spirit of the founders, “rejuvenated” the house. She created a resource centre, a religious retreat: places to nurture intellect, prayer and reflection. She knew that an educational mission requires constant renewal. Today, with this new building, we are continuing that same endeavour.
We are revitalising the school so that it can rise to the educational challenges of our time: supporting every young person in all aspects of their being; developing their critical thinking, to awaken their conscience; helping them to become agents of justice and peace; teaching them to love and preserve creation, to give them the means to understand the world and find their place in it.
Your educational mission states it clearly: you are a school on a human scale, where excellence is never separated from kindness, where every young person is welcomed with respect, where their needs are heard, and where their potential to grow is believed in.
This new building is a symbol of that mission. It houses our preparatory classes, a library, an auditorium, a supervised study room and numerous spaces for discussion and work. What a symbol!
Our founders wanted young people to learn to think for themselves, to listen, to debate and to understand the world. Here, they will be able to do so using modern tools, in a space that encourages inner freedom and responsibility.
Your active presence on social media is part of this same dynamic: being where young people are, engaging with their questions, their language and their everyday lives. We, the Sisters, are encouraged to do the same: it is a contemporary way of living out the mission of Sion.
But a building only comes to life through those who inhabit it. So today, I want to say thank you.
Thank you to the teaching staff and to Emmanuelle, who embody the charism of Sion every day in the way they teach, support and look after the young people.
Thank you to the administrative and technical staff, whose dedication keeps the organisation running smoothly.
Thank you to the OGEC, the APP, the architects, contractors and workers who have brought this dream to life.
Thank you to the families for their trust.
Thank you to the young people for their thirst for meaning, their energy and their creativity.
And thank you, Father Brunet, for your presence, which reminds us that our educational mission is part of a broader vision: that of a humanism inspired by the Gospel.
May this new building be a place where young people learn to become fully human. A place where truth is sought together. A place where each person learns to see the other as a brother or sister. A place where the spirit of Sion continues to shine: a spirit of justice, peace, dialogue and fraternity.
Today, we are not merely inaugurating walls. We are taking another step forward in the history of Sion. A humble, confident step, looking towards the future.
Thank you.
Sr Marie-Lise Adou NDS
Autorité de Tutelle