ALBI
COMMUNITY DEPENDENT ON THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT
The community of Albi has always been the MotherHouse of the Congregation.
Mother Gérine arrived in Albi in 1852 with two other sisters, following the insistent invitation of the Mayor of the city and the Archbishop of Albi; at first the sisters lived in rue du Collège, in a small house knows as “marmite” so called because in had most likely, once been the kitchen of an old college run by the Jesuit Fathers.
The building – however – (not far from Rue du Collège) which still houses the community stands on the land that Mother Gérine purchased in 1854 for her newborn Congregation; at that time the complex included a house, a garden, land, a fountain and had welcomed –before 1789– the convent of the Dominican Fathers destroyed by the fury of the French Revolution.
Today the community continues – as far as possible – to keep alive the charism of Mother Gérine by caring for her mortal remains.
Currently the community is made up of ten sisters; some of them (the most active members) are involved in the two parishes of the city, where they dedicated themselves to catechesis, the animation of parish groups who share the Word of God, and youth ministry; whenever possible they also help in charitable services of the city.
In the house the sisters welcome those who wish to share community prayer, participate in the daily celebration of the Eucharist, or simply be listened to; tourist groups—often organized by the local Tourism Office—are also regularly welcomed as they visit Albi to discover places linked to Dominican spirituality. These visits provide an opportunity to share the Dominican charism, and in particular that of Mother Gérine: her life and the lives of the Sisters who preceded them, lives wholly given in the name of the Gospel.
The older sisters, through their prayers and the daily offering of their illness, sow love and hope and accompanying and sustaining the mission of the community.
Many gestures of love, selfless service, and friendship take place within a community characterized by a rich cultural diversity – not only because its members include Sisters from different countries, not solely France, but also because it is a place of pilgrimage for Sisters from various parts of the Congregation who come to visit the “Mother” and the Motherhouse.
