On 6 December 2025, in Albi, our religious Family experienced a moment of particular intensity with the translation of the remains of our Foundress, Mother Gérine Fabre, from the Grande Chapelle (where it had been kept since October 1925) to the small chapel of the MotherHouse.
A procession accompanied the small urn containing Mother Gérine’s remains; the procession included sisters from the General Government, sisters from the two communities in France, some sisters from the Province of Italy who had come specifically to participate in this event, and 6 young sisters from the Delegation of Nigeria, the Delegation of Uganda and the Province of Pakistan who were experiencing a time of formation; and then the lay people linked to our communities of Albi and Carcassonne and to the charism of Mother Gérine.
The celebration was presided over by the current Bishop of Albi – Mons. Jean-Louis Balsa – and the the Bishop Emeritus of Montpellier Mons. Pierre Marie Carrè, who had been Bishop in Albi in 2005 and who presided over the General Chapter that marked the reunification of our Congregation.
This procession – accompanying the translation of Mother Gérine’s remains – was not only an act of veneration and memory, but a sign of continuity, communion and renewed fidelity to our charism.
Bringing our Foundress into the small chapel of the MotherHouse, the heart of the life of the community residing there today, recognizes that her life, faith and charismatic insights continue to be a living source for the Congregation, for all of us today.
The celebration was even more significant as it coincided with the 20th anniversary of the reunification of the Congregation, in the year of the Jubilee. The translation of Mother Gérine Fabre’s remains serves as a bridge between past and present: a reminder of what gave rise to our religious Family and, at the same time, an invitation to walk together today, in the diversity of stories, cultures, in a present and towards a shared future.
The reunification represented an act of courage and trust in the Spirit, which brought back to unity what had followed different paths over time. The presence of Mother Gérine, at the heart of the MotherHouse, becomes a visible sign of this rediscovered unity and the responsibility to guard it with responsibility and love.
The memory of Mother Gérine Fabre does not lead us to a past to be nostalgically contemplated, but to a spiritual legacy to be ever more fully lived: fidelity to the Gospel, passion for truth, dedication to educational and health missions, and attention to the most fragile, according to the Dominican spirit.
In this time of grace, our religious Family is called to re-read its history in the light of its origins, recognizing that God’s work continues even through fragility and transformations. The translation of the Foundress’ remains thus becomes a prophetic sign: an invitation to remain rooted in the charism, to be credible witnesses of hope and communion in the Church and in the world today.