One day, on my way to the post office in St Jacut les Pins, I noticed an elderly couple sitting outside the café “Le Cèdre Bleu”. I’d seen them on other occasions but greeted them from a distance.

This day, I ventured up to them and asked if they were feeling the cold on this October afternoon. On hearing their reply, I realized that they weren’t French; I learned (having lived in England for several years) that they were English, living in the surrounding area of St Jacut itself.

After chatting for a while about England, the gentleman asked me in good French: “Vous êtes ‘une fille d’Angélique Le Sourd’ ? Vous êtes religieuse?” (You’re a daughter of Angélique Le Sourd? You’re a Religious?) and the conversation continued. They asked me how they could contact me. I gave them my contact details and two hours later, I received an SMS telling me how happy they were to have met me and hoping for many more encounters. He concluded: “God willing!

“Let’s not hesitate to venture sometimes; it can be a source of happiness.”

Sister Monique, SSCJ