BEARERS OF HOPE

The Helpers of the Holy Souls celebrate

150 years of worldwide service

Almost every hour, Eurostar leaves London Waterloo station and two and a half hours later glides into the Gare du Nord in Paris.  The first Gare du Nord was opened in 1846 just ten years before a young woman arrived there to face a new stage in the greatest adventure of her life.  Eugenie Smet, 31, stepped off the train from Lille and her first steps in Paris heralded the beginning of a new religious order dedicated to the relief and deliverance of the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

She always had a deep concern for the Holy Souls from early childhood.  The language and the images of Purgatory in the 19th century spoke of purifying, fiery prisons, of souls languishing there because they had not paid off the debt of their sins.

Their goal was to be admitted to the vision of God.  For Eugenie, a woman of her time, she felt she had to do something to hurry on the process of deliverance and she set about this with an ardour and enthusiasm which drew others around her who eagerly wanted to “sign up” to her cause.  They gathered in large numbers in Loos and Lille.  Little did they realise that in the years to come these meetings would be multiplied in countries all over the world and become known as the Association of the Helpers of the Holy Souls. 

The story of Eugenie is a story of deep commitment and complete trust in the call of God, a trust that drew her to be the “providence of Providence”.  She left the Association in capable hands and followed God’s call to Paris where, after many ups and downs she established a religious order, calling it the Helpers of the Holy Souls, a simple, practical title which stated clearly what the sisters were about from the outset.  In today’s language, 150 years later, it may seem somewhat quaint and dated as a title but the fundamental thrust of the foundation is still there.  Purgatory, purification, is an ongoing process in our lives.  How often have we heard the phrase about someone who endures great suffering: “She has done her Purgatory here.”   What a mystery of faith is this concept of human purification as we struggle towards the complete happiness that can only come when we are united with God

As Eugenie gathered other women around her, attracted by her charismatic enthusiasm, the first community took shape. Church approbation was granted and more and more young women came forward to join the adventure of religious life.  Some among them would travel to the Far East, to China, within a few years of joining the community.  They would bring the love of Christ to the Chinese people, especially the poor and the young.  The first missionary community arrived in China just eleven years after the Sisters were established in Paris.  This was a daring move and demanded great sacrifice and trust from the sisters.  It was, for example, highly unlikely they would ever see Europe again.  This mission would flourish until the Communist takeover of China in 1950 when the Chinese sisters were dispersed or imprisoned and the European and North American sisters expelled.  Today there are Chinese Helpers in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The world has dramatically changed since those early days of the first community of sisters, familiarly known as “the Helpers”.  What prepares a sister for this audacious following of Christ, “from the ends of the earth to the depths of Purgatory”?  It is the love of Christ which inspires every religious vocation but this following of Christ is pursued in different ways.  Some orders opt for an active commitment as teachers, social workers, doctors, and nurses and take on other active roles.  Then, there are those who feel called to a more contemplative kind of commitment, reaching out to the world principally through prayer.

As “contemplatives in action” the Helpers’ daily life is nurtured by deep prayer. Our formation is heavily based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, adapted to the individual and collective mission of the order. Together with the spirit and writings of Eugenie Smet the sisters have a spirituality which gives meaning and life to communities of all races and ages.

As consecrated women we recognise, in faith, the dynamic presence of God at the heart of our world and beyond.

Our vision and our hope
By our entire life, as well as by our words and actions, we desire to help others encounter God.  Therefore, we work to establish mutual respect among ourselves and among others, so that the absolute value of every human being, especially the poor and those most in need, be recognized.

Our Mission

To journey with others in the quest for a more human life and to go right to the end in helping those we meet attain the goal of their creation, the vision of God.
Our spirituality
We seek to bear witness to Gospel values in a dialogue which is open to present day problems.  Therefore, we continually strive to deepen our life of faith as well as to develop our personal gifts. We desire that the living knowledge of God, attachment to the person of Jesus Christ and fidelity to the action of the Spirit be continually deepened within us.
 
Today Helpers are serving in rural areas in Latin America, in Romania and Hungary, Rwanda, Cameroon, Chad, etc.,  as well as in the cities of the world like, Tokyo, London, Paris, Vienna, Lucerne, Kigali, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, N’djamena, Mexico, Bogota, Budapest, Munich, Kolkata, Hong Kong, Taipei, Rome, Milan, Florence, Montreal,  San Salvador, Managua, Madrid .  In Britain, where we arrived in 1873, there are sisters in London, Portsmouth, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Huyton, and Livingston.  Our elderly sisters live their mission and are cared for in the Wishaw convent, a powerhouse of prayer.
 
The Helper today is a woman firmly planted in the present and with an eye to the future, believing that another world is possible.  Her active involvement takes many forms: teaching, parish work, counselling, hospital and college chaplaincy, working with organisations for justice and peace, hospital radio, working with disabled people, spiritual formation and accompaniment.  This variety in mission activity reflects the gifts of individual sisters and their use for the building of the Kingdom, starting here and continuing into the mystery of eternity.  Eugenie Smet wanted her Sisters to: “Help in every way possible!”  If she returned today she would not be disappointed. There are many external differences from that first community, in Paris in 1856, but the spirit endures and is as much alive to day as ever, even if our numbers are reduced. 
 
We move towards the future with audacity and trust, confident that we can rely on God’s Providence to show us the way.  We want to be “bearers of hope” in our world torn by so much strife, poverty and injustice.  We certainly believe that another world is possible and we join with others to make this happen.