Opening of the Bicentenary of the Congregation
The 1 February 2026, the anniversary of the birth of our founder, Saint Thérèse Couderc, we will open a year-long celebration marking this Bicentenary.
Throughout the year, we will give thanks for all that has been lived during these two centuries, in the company of all who wish to join us: giving thanks for our founders, for the Sisters who have gone before us, for the mission entrusted to us, for all the good received, and for all that the Lord has given to the Church and to the world through the Cenacle.
This thanksgiving will unfold around a theme chosen especially for the occasion: “Of Clay and Gold”. The richness of this theme will be explored throughout the year. How can we not recall the words of Saint Paul in his Second Letter to the Corinthians: “But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” (2 Cor 4.7) . We are a small Congregation, conscious of our fragility. And yet, in our apostolic mission, we are often privileged to witness God at work in the lives of those to whom we are sent. God’s grace is this treasure, this gold, poured out through the clay of our humanity and our weakness. Our cooperation is required, but it is truly God who acts.
Thérèse Couderc herself loved to remind us that God is good—indeed, God is Goodness itself. Here we discover another resonance within our theme. She once perceived the word “Goodness” written in letters of gold upon every creature, animate and inanimate. The gold of God’s goodness is inscribed in the clay of all creation, so that we may encounter God everywhere.
The theme “Of Clay and Gold” is freely inspired by Kintsugi, an ancient Japanese art whose name means “golden joinery.” This art consists in repairing broken objects not by hiding the cracks, as we usually try to do, but by highlighting them with gold powder. The result is a new and unique object. While we often tend to conceal our fractures and vulnerabilities, the theme of our bicentenary, through the image of Kintsugi, invites us to relate to them differently. It calls us to inhabit our humanity fully, in its uniqueness, and to enrich others with all that has shaped our story—even our wounds, which enable us to meet our contemporaries in their own suffering. This evokes the image of the Risen Christ who appears to his disciples in the Cenacle, the Upper Room, on the evening of Easter (cf. Jn 20. 19–20). It is by his wounds that they recognise him; it is through these wounds that his peace reaches them in their fear and isolation.
A rich theme, deeply resonant with our lived experience, “Of Clay and Gold” will unfold throughout the year, inviting us to look towards the future with hope and confidence. This theme is not only ours—it is also yours. We invite you to join us in celebrating the bicentenary of our foundation and to allow yourselves to be touched by the grace of the Lord. May the clay of your lives become more and more a vessel for the gold that comes from God.
Save the date now for a major international celebration on 22 August 2026, in Lalouvesc (in the Ardeche region of France). You are invited to join us to celebrate the feast of Saint Thérèse Couderc at the very place where the Cenacle was founded, alongside people from across the world. It will surely be a day to remember.
