Sr Marie Pierre RUCHE

Née Hélène Henriette RUCHE

1927- 2024

On December 30, 1927, little Hélène was born and filled the Ruche family with joy, the 4th of 6 childten.  She grew up in the village of St Didier, Haute-Savoy, which now is called Bons en Chablis since it was joined with another village.  Her parents, who were small farmers, were part of the mutual support system that operated in the countryside at the time, which ensured that life was possible on small farms: ploughing, harvesting.  And Hélène, like the other children, contributed her small part to the work in the fields.

Even as a child she enjoyed reading, as did her sisters, so much so that their mother established a rule : reading only on Sunday !  In the village 2 or 3 Sisters of St Joseph taught catechism, organized a workshop in the winter to teach the girls sewing and prepared the children for a Christmas program at the end of the year.  After primary school, Marie Pierre left for Switzerland, for the boarding school of Bourdigny run by the Sisters of St Joseph.  Since her parents did not have the money to pay for her room and board, they gave the Sisters of the village part of their harvest : potatoes, beans, fresh cheese, pork which they had raised on the farm, grain for the chickens.

In her words :

At Bourdigny all the students were boarders.  There was a certain discipline there which did not stop us from having simple realtionships with the Sisters.  I felt called to become a religious and my concern was above all to know if I would be happy in that life. But the laughter which I heard from them reassured me.  I entered the novitiate in 1946 and followed the classic formation of the time which I think gave me nothing more than I had already received at Bourdigny.  I do remember one retreat at the motherhouse which left me sleepless so deeply was I affected by the content of the talks.

She made her first vows in 1949 and her final vows in 1952, and was soon involved in teaching at Notre Dame du Rocher.  Later, she told us how much in her life she experienced what obedience is.

In her words :  

After a few years teaching, I continued my studies in Montpellier.  While I was pusuing my studies at the university, during my first year I lived with the Sisters of the Holy Family who had recently joined themselves to our congregation.  The second year, since I was the only student I suffered from not being able to share my experience.  I tried to go back and visit my sisters in Chambery but my superiors thought the trip to be a waste of time.  It was the only time that obedience made me cry.

Then, beginning in 1968, for many long years she was entirely at the service of the congregation.  She lived through the merger of the 3 provinces of Chambery, Maurienne and Moûtiers and became the Provincial.  In 1981 she became the provincial treasurer and began her first term as superior general in 1986, followed by a second term until 1998, living in Rome at that time. 

In her own words :

My years as superior general were not easy.  Nonetheless I am very grateful to God for having permitted me to open up to the whole congregation and to have met so many of my sisters who, in all simplicity, shared their difficulties with me as well as the joys they experienced in their ministry.

She knew how to adapt to every situation : so many emptying of houses, closing of communities that she had to make over the years !  There was no lack of work, either manual or intellectual.  She learned several languages so she could understand the sisters in the different places where the congregation had been established.

Returning to Chambery she was first provincial and then provincial councilor. She continued to serve her sisters as the one responsible for the community of Ste Marie des Monts.  Then she actively participated in the intergenerational project of Bois Joli in Jacob Bellecombette, which she helped bring to life with the present community.

We remember the many stories and anecdotes she shared with us during our feast day celebrations

Her last years were overshadowed by a fall which undermined her health.  She went to Clos St Jospeh and retained her characteristic delicacy and energy, not letting herself be served when she was able to act on her own.  She was very serene and docile, abandoning herself totally to the hands of God.  She fell asleep peacefully on Friday, April 5, during Easter Week and joined the family of St Joseph which was already united to the risen Christ.

On Friday, April 12, in the church of Jacob Bellecombette, at 2:30 pm, we will give thanks to God for Sr. Marie Pierre, faithful servant who responded with generosity to the calls of the congregation and of the God whom she served her entire life.  We pray for her, with her, for her sister and the whole family.

The burial will take place after the Mass in the cemetery of Charriere Neuve, in Chambery.

Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery