PRIEURÉ SAINTE-BATHILDE

The origins of the Congrégation des Bénédictines lie in the spiritual quest of Marguerite Waddington-Delmas, a Protestant woman of the early twentieth century. A pioneer in the establishment of an open and strong female monastic life, she saw many of her works confirmed in their broad outlines by the Second Vatican Council. In this spiritual search that led her to the Catholic Church, Marguerite gradually joined the Benedictine family through secular oblature, promising to follow the rule of St. Benedict in her private life without joining a convent. On July 11, 1918, she joined the order on a regular basis at Ligugé Abbey, taking the name Sister Bénédicte. That same year, at the Abbey of Sainte-Croix in Poitiers, participating for the first time in all the hours of the Office, she discovered the liturgical prayer that was to become the very heart of her life. It was then that her desire to give herself entirely to God was awakened. Dom Besse, another key figure in the creation of the order, to whom she confided, immediately thought of a regular oblature. His dream was to see the creation of houses where women would lead the Benedictine life in an open setting. Through various trials and tribulations, a trial took shape in 1919 with a group of oblates who settled in Paris, in a small mansion on avenue de Ségur. But it wasn't until 1926 that this new congregation was accepted by the Church, and founded under the name of Oblates missionnaires de Saint-Benoît. The history of the Vanves community began with the birth of the Congregation, until 1934, when the foundation of Ambositra in Madagascar gave Vanves the face of a community in communion with another.

At the Sainte-Bathilde priory, the whole community welcomes guests, although some sisters are in charge of the guest house. The sister in charge of the porter's office and the sisters in charge of the guesthouse are available to help with maintenance, presence, teaching and accompaniment. The community welcomes single women, couples and young people seeking a place of spiritual renewal and silence. They invite their guests to join in community prayer, and allow them to meet a sister if they wish. The Benedictine community also organizes retreats and various sessions: biblical, prayer, singing or zither... They also run the Vanves religious bookshop, adjacent to the monastery.