Sister Anne-Marie Foucher, Superior General, and her Council, have the immense pain to announce the death of Sister Anne-Marie COULOIGNER, which took place on Friday, July 17 2015, at the Mother House; Saint-Brieuc, France.

Superior General from 1984 to 1996, very dear to our hearts, Sr. Anne-Marie knew how to make of all functions she assured at the heart of our Congregation, of our spiritual Family and close to many other religious congregations, the way of service to God and others. These last years, she bore the trial of illness with lucidity and courage. She will be missed by us, for herself, as well as for her wisdom and her listening ear for each and every person without distinction.

Her funeral wascelebrated on Monday, July 20 at 2:30 PM in the chapel of the Mother House, Saint Brieuc. May she rest in peace!

From http://www.fillesstesprit.org/site/english/1175.html

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Falope Anthoni, A Daughter of the Holy Spirit who has encountered Sr Anne Marie Couloigner on hearing of her death wrote:

Cheres Soeurs,

Cette avec un coeur lourd et melanger que nous avons recevoir la nouvelle du passage de notre meme Anne Marie Couloigner au ciel.  Un Coeur lourd car on aime jamais les aurevoirs, mais un Coeur melanger car malgre nos tristesse du depart, nous avons la joie d'avoir une autre sainte au ciel.

Ici a Ilesa, nous sommes sure qu'Anne Marie est arrivee au ciel pour aussitot obtainir la grace de protection a nos soeurs d'Ipetumodu qui ont ete attaque par les voleurs dans la nuit de son depart.

Anne Marie nous reste toujours tres proche!
Aujourd'hui cheres soeurs, nous sommes unis a vous toutes sur tout avec nos soeurs a la maison mere, dans nos prieres et avec la photo d'Anne Marie qui nous permet de ses beaux souvenirs.

Little did we know in the Novitiate during the history of the congregation lesson last Wednesday that Our Beloved Mother Anne Marie Couloigner was breathing her last; memories of her person and her accomplishment in the foundation of our Nigerian Vice Province  was so intense as I spoke of her to the present novices. I have had to restudy other superior generals and their tenors before approaching my lessons with the novices but with Anne Marie Couloigner, i am able to share from a personal experience of being part of the generation of her great and gentle tenor of office. How wonderful! How beautiful to have known and experience such a living saint!

"C'est ne qu'un aurevoir! Nous nous reverons surement! "

"SUN RE IYA RERE!" "WE LOVE YOU ALWAYS!" ADIEU!

                                                            By Falope Anthonia for all the sisters in ILesa.

One of our congregational document as Daughters of the Holy Spirit produced in honour of Sr Anne Marie, carry the following information about Sr Anne Marie Couloigner and we also share it here as follows:

A DIEU, ANNE MARIE, ET MERCI!

Sister Anne-Marie Couloigner was born in Plouedern, near Landerneau, August 6, into a Christian family .All her life, she remained very attached to her family, and her family, very attached to Anne-Marie (Bring the book created by her family for her jubilee).

                In September,1956, Anne –Marie entered the postulate of Daughters of the Holy Spirit, then the novitiate, a foundational stage in her spiritual life. She says: “it is in the Novitiate that I discovered the Holy Spirit as in-dwelling God, closer to me than I to myself……”Henceforth, until her last breath, the movement of her spiritual life would be to “let herself be led by the spirit, in order to live an intimate communion with Jesus in his return to the Father”, under the protection of Mary.

                A short time after her profession, she was sent to Paris for formation in catechesis. She had indeed expressed to those in authority her great desire, “to welcome the Gospel and announce it to others, as Good News which transform life.” In 1965, on returning to Finistere, she invested herself in catechesis: first, at St. Sebastien in Landerneau, then in Brest, at Bouguen, a disadvantaged neighborhood. She was very happy there.

                1972, important turning point: She is called to leave this mission she loved, in order to serve her sisters as co-Provincial of Vannes. As with each of the numerous calls which followed, Anne  Marie said “yes”. Each time ,for her, it was a matter of translating into action the first “yes”, which she had said in setting out to follow Christ. For 7 years, with her teammates, she led the Province of Vannes. At the same time, she lived, as a grace,  participation in the Rule of Life Commission and the work of deepening the spirituality of the Congregation. All that marked her in depth (Bring the Rule of Life ).

                At the end of her service, in 1979, she was sent to Creuse. She discovered the church in the dechristianized rural milieu. A year later, a new call, to Angers, on the leadership team of the IFDP (Institute of Doctrinal and Pastoral Formation), at that time well known and frequented by the sisters of the Congregations of the West of France.

                Anne Marie had just taken over the direction of this institute, when, in April 1984, the General Chapter called her to become Superior General. During the 12 years of her responsibility, with her councilors, she took some important decisions: to restore a Novitiate in Chile (L.A. pottery); to establish the Association movement, first in the USA, then in England, then in France (Association Book of Life); to open a Novitiate in Cameroon; to create a Vice –Province in Nigeria and open a Novitiate there; to Welcome the first African Sisters into the Congregation (Bouquet of different ears of millet); to welcome the request for fusions from the Sisters of Notre- Dame de Briouze (Tapestry of the fusion); to enter into a long discernment before the decision of the General Chapter to ask Rome to create a Secular Branch(SB statutes). During this time, on the national front, she was Vice – President of that which was then called the CSM: Conference of Major Superiors of France, and was active there and very much appreciated.

                At the end of her service as Superior General, in 1996, Anne Marie was sent to live in community in Paris. Over and above her participation in parish animation, she continued to give herself whole- heartedly to formation: in the province of France- Belgium-Holland, and from time –to-time in Africa, close to the young Sisters. She also responded to the requests of the Congregations to facilitate their Council or their Chapters (about a hundred in all). In 2003, when the Secular Branch was founded, she became the General Moderator (and was so until 2014) and participated in the elaboration of its Status.

                In 2012, Anne-Marie was called to assume the responsibility of the Mother House. Her community barely had time to find its life style, and Anne Marie, to find her place in the administrative team of the House, that there she was – slowed down, then stopped by illness .She just had time to facilitate a School of Spirituality in July-August 2013 and, in September of 2014, to celebrate the 180^th anniversary of the installation of the Mother House at St. Brieuc. So began the last stage of her life and not the least, that of a great stripping, during which, lucidly and courageously, she lost progressively all her autonomy and the ability to speak. But until the end, she kept the quality of listening reflection and attention to others which characterized her.

In the course of this celebration of good- bye,

                united to all Daughters of the Holy Spirit in all Units,

                united also to all the members of her human family and the members

                of the DHS Spiritual Family, to all persons who would have loved to be

                h ere and were not able to do so,

                Let us give thanks to God for having given us Anne –Marie.

                Let us thank Him for all that we have received from her and through

                her, and ask Him to welcome her into his peace.

The numerous testimonies received are unanimous:

                it is a grace, a blessing, to have known and spent time with her.