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An Interview with Sr. Diana Wauters, r.A., March 19, 2007

The following interview was printed in the newspaper La Nueva Espana on February 23rd, 2007 -- the day Pope Benedict XVI announced the date of the canonization of Mother Marie Eugenie.

Sr. Diana was in Gijon as part of her visit of the Spanish Province. The Assumption Sisters run a school, "El Bibio", there. The school was founded in 1907.

Many thanks to Professor Arlene Guerrero of Assumption College in Worcester, MA, for her translation of this interview!

“Education is transformative and the Gospel has social consequences."

An interview by J. Moran

The American Superior General of the Religious of the Assumption, Diana Wauters, visits the educational center of her congregation today in El Bibio (founded in1907) exactly during those days in which the Holy See will announce the canonization of their founder, Marie Eugenie de Jesus —the Frenchwoman Anne Eugenie Milleret de Brou—who at the age of 22, on April 30, 1839, inaugurated in Paris an institute dedicated specifically to teaching, and also to social projects, the advancement of women, welcome centers, hostels, and parochial activities.

Anne Eugenie Milleret, who died in 1898, founded thirty communities in 9 countries. Today, the Religious of the Assumption number 1300 sisters, from 44 nationalities, implanted in 34 countries on 4 continents. Benedict the XVI announced just today, at 11:00AM, during a Papal Consistory, the canonization of Marie Eugenie.

Q: What’s the significance of the canonization?
A: It’s a great occurrence, a word from God. Marie Eugenie’s path transcends the borders of our congregation. Hers is a possible way of sanctity, with her passion for Christ and the “transformation of society through the Gospel,” which is a phrase of hers.

Q: Before being elected General Superior, what was your work in the US?
A: We have houses in Pennsylvania and in Massachusetts, on the east coast, but also in the West, in New Mexico, thirty minutes away from Mexico. In Chaparral we have a small community that we opened six years ago and in which we devote ourselves to helping immigrants. I worked as a psycho-therapist in a small clinic with people who suffer emotional or psychiatric problems.

Q: What is the evolution, in numbers, of the congregation?

A: It’s growing more rapidly in Africa and Asia than in Europe or America. I spent 12 years working in Africa, until 1987, and at that point we were just a few sisters, the majority of whom were missionaries from France and Spain. Now, thirty years later, the province is composed primarily of African sisters.

Q: You are visiting the Spanish houses of the congregation. Have they spoken to you about President Zapatero and the situation of the Church?
A: We have not spoken much about the state of the Spanish Church. We have spoken about how to continue our path in education, here in Gijon, for example. We talked about the efforts we need to make so that the young people of Gijon can find their mission in life. Furthermore, about how to change the superficiality of education provided to women in the past. And how to change society, and approaches to the problems of poverty.

Q: Has there been any kind of evolution of the congregation from conservative ways to more progressive ones?
A: I don’t like the terms conservative or progressive. Certainly, we try to look closely at the Gospel as a reference in our life and establish coherence between that Gospel and how we personally live, and what we try to give back, and that allows us to be touched by social situations.

Q: A sign of excessive progressiveness seems to be problems with the Holy See. Do you have these?
A: Not at all.

Q: Gijon’s high society was educated in this school, and today it’s not like that. What has changed?
A: There are more middle class people and that has improved access to education.

Q: An alumna of this center, Paz Fernandez Felgueroso, is the mayor of Gijon today.
A: Yes, I know.

Q: What advice would you give her to govern well?
A: I would ask her to think about the common good of the city and to put that common good ahead of any personal ambition, and that there should be a coherence between her personal ideals and the path her government takes.

Q: Benedict XVI?
A: He is undertaking bold dialogues, especially regarding Islam. It’s good to contact other religious leaders to sit down and dialogue.

Q: After the General Chapter that elected you in 2006, what are the congregation’s new directions?
A: First, to strive that education be transformative and to realize that the Gospel has social, ethical and eschatological consequences. Second, to see our role in justice, in peace, in the integrity of creation and in solidarity. Third, our pastoral to help young people find their specific mission in life. Fourth, how to work more with the laity who are interested in the same objectives and in the same spirituality as we are. And fifth, we have a great need of formators for young women who come to us and for our novitiates.

Q: Women in the Church? Problems? The future?
A: -Living in the United States, one supposes that I have a certain reputation.

Q: Advanced?
A: We have our place in the Church, but we continue to need to find our new responsibility. We do not have the same role as priests.

Q: Many years ago, women theologians and religious from North America would pester Pope John Paul II with their ideas and claims.
A: The religious in the US have had a polemic past with the Pope, but are now more centered on living the Gospel than in internal polemics with the Church.

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How You Can Become A:

Sister Diana, r.a.

Superior General

Sr. Diana in Gijon

Sr. Diana speaking

with students

Sr. Diana responding to welcome from students

Mother Marie Eugenie's tomb at the Mother House, Paris