Widowhood
“Beyond the death of one of the spouses, the carnal bond no longer exists, nor does the legal bond, nor the sacrament of marriage—which, like all sacraments, belongs to the Church on earth. These realities disappear, as scaffolding falls when the building is completed. But the couple itself remains. If, however, conjugal love remains, the soul of the couple, which between ‘two spiritual and free beings’ transcends the impulse and union of bodies.”
Henri Caffarel, “Companions of Eternity,” 1987
During the war years of 1939-1945, Father Henri Caffarel met with widows on several occasions. Two movements were thus born: the Spiritual Group of Widows and La Fraternité Notre-Dame de la Résurrection. As always, he did not come up with the idea for these movements by himself: people came to see him, they told him of their desire for a holy life; then he discerned, encouraged and accompanied.
The Spiritual Group of Widows
“In 1940, I saw several times young women ring at my door and these women who were 22, 24, 25 years old said to me: “You helped us live our marriage, now you must help me live widowhood and tell me if it has a Christian meaning.” And I answered them that I knew nothing about it at all but that I was willing to search with them.”
The Spiritual Group of Widows, an association created in 1945, became Espérance et Vie (Hope and Life) in 1977.
La Fraternité Notre-Dame de la Résurrection
September 1943. A retreat in Lourdes for about thirty widows. Father Henri Caffarel met with all of them, but seven—who did not know one another—approached him independently to say they felt called to dedicate themselves entirely to God, yet found this impossible within religious life because they had young children. Father Henri Caffarel brought these seven widows together and suggested they go down to the Grotto and ask the Virgin Mary to intercede with the Lord, to help them discover what He expected of them. This took place on the evening of September 8, 1943 and this day of offering themselves to the Virgin is considered to be the founding moment of the Fraternité Notre-Dame de la Résurrection.
To go further
To love even more
Let us reread, if you will, that admirable passage from Saint Luke introducing Anna the Prophetess. It takes the Evangelist only a few verses to etch an unforgettable portrait …
Love is stronger than Suffering
L’Anneau d’Or magazine reproduced the text of a talk given by Father Henri Caffarel at Pentecost 1967, in Lourdes, before an audience of 4,500 widows.
A Note on Consecrated Widowhood
To understand the greatness of the consecration of widowhood, one must recall the promise of perfect fidelity that the wife made to her husband on their wedding day—signified by the “yes” she gave in response to the priest’s invitation.
