The mandala of Madeleine Sophie Barat

in the Herz-Jesu Kloster school, Bonn-Pützchen

Being in charge of the day-boarding school (demi-pensionnat) in Bonn-Pützchen at the time of the jubilee of the 200 years of the Society gave me a new opportunity to share with the students Sophie’s charism. Together we looked at who she was and what she did during her life.

Then, after having talked about Madeleine Sophie’s life and the significant aspects of her way of being human and of her spirituality, which are visible and incarnated in the work of education in different ways, we decided to create a symbol – a mandala, like a dream catcher - which would show important aspects of her life.

Eleven groups of day boarders discussed what had impressed them most. So they named various aspects, and at the end we had eleven characteristics - one from each group. Now a new process started: to find symbols that could express and illustrate our main lines. We decided to use only natural material for the main elements of Sophie’s life. After that we would work the mandala from the outside to the inside. Each group took one row and knotted the symbols into the circle.

So we chose:

• For the 14000 letters of Madeleine Sophie that still exist, feathers which met at the edge of the circle, because they went out into whole world. It gives the idea that the mandala is boundless, like M. Sophie’s love.
• Having heard of so many difficulties in her life that had to be solved and faced, we came to present them in hard and prickly fir cones.
• Impressed by the possibility, in spite of so many obstacles, to spread inner joy whenever Sophie met people, the children chose the cork stoppers of champagne bottles.
• Having understood that all she did, thought and said came from her deep inner life with God, we placed a row of shells, symbolising the enormous treasure she carried within her heart.    
• Another characteristic could be shown by little nut-shells, as she gave to so many people the feeling of security: near her one could feel safe.
• To symbolise her openness in heart and mind to the needs of the time, the students found shells of the beech-nut that explode and show their inside fruit.
• Into the next row were knotted little rings of wooden pearls, since a ring expresses faithful love immediately when you see it, both to God and to human persons.
• Alder-tree fruits finally express the sense of community (sens du corps) in the Sacred Heart family, which is the image of the ideal of our Holy Mother.
• The center point of the wheel is a heart plaited from willow branches. Right in its midst there is an open space like a circle – a space reserved for God. The edge of the heart was then covered with coloured everlasting flowers to visualise her love to God’s wonderful creation.

With amazement and joy the children saw their team work growing. Everyone took part in it. More than 1700 knots of cord had to be made to fasten one object after the other and to come nearer to the heart of the mandala: Sophie Barat in her openness to the spirit of God and her work of education.

“If you look at the mandala for some time, you become quiet within. You can sink into the hands of God. You receive joy. You can feel inner life and safety. The heart brings strength to your life and you can feel love towards God and others. It has been made by love.”                              
- Denise and Biancha, 11 years old   

Gisela Weber rscj
province of Central Europe