France. “Anne, Sister, nurse, and group leader in a working-class neighbourhood” is the title of an episode of the podcast of Scouts and Guides of France dedicated to ‘Talents of Scouting’. In eight minutes, Sister Anne Méjat, Daughter of Mary Help of Christians of Mary Help of Christians Community of Lille, of the Notre-Dame des Nations (FRB) Province, tells with vivacity, depth, and enthusiasm what she has received from Scouting and how she lives it.
Sister Anne is 45 years old and a Salesian for 8 years. In this program, she is invited to present herself and tell how she was “born in scouting”. Her father was involved in the Scouts and she went through all stages of Scout life: pioneer, companion, leader, educational guide, group leader, etc. “I did everything there was to do in Scouting,” she says. I did everything I could,” she adds. She was a professional nurse, worked in a hospital, and now works in a health service for adolescents.
When Sister Anne arrived in Lille five years ago, she took a position of responsibility in the Scouts and Guides of France.
What is the link between Scouting and your faith? “If I had not known the Scouts and Guides of France, today I would not be a Salesian Sister!” In the second year of the Pioneers, the Pastor started a group to prepare for confirmation. “As the parish priest was young and plesant, I went there, even though I told myself that it wasn’t for me. But in the end I stayed; it was for me! I had a lot of questions. There I lived my first confession and my first real personal encounter with God.”
She also quotes an “incredible phrase” from the Pioneer Charter: “Find reasons to believe in your doubts”. “At that age, I didn’t understand anything about that phrase… but it really means a lot to me,” she emphasizes.
And now, how do you live your faith in scouting with the young? “I think people expect a Sister to talk a lot about Jesus and God. Actually, I don’t do that much, but I am very busy accompanying young people, parents, and families who live in a working-class neighborhood and have no Scout history. I am excited about this marriage, which is fine. Scouting really is a way to bring together young people who would never have met. In my group, for example, there are young Roma who can’t write… well, the others don’t care and help them. It’s a wonderful thing!”
Board games, playing the guitar, knowing how to delegate, working in groups, being enterprising… Sister Anne also talks about everything that Scouting has taught her.
Source: Don Bosco Aujourd’hui
