This grandmother and granddaughter were in the Psalms Bible studyclass this fall. This past Sunday I found them in the current Bible study class, which is using the Jeff Cavins’ TimeLine videos. I discovered that after I left, the middle generation arrived as well.
Who could resist featuring them on our parish blog? And when I heard their story, I was totally captivated.
Janice Monnot, the first generation – the grandmother, and her husband moved to the area in 1971, 40 years ago. Much has changed since then: Her husband is now gone. She has a daughter Brigitte – “Gigi” – who has married and has a daughter Sienna whom you see in the picture at the left.
Here is their story: Janice’s husband was French and they liked to travel back to France, but in 2009 after he passed away, Janice needed a traveling companion so invited her 10 year old granddaughter Sienna to accompany her. Their visit to France inevitably led to visits to great cathedrals like Notre Dame and Mont St. Michel.
While Janice and Sienna, a great lover of art, were at Notre Dame, Sienna wandered off quietly, in awe of the vast interior. When she came back, she said to her grandmother, “He is here.” “Who?” asked Janice. “Who is here?” And Sienna said, “God. God is here.” She felt His presence in that holy place.
Some time later Sienna told her grandmother that she wanted to become Catholic.
I called Gigi, Sienna’s mother, to ask if she knew that I was planning to do a People in the Pews article about her mother and daughter. These are always done with full permission. When I explained it to her, she said “That is beautiful.” She told me that she had been praying for someone to mentor her daughter in her faith and when they asked if it was OK that Janice teach Sienna about the Catholic faith, she gave her approval. Janice and Sienna have been studying about the Catholic faith every Saturday night and then attend Mass and Bible study on Sundays. Sienna has been baptized as a Catholic and continues her studies. However, because Janice is a cantor at Annunciation and sings in their choir, you won’t actually see them in St. Dominic’s pews that often.
To be continued …
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