Sisters of Saint Joseph of Annecy

Sr. Marie de la Providence – Marthe Trabichet

of Vulbens, Haute Savoie

who died at Grand Chêne, Vieugy

on 14^th June 2023

         aged 88 years, 63 of Religious Profession

Sister Marie de la Providence, Marthe Trabichet, was born on 26 October 1934 in Vulbens. Her father’s first marriage produced 3 children. Misfortune struck the family with the death of her mother. A few years later, following a second marriage, the family had 3 more children, including Marthe. The family was close-knit but raising 6 children required work and savings. So, each child, as soon as they finished school, contributed to the family's needs. This was also the case for Marthe. Here's what a Sister who knew her well wrote about her: "From a very modest background, Marthe was hired as a 'farm girl' at a very young age. She took part in all the work: cleaning the stables, the fields, haymaking, digging up potatoes, etc.... She drove the tractor, handled the plough and the mower with no problem.” It was a tough apprenticeship for a young working woman. An opportunity arose that completely changed the course of her life: the chance to work at the hospital in Saint Julien. She was assigned to clean the operating theatre. This demanding job required a great deal of discretion and meticulousness when handling and cleaning operating instruments. It was nothing like working on a farm. Marthe adapted well straight away. Some of the young girls, who were housed in the hospital, took care of the cleaning and tidying like her; they were a group united in friendship and joie de vivre. A good listener with a great sense of humour, Marthe was much appreciated by everyone she came into contact with.

During a pilgrimage to Lourdes, in front of the grotto, she felt a very strong call to religious life. On 6 January 1959, she entered the novitiate. She was 25 years old. Her personality was affirmed by the beginning of her industrious life. A few years before her entry into religious life, she had bought herself a Vespa. This was unusual for a young girl at the time. What was hardest for me when I entered the novitiate," she admits, "was to part with my scooter.

She went through the stages of religious formation without a hitch: taking the habit in September 1957; 1st vows in 1960; perpetual profession in 1965. The previous year, she had obtained her state nursing diploma, prepared in Paris. This marked the start of a long period during which she practised her profession, or rather her apostolate, in various hospitals: Sallanches, Ugine, Evian and Annemasse.

Dedicated, attentive, sparing no effort, full of empathy and delicacy, she loved her work. Her apostolate took a new direction when she worked as a home care nurse, first in Annemasse, then in Annecy from 1981 to 2004. For 23 years, she walked the streets of Annecy, caring for her patients' bodies and, above all, their spirits, with her good humour and motherly tenderness. "My little one" is her familiar expression and will remain so for the rest of her life.

Jovial, attentive to the needs of others, she never spared her efforts. A sister who worked with her for a long time said: "She can be very lively at times, a bit of a curmudgeon", and she held firm to her point of view. Is it a fault that she knows how to impose herself, get impatient, get angry? After all, Jesus lost his temper when he chased the sellers out of the temple. This wilful side of Sr Marie de la Providence in no way detracts from her delicacy but makes her even more endearing. She has the intelligence of the heart. She truly lived her name: Providence. She was the providence of many people, without distinction".

At the end of her life she lives in the community of Vieugy . She took care of the Grand Chêne sisters, responding to their many needs, driving and accompanying them to hospital when necessary, which often happened.

But her health deteriorated inexorably. She in turn became totally dependent. But she lost none of her kindness. When a nurse or care assistant asks her: "How are you? Do you need anything? She replies: "I'm fine, dear. I don't need anything. And it was on Wednesday 14^th June that she joined all those she had loved and helped with such devotion. What a joyful welcome she must have received! Goodbye, Sr Marie de la Providence. Continue to be the providence of all those whom you leave here on earth but whom you will welcome with the same tenderness.

Glory to God for your life!