Sister Annick Bourget, smsm
17th November 1938 -18th August 2026
Annick Marie Gérard Bourget was born on 17th November, 1938 in Vallet, in the Loire-Atlantique, two years after her sister Alice.
She was baptised on 27th November 1938 and confirmed on 7th June 1949. Her father, Octave, had a roofing business and her mother, Amélie, looked after the home. The family grew with the arrival of Odette in 1940, Christiane in 1942, Thérèse in 1946 and Michel in 1949. Three children died at birth: Claude, Daniel and Marie. After their father’s death in 1955, the family left Vallet and moved to Lorroux Bottereau to be closer to Amélie’s family.
Annick was a very lively and determined little girl, a bit of a ‘daredevil’, fearless and not easily scared. She spent a lot of time with her father. She loved school and was a good pupil. She was a member of a very loving and close-knit family. She supported her mother during her father's illness. With Alice, her older sister, she looked after her brother and sisters, especially at the time of her father's death. The bonds between the siblings lasted throughout Annick’s life, even after she joined religious life and was sent far away on mission.
She was accepted into the postulancy at Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon on 10th March, 1960 and, on 7th September of the same year was received into the novitiate with Sister Marie José de Préville. Annick received the religious name of Sr Marie Viviane. She made her first profession on 8th September, 1962 following which she was assigned to Sainte-Foy to assist with the novitiate.
Sr Annick joined the SMSM with the Certificat d'études primaires (CEP), the national diploma awarded at the end of elementary primary education in France. After first profession, she undertook several training courses. In September 1963, she began training as a carer and, after a six-month placement received a diploma as a Family Care worker on 28th September, 1964. On 24th January 1964, Sr Annick obtained a diploma as a summer camp leader. Sr Marie Gian Paola in Brescia, Italy has treasured memories of the summer camps. Sr Marie Viviane also pursued catechetical studies as well as receiving a 3rd level diploma in Gregorian chant.
On 8th July, 1965, she departed France from Marseille for Senegal, her first mission assignment. She arrived in the 'Land of Teranga' on 13th of that month and joined the SMSM community in Pikine, on the outskirts of Dakar. She devoted herself wholeheartedly to the advancement of women. On 8th September 1969, she made her final profession. In 1971, she requested to return to her baptismal name. On 12th October 1973, she returned to France on leave. The following day, she was assigned to the new community in Marignane alongside Sr M. Renée Rochette and Sr Nicole le Béguec. There she put her talents to good use as a home help.
From then on there followed a series of rapid changes and congregational responsibilities.
1974: appointed local superior and a delegate to the Provincial Chapter.
1975: Her community moved from Marignane to Vitrolles.
1976: Appointed Provincial Councillor.
1978: On 1st April, she began her second novitiate (three months) at Castel Gondolfo where our Generalate was located at the time and then continued her renewal in France. 1979: On 11th January she was appointed Provincial Assistant in Courbevoie, Paris. 1980: Appointed Superior at ‘Espace 80’ in Lyon and was also a delegate to the General Chapter in Rome.
July 1981 to January 1982: Sr Annick visited SMSM communities and congregational ministries in Oceania familiarizing herself with the Pacific Missions.
1981: Appointed on 24th July as Mistress of Novices for the Province of Eurafrica, though she would never have any novices!
1982: Took part in the meeting of Formators in Peru.
1983: Named Superior of ‘Espace 80’ community which had been re-located to Point du Jour.
1983: Re-appointed Provincial Councillor.
1983: Renewal program: A one-year formation course in ‘Accompaniment and Discernment’.
1984: Granted compassionate leave to care for her sick mother. However, this did not prevent her from attending Provincial Council meetings.
1989: Reappointed on 2nd February as a Provincial Councillor.
1993: Appointed Provincial of Eurafrica. Service that she accepted with much humility
1994: Member by right at General Chapter in Rome.
At the end of her term of office, she returned to the community at Point du Jour.
1996: Appointed on 15th September Postulant Mistress at Pikine, Senegal
2001: Sister Annick returned to France on 12th January 2001, for medical treatment. 2002: Returned to the postulancy in Senegal
2002: Returned to France on 29th September taking up the role of Assistant Provincial to Sr Marie José de Préville. During this term of leadership she went on a familiarization trip to Algeria, Brescia and the Netherlands during this term of leadership.
2002: Appointed Superior of the Point du Jour community on 1st November.
2008: Appointed Superior of the Fare les Oliviers community on 26th October .
2008: In November and December took part in the Marist Month in Rome.
2009: 5th June appointed to the community of No. 53 bis Chemin du Signal in Ste Foy.
2011: Appointed from1st January 2011 to 1st January 2014, Provincial Assistant to Sister Cristina Giustozzi.
2011: Appointed Provincial archivist.
Sr Annick joined the community of number 41 Chemin du Signal in 2022. She was always cheerful and helpful carrying out whatever small tasks she was able to manage, as her health did not allow for strenuous activity. Weakened by lung problems for several years, she suffered greatly from the heat and pollution. As early as 2014, she had written to her Provincial, who had asked her to take on the role of Superior of the Point du Jour community:
‘I am torn between the desire to give a joyful and wholehearted “yes” to this request and the little physical strength I have left. My lung capacity is reduced by 50 per cent. I suffer greatly from pollution (which is common in Lyon) because I lack oxygen.”
She diligently took her turn as portress, on hand to answer the telephone and receive visitors and delivery and service people. Every evening she helped with the washing of dishes and accompanied Sr Anne Marie – our most senior sister – to her room. Keen to keep up with news from around the Congregation and the wider world, she would often take her mobile phone out of her little handbag to check it! Another thing she really enjoyed was playing scrabble with Sister Marie Claude every afternoon after her siesta. She loved recounting stories from her time in the novitiate, which always made us laugh.
The many messages received following her death are a testimony to how much she was loved and appreciated. Sr Annick possessed a deep piety which was both contemplative and deeply apostolic and possessed many human relational qualities. She was pleasant, helpful, unassuming, charitable, sensitive, discreet and conscientious in her work putting herself wholeheartedly into whatever duty was before her. She bore beautiful witness as a consecrated woman during her missionary life in Senegal, working with the women and young girls to whom she taught sewing, dyeing and other practical skills as well as working with the choir. In the congregation’s many other ministries she was entrusted with over a lifetime, Sr Annick bore witness to the true spirit of a smsm.
We give thanks for the gift of Sister Annick’s life to God through the Congregation and pray that she may receive ‘the crown that never fades’.
Sisters Hélène Diouf and Marie Claude Linossier, smsm
