Tribute to Sr. Yvette Forest, SP

This text is a tribute to Sister Yvette Forest, SP, the mother of the Canadian Association for Biblical Recitative*, whose “influence within the association was immense.” (GP) Her death occurred on September 9 and several members of the association were present. Signed by Hélène Boudreau, this tribute was written with the collaboration of Ms. Louise Bisson, Brother Guylain Prince, Ms. Jennifer Rego Galvao [1].

“Open your heart.”

*Focusing on the Word and its effect on the whole person, the biblical recitative is a form of meditation where all the senses are solicited.

First of all, Sister Yvette was one of the first people in Canada to walk the path with Louise Bisson and to dive into “this discipline of the oral biblical tradition that is recitative” (LB). “She was one of the first to grasp what we do when we live biblical recitative. We open up from within. We become present to our bodies. We expose ourselves entirely to the Word. We let ourselves be touched, we let ourselves be transformed where the Word resonates for us.” (LB) Sister Yvette was able to make explicit “how the Word shapes us when it passes through our bodies.” (LB)

According to Guylain Prince, the image of the sprouting grain in the parable of the sower illustrates the journey of the Word in Sister Yvette, through the recitative. The germinated seed, like the Word, was able to dig its roots deeper and deeper into the generous soil that was Sister Yvette (cf. GP). “Sister Yvette did not hesitate to live by this radically new means of biblical recitative… In her, the Word took on Life, which took shape in her life.” (GP)

For Louise Bisson, founder and creator of Bible recitative, Sister Yvette was always a person on whom she could rely. During regular meetings, Sister Yvette gave her comfort, lucidity, and gentle encouragement: “a wonderful inner support.” She “embraced this mission of recitative and the living Word … she made it her own.” (LB)

She breathes a “Breath of Love into our network of biblical recitative, a love full of tenderness and presence for each person, a family love … that nothing can stop” (LB). In her embraces, all her tenderness was expressed, deeply felt, effortlessly. At her 95 years of age, Sister Yvette still appreciated life, continued to be fully invested in her mission and was always loving. “This speaks to us a lot about the One she loves, whom she affectionately calls ‛Jesus my Love’”. (LB)

Yvette allowed herself to be “set in motion by the Word in every fiber of her being, in all that she is. She let herself be transformed, transfigured by this Word.” (GP)

And in turn, Sister Yvette allowed this Word to set in motion those with whom she was in contact. She supported many who let themselves be transformed by this Word. Thus, the Word shone brighter in this world thanks to Sister Yvette. (GP)

Sister Yvette “gave many people the desire to dive into this discipline of Bible recitative” (LB). “It was with Sister Yvette that a network of life began, a human fabric that took shape in the recitative” (LB). Not only did Sister Yvette participate in all the sessions that she was able to attend, but she later shared the benefits of her experience with a group of reciters in the Montreal area. “Not only did she make recitative known, but she also gave a taste of it” (LB). She faithfully animated several recitative activities for several decades. Thus, those who wished to do so could continue to “drink in the Word,” to be nourished by it.

She worked in parishes and also animated the academy of biblical recitative which was active between 1994 and 2012. Sister Yvette and her group of young people passed on an impressive repertoire of recitatives: parables, accounts of miracles, recitatives for the high points of the liturgical year… Sister Yvette made sure that the three components of the biblical recitative (know-how, knowledge, knowing how to behave) were lived in close connection with the profound meaning of the words and the gestural work by Louise Bisson. (cf. JRG)

Among these young people, Jennifer Rego Galvao lived a sustained friendship with Sister Yvette. Jennifer testifies: “Everything that (was experienced in recitative with Sister Yvette) was always related to the body, the heart, and the mind, but especially our hearts. We were a family and we formed very strong bonds that still survive.” (JRG)

“Sister Yvette made us live the Word in our whole Being through our five senses as well as with the intelligence of the brain and the heart. For me, this is the best food for our spirit because I ended up learning, discovering, knowing, and integrating several biblical texts that otherwise I would not have had the chance to delve into.” (JRG)

For many reciters, Sister Yvette was their “grandmother” in recitative. Many of them benefited from her attentive listening, her benevolent presence. And always, Sister Yvette invited them to “open their hearts” (LB). She always “wanted to give her love to those in need” (LB). (LB) “When Yvette enters your life and makes you enter hers, it lasts until the end” (LB) “Sister Yvette knew how to be close to each one of them, through her gaze, through her touch, through her Word, through her prayer…” (LB) (LB)

Through her way of always wanting to love Christ more and her way of listening to her Beloved, Sister Yvette opened up for us a way towards an authentic, sustained, active interior life. (cf. LB)

“Through Yvette, Christ dwelt among us in a way that was constant, intensive and gentle at the same time.” (LB)

Hélène Boudreau is a transmitter for the Canadian Association for Biblical Recitative.

[1] For the sake of brevity, the initials GP and LB correspond to words spoken by Guylain Prince and Louise Bisson at Sister Yvette’s funeral on September 18. JRG refers to an excerpt from the e-mail correspondence between Jennifer Rego Galvao and Hélène Boudreau.

Hélène Boudreau, interBible.org