The Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation organised a Way of the Cross in the city of Rome on Sunday the 10th April 2011. It commenced at the SVD Generalate and ended at the Tiber Island, which was approximately 5km.
AS WE WALK AND REFLECT ON THE PRESENT-DAY CRUCIFIXION OF THE BODY OF CHRIST The Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation  organised a Way of the Cross in the city of Rome on Sunday the 10th April 2011.  It commenced at the SVD Generalate and ended at the TiberIsland, which was approximately 5km.  The participants were about 50 in number both women and men, including some from our Generalate.  The day began with a meaningful Eucharistic celebration.  After the homily, the celebrant invited us to share in small groups how the word of God challenged and touched each one on –  ª    What in this liturgy of the word seems to strike home with you? Why?ª    Share an experience that has strengthened your belief in Christ? At the end of the Eucharist, we commenced the “Way of the Cross”. It was a journey in solidarity with the suffering people of our world, walking through the streets of Rome stopping at significant places: a railway station built by the Dictator Mussolini reminded us to pray for all those suffering under present-day dictatorships; at the military cemetery we prayed for an end to all wars; at the port, we brought to mind the suffering wrought by colonialism…When we reached the home of the St. Egidio community we remembered the millions of generous people the world over who give themselves in service of others…climate change, the sick, people with addictions, the sufferings of the Jewish people were held before our God.  The whole experience led us to ponder how people experienced liberation through suffering.     It is in Jesus that we gain hope and strength to work for Justice and Peace.  It is the Spirit of Jesus  that continues to live in our world it is this same Spirit of Jesus, through the power of his Resurrection, that keeps alive the ability to continue to work for the liberation of our people who suffer today.  We do not lose hope in the present situation of our world but rather move forward with love and joy to promote justice and be in solidarity with the helpless. O God of Life, we rejoice in your gift of Life to us. Your son, Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life has set us free to follow a new way of living, speaking, forgiving, loving, being. Continue to inspire us along this road of compassion, this journey of holiness. Help us to see, to respond, to love and to live justly, bringing the Alleluia message of the Risen Life to all we meet along the way. Amen.  

On Sunday April 3, sisters from the Generalate attended an evening of solidarity with Japan. The Japanese Catholic community in Rome organized a concert to raise funds for Caritas Japan.
Solidarity with the Japanese people  On Sunday April 3, sisters from the Generalate attended an evening of solidarity with Japan. The Japanese Catholic community in Rome organized a concert to raise funds for Caritas Japan. In addition to enjoying the beauty of the music and voices, we could also share with them our pain and prayer for all people who have died, disappeared, and all those who suffer from the consequences of the earthquake and tsunami.  We are grateful for the opportunity to express our solidarity in small gestures of proximity that make it more humane.        

Sudarshani Fenando
Thanuja Fernando
Jayaranjana Cyril
Neelamani Wanigasekara
Completed their Novitiate period of formation at the Holy Family Novitiate “Nisansalaramaya” Diyathalawa Sri Lanka.
 FIRST COMMITMENT IN COLOMBO – SRI LANKA. Jayaranjana Cyril  Neelamani Wanigasekara  Thanuja  Fernando  Sudarshani Fenando  Completed their Novitiate period of formation at the Holy Family Novitiate “Nisansalaramaya” Diyathalawa Sri Lanka. They have promised their first commitment on the 30th of March 2011 at Holy Family Convent Wennappuwa. Let us welcome them joyfully to our big family of P.B. Noailles and invoke God’s Blessings on them, that they may follow the foot steps of Jesus Mary and Joseph, accompanied by our dear founder and all the sisters. May they give themselves totally to Jesus and His Mission.     

Discrimination has become an increasing problem in today’s society. We live in a globalised world where the media holds great sway and broadcasts images and situations that generate conflicts: immigration, displacement of peoples, unemployment, homosexuality, poverty and the situation of people living in reduced circumstances.
21 March – International Day against DiscriminationDiscrimination has become an increasing problem in today’s society.  We live in a globalised world where the media holds great sway and broadcasts images and situations that generate conflicts: immigration, displacement of peoples, unemployment, homosexuality, poverty and the situation of people living in reduced circumstances.   Globalisation has opened us up to many realities, facilitated many economic, cultural and social exchanges but it has not helped us to be open to difference.  All these realities portrayed in the mass media have, little by little, reduced our ability to develop judgement, a critical stance; we have been prevented from considering these problems in depth.  Without our realising it we become prejudiced and this makes it difficult for us to be open, to listen to and welcome others.   We need to look at these problems in specific situations.  The problem of immigration for example must be looked at from several points of view.  We must begin with ourselves first of all.  Discrimination sometimes begins in our hearts.  When we see a person who is different from ourselves – feels differently, carries out a task in a different way, then we often cultivate negative attitudes within ourselves in relation to that person to such an extent that we discriminate against the person and even in some cases exclude him or her.   The first step we need to take is not to allow ourselves to be influenced by these inner attitudes.  Then we will give others their rightful place, creating links that unite us and thus seeing the world as a community that is diverse yet complementary When we make this inner journey, we become aware of the mistaken ideas that we have of others who are different from us.  This inner journey commits us all at many different levels.  This International Day is a call, not just at social, religious or moral levels but also at the deeply human level, where we are aware of the innate dignity of the human person and the respect due to all.  This demands a change of mentality:  the “other” does not inspire fear, lack of trust or frustration in me; on the contrary, if I welcome the other as an equal with the same rights and duties, then I am laying the foundations of a new society.   In the last few months, I experienced a rather delicate and difficult situation in a camp where there were Rumanian immigrants.  The situation was very abusive. There was a young woman with six children and pregnant with another child.  She asked me to help her obtain an abortion in the local medical clinic.     For many of these women, abortion is used routinely as a form of contraception.  I did not fully understand this woman’s situation.  After a third meeting with her I became aware that she was having difficulty coming to a decision about this abortion since she had had an abortion two years previously.  I became aware that I had prejudices and negative reactions towards her.   I tried not to listen to these interior voices which were preventing me from seeing the real problem.  As I listened to her I knew that I did not agree with her decision to abort her child.  But I respected her right to make a free choice.  As I left her house, I was aware of great sadness in me and great compassion for this young mother of 29 years of age who had not the support of a husband, who had just recently come out of prison.  Some days afterwards, the woman called me by phone to tell me that she “had chosen life” and with great joy and relief, she asked me to find her a baby’s cot and baby clothes for her seventh child.  I told her not to be afraid but to trust in God. I gave time to this young woman to reflect more deeply on her situation, leaving her free to make her own decision and as a result she felt serene and happy as a woman and as a mother.  This experience helped me to understand that others can perceive our interior attitudes, whatever they are – of openness and welcome or hostility and distance.  This perception enables them to make choices that foster their realisation as persons.  I felt full of joy – an almost maternal joy as I reflect on my experience with this young mother.  Olga SacoccioCommunity of MontenevosoRoma     

Mary was chosen by the Lord to be the Mother of Jesus the Saviour and the ‘yes’ she proclaimed in awe and wonder to Angel Gabriel fulfilled the prophesies. Joseph betrothed to the beautiful Mary, waiting in anticipation to marry her, finds her conceived and in the very human circumstances this is unacceptable and shameful.
St. Joseph, a Man for Today!  Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived a simple family life at Nazareth, thereby sanctifying the ordinary and giving it meaning.- Art 47 Obedience in FaithMary was chosen by the Lord to be the Mother of Jesus the Saviour and the ‘yes’ she proclaimed in awe and wonder to Angel Gabriel fulfilled the prophesies. Joseph betrothed to the beautiful Mary, waiting in anticipation to marry her, finds her conceived and in the very human circumstances this is unacceptable and shameful. When Angel Gabriel appeared and said “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for that which conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” Mt.1:20, in ‘silence’ Joseph said the difficult ‘yes’ as John Paul II said “ what he did is the ‘clearest obedience in faith’ Rom, 1:5. When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home” Mt,1:24  This act of acceptance to be the instrument of God’s handiwork makes Joseph a  unique actor in the God’s plan of salvation and this is the beginning of ‘sanctifying the ordinary and giving it meaning’. Shared the value of EqualityIn the Jewish community which harped patriarchal values, Joseph as the head of the family had to take up the responsibility of protecting and providing for Jesus and Mary and he has taken a humble job as a carpenter. It is right that he is raised to be the ‘model for workers’ because he made an ordinary the dignified. Though Joseph was the breadwinner yet Joseph and Mary shared the value of Equality in the right perspective. There was no lording over. Each respected the other and each maintained that respect at all cost. All the liberative feminist cries for equality could find a ready made answer from the lives of Mary and Joseph.  Showed ‘Fatherly Love’A child expects love in abundance from its parents and in the normal sense, the love a ‘guardian’ could show a child would be considered to have its limitations but as we read in the Preface for the Mass of St. Joseph, “God placed him(Joseph) at the head of his family as a faithful and prudent servant so that, with fatherly care he might watch over his only begotten son” Roman Missal. The long journeys the Holy Family had to undertake was borne by Joseph with fatherly care  and went one step further of co-partnering with Mary in building up the kingdom, of course in his own way. In the present day context in which millions of  people are displaced  in their own countries or as refugees in another land, the ‘running to Egypt to protect the child/Saviour’ gives a kind of a solace that even the Holy Family had to undergo such difficulties in their life to prove the ‘fatherly care’. Guardian of the vulnerableJoseph’s ‘Guardianship’ gives a new angle to ‘the family life.’ In a world where living as a family is becoming more and more liquidated with divorces waiting in every door step, sacrificing yourself and building a beautiful relationship as a guardian is the need of the day. Women headed families are on the rise and orphaned children in plenty await ‘guardianship’. Will there be Josephs who could give a protected and loving ‘home’ for these vulnerable groups without expecting anything in return that creates ‘a new family order’? A ‘Just man’Joseph was a ‘just man’Mt.2:19. Knowing that Mary is already conceived he never wished to put her down in the society and hence decided  to leave secretly. This could be interpreted in the sense of respecting the right of a person as well as respecting a person as a person and accepting him or her as he/she is. Being a just man, Joseph shone above other men of his time  by being meek and humble and fair enough in his dealings with others and customers. At a time when we are plagued with corruption at all levels of our Government Institutions, Joseph shines out to be the example for what it means to be a person of clean hands and pure heart and steadfast spirit Building relationship with God and Men“Hidden and unknown, close to the people of their village and part of its everyday life and concerns, they entered in God’s redemptive plan to “restore all things in Christ Jesus” the Son – art.47  It is obvious that the Holy Family was mingling with the ordinary people and was all out to support them in times of need like the need for wine in the wedding in Cana. This episode is  double edged ; the obedience of a Son to the parents that proves how both Joseph and Mary has disciplined the child and understanding the ‘speciality’ of the child in its full sense by the father and mother. There is a hue and cry in all the societies in the world today of the undisciplined acts of children especially the youth and the children/youth too are crying for the elders for understanding them and their needs. Let every mother and father learn from Mary and Joseph to bring up their children in a manner that could save them and save the world. .  Joseph is also the best Disciple who listened to the voice of God speaking to him in unknown ways. For our society that is getting drowned in Mass Media and fast moving technologies, Joseph becomes a Haven and an oasis where we are challenged to set aside time and space to be in relationship with God, to have a heart to heart talk with God, to sit at His feet and listen to Him. Seeking God Alone in all things… in the ordinary daily events-art 48 is the ‘mantra’ of the Holy Family of Nazareth -Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the truth of the truth is without Joseph the ‘Family’ perception and the understanding of ‘relational God in the human sense would not have been possible”.  A stronghold for the dyingJoseph also is the one and only to whom we pray for ‘good death’; Oh how beautiful was the death of St.Joseph in the hands of Mary and the lap of Jesus! What else could a ‘father’ get as a gift for his fatherly care and concern to his family than this? Let’s cling on to St.Joseph to lead and guide us with fatherly affection towards our families and the PBN Family as well as the universe and specially for the gift of the best ending of our lives so that we may eternally live in God! Amen. Regina Ramalingam   

We Sisters of the Holy Family, in collaboration with the sisters of St. Vincent and the local clergy are engaged in pastoral work in the districts of Cáceres of Perú-Jimbe, Moro and Pamparomás in the department of Ancash in the upper Andes.
PROMOTION OF WOMEN IN RURAL AREASWe Sisters of the Holy Family, in collaboration with the sisters of St. Vincent and the local clergy are engaged in pastoral work in the districts of Cáceres of Perú-Jimbe, Moro and Pamparomás in the department of Ancash in the upper Andes.  Given the situation of discrimination suffered by women in the area we took the decision on September 2010 to begin a Project designed to promote women in rural areas especially those living in the villages situated from 1200 to 4000 metres above sea level.  There are about 30 communities in each district.  We had been preparing this project for about 4 months by running workshops where the leaders of each parish actively participated.  They undertook an analysis of their reality, looking for the causes of their situation, formulating proposals of solutions in a series of formation workshops and liberating actions.  Eventually we arrived at a formulation of what we wished to do in the project: “The Formation of women in the districts of Cáceres del Perú, Moro and Pamparomás in the department of Ancash, a formation aimed at sustainable human development and growth in autonomy. Presentation of the situation: description of the problem. In order to achieve sustainable development in a locality, the participation of women is essential.  Therefore women must be in conditions of equality with men so that they can participate actively at all levels – family, community and at the level of the district.  However we realise that the situation of women is far from ideal and we enumerate the problematic situations which impede the development of the Andean woman. ]   The women in our districts are not aware of their rights, or the rights of their children.  They are discriminated against because of their gender.  There are high levels of machismo in families, in communities, especially on the part of the authorities.]    Women’s low self-esteem prevents them from expressing their feelings, desires and needs, as women, mothers, wives and citizens.]   There are high levels of domestic violence which is usually hidden and so women have very little protection.  ]   Many women have never completed primary education and many are illiterate.]   There is a lack of attention to reproductive and mental health.]   There is a lack of knowledge of nutrition especially in the care of their children’s health.]   There are great inequalities between the genders when it comes to participation in public affairs.  Women are little prepared to make decisions and few exercise any role in the community and in the district.]   Women have few economic resources and suffer from poverty more than men.  They lack the means to become economically independent and the majority depend financially on their spouses.]   They have the feeling also that in the sight of God they are second class beings and their female bodily and maternal functions make them impure.]   The majority of women have potential for leadership which remains dormant. On completing this analysis, we were able to formulate the main objective of the project: “To empower the women of the districts of the upper Andes, to improve the quality of their family life so that they can make a contribution in the management of local affairs for full human and sustainable development” Three main lines of action were proposed: 1.   Integral human formation through organising workshops on self-esteem, rural culture, prevention of domestic violence, conflict management, equality of the sexes, reproductive and mental health.2.   Awareness of human rights and of their capacity for democratic leadership through organising workshops on the rights of women, participation as citizens, the responsibilities and functions of popular organisations, analysis of local and national reality and the place of politics.  3.   Training in how to contribute to the economic development of their families and communities through courses on how to improve their conditions in life, self-financing through the rearing of domestic animals, learning new techniques of production and looking for ways of initiating new practices.   Our hope is that women may feel more valued and liberated as women, spouses, mothers and citizens; more motivated to contribute to public organisations, more prepared to exercise democratic leadership and more empowered to improve the economic situation in their households.     

In this month dedicated to women, we contacted some young women, girls aged 14 to 17 years, from GOUNOU-GAYA in Southern Chad.
WOMANIn this month dedicated to women, we contacted some young women, girls aged 14 to 17 years, from GOUNOU-GAYA in Southern Chad. In general, in many African settings, the woman is the one that ensures the survival of the family. But unfortunately, she is often ignored and her contribution is considered secondary. Sometimes it is only because of her usefulness that she remains in the household. Even if she is capable of much, and can stand up for herself in society, the man considers her to be inferior and in some cases she herself contributes to this mentality. We must remember that, in this context, girls are destined to marry early and often against their will. Those who attend school are privileged and protected because they have the opportunity to grow physically and are able to express their opinion about their future. This means that there is an awakening of the place of women in African society. In the months of November-December 2010, when visiting our sisters in Cameroon and Chad, we had the opportunity to learn about their many ministries. That is how we found ourselves in the secondary school of Gounou Gaya which they run. This school was the brainchild of the sisters and some parents who were concerned about the promotion of girls. These girls were given a topic for reflection by their teacher asking them to comment on this sentence: “The first quality of a woman is docility!”   Here are some answers: BASHIR Sara wrote: Nowadays, it is not normal that the woman is always submissive. She has the right to speak freely; she should not always accept orders; she has the right to say what she thinks because she is responsible for the family and may have better ideas than men. Women should not let themselves be dominated by men, even if the man wants the woman to submit to him.  Odette SOTOUKSI I think it is wrong to emphasise docility as a primary quality of women because it focuses on inferiority and that is no longer acceptable. In today’s life, man and woman are equal. There is no question that women are still subject to men. Even if they still feel superior and want to show it by dominating, women must stand up for themselves and assert their freedom and right to be the equal of men. Today, there are many women who are able to undertake the same duties as men and do them even better. We see women presidents of countries, ministers, police officers, mayors, doctors, nurses … They are, above all, mothers and therefore educators of all nations. For this reason, they must train their male children to understand that both genders are equal and to banish the superiority complex that supports the idea that the woman who gave him life, is inferior to him.  Catherine Katou Ngoun The docile woman is an obedient woman and submissive to whatever her husband says to her. This would mean that the husband is always right. However, things should not continue to be so. Obedience must be mutual. The man should respect the woman and the woman should do likewise. Should the woman who feeds her family by her daily efforts and who is with a man who does not have many opportunities to support his family control her husband and create conflicts in the family? No, the woman needs to be respected and treated as an equal.  In that way, life in society will be better.         

The doors of the assembly hall were opened wide to welcome 26 participants who have come from 25 different countries in four continents. They all have come from very different situations and have experienced very different realities in their respective countries.
16 FebruaryThe doors of the assembly hall were opened wide to welcome 26 participants who have come from 25 different countries in four continents.  They all have come from very different situations and have experienced very different realities in their respective countries.   PARTICIPANTSGENERAL COUNCILLORSMargaret MULDOON                   Superior GeneralBernadette TAURINYA                 Vicar for the ContemplativesAna Maria ALCALDE                    CouncillorKumudine DASSANAYAKE            CouncillorColleen MOORE                          CouncillorMicheline KENDA ESUNEWELE   CouncillorMarian MURCIA                           Councillor – BursarMaria Carmen VILARDELL           Councillor VICARIATE COUNCILLORS Françoise Daigneault                  CouncillorLorenza Ponnanwila                    CouncillorMaria  Dolores Sanzberro            Councillor – Bursar LEADERS OF PROVINCES, NETWORKS AND DELEGATIONS Kinga BARTOS                         PolandTere BECK-                              Network – Latin AmericaMª Angeles BERÁSTEGUI       SpainViolette BOUFFARD                CanadaAquinas CYRIL                        PhilippinesJacquie DORMHEL                  South AfricaAndrée GASPARD                   Network – Belgium / France / ItalyÁine HAYDE –                          Britain / IrelandLatha LAWRENCE                   IndiaYolande MATHIAS                  Sri Lanka – JaffnaAugustina MPURU                 LesothoYvette MUNDELE                    CongoAgnès ONGWISA                    Cameroon – ChadMaria Theresa PERERA          PakistanFrancisca PERERA                   Sri Lanka – Colombo A very creative ice-breaker helped them to connect with one another and share their hopes and desires for this Council meeting.  The hopes expressed were very similar.  They were:·    To contemplate and enter more deeply into the “new vision” in order to discover the meaning of our charism today and how to live it and promote it in the respective units.  ·    Enter more deeply into the meaning of co-responsibility; look at the reality of their respective contexts and seek lights on how to live as a united Family.  ·    To choose life by allowing ourselves to be surprised by the spirit; re-read our charism at greater depth so as to discover new forms and new ways, open ourselves up to new mentalities and live our charism with courage and commitment.  ·    Share life experiences; be renewed together, encourage sisterly and life-giving relationships so as to kindle the fire that already is lighted.   Indeed Margaret’s opening address alludes to these same desires expressed by the assembly. Document In outlining the programme, Michelin, using the diagram below, situates the group in the space between one General Chapter and the next.    After a brief pause, the group united in prayer to mark the opening of the Council meeting.  The prayer was carefully prepared and was based on Hindu spirituality.  In an atmosphere of silence, the group became aware of the positive energies within each one, of the wonderful harmony of the human person and our connection with God.     In the afternoon, the participants came together in assembly to receive guidelines for the reflection which was to follow.  They were asked to:  1.     Pinpoint the events that have marked their lives and to which they have given most attention. 2.     Look at what needs greater attention in the future.  First there was a time for personal reflection and then they met in continental groups.  The day ended with a review of what they had experienced during this first day of the Council meeting.  

As you know, I represent the Holy Family in the European Council of Religious Leaders. Recently I have had the opportunity to participate in a meeting of the Council in Kirgizstan and I would like to share with you some of my experience there.
LIVING COMMUNION: IN DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS WITH DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS GROUPS As you know, I represent the Holy Family in the European Council of Religious Leaders.  Recently I have had the opportunity to participate in a meeting of the Council in Kirgizstan and I would like to share with you some of my experience there.     Kirgizstan is a country situated in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.  It got its independence in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union.    2010 has been a very important year for the people of Kirgizstan.  There was a coup d’état, violent and often bloody disturbances, the uprising in the city of Osh in April and June, a referendum which led to parliamentary democracy and then elections which resulted in subsequent negotiations for the establishment of a coalition government.   In the midst of all this, the people of Kirgizstan have remained among the poorest in the region in economic terms.  The transition from a communist regime to a democratic one has brought about changes: economic growth, (or the lack of it depending on your situation), drug trafficking, the proliferation of small arms, increase in fear among the population due to violence perpetrated by extreme religious groups and tense relations between the different ethnic groups.   You may ask: what is the objective of this Council of religious leaders and what role does it play in this reality?  The main objective of the visit of the delegation from the Council of religious leaders is to express solidarity with the religious leaders and the communities of Kirgizstan as they attempt to face the present challenges; to encourage them to take joint action and to promote reconciliation and the building up of the nation.   The dramatic events in Osh were not principally caused by religious conflicts although ethnicity did play a part.  What some observers noted was that religious and community leaders had not played as constructive a role in the events as they could have.   That is why, during this visit, we met with different political, religious and civil organisations in the country to get to know the reality and make a more intensive study of the causes and possible joint solutions.    Religious leaders were consulted (64% Muslim, 12% Orthodox Christians 10% Catholics, Protestants and other religious denominations), in the hope that the people will come together to work constructively and cooperatively in the rebuilding of the nation and promoting peace and reconciliation.   On the third day of the visit, the central event was a conference organised by the European Council of Religious Leaders in conjunction with the State Commission of Religious Affairs in Kirgizstan.  The theme of the conference was: “Different Beliefs, Common Values, and Joint Action”.  There were more than 70 participants representing religious leaders, Government Officials, academic and civil institutions and a delegation of religious leaders from Europe.   In the conference it was concluded that “the European Council of Religious Leaders should continue to consult with the religious leaders of Kirgizstan in order to explore how religious communities and their leaders can work together to promote reconciliation and peace in their country.”  You can read the complete text of the declaration by following the link below: http://www.rfp-europe.eu/index.cfm?id=329587  Sr Marian Murcia 

2011 is a “holy” year for the Family of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles. On 8 February 1861, 150 years ago, an important stage was reached in the story of the Holy Family.
 **********************************************************2011 is a “holy” year for the Family of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles.  On 8 February 1861, 150 years ago, an important stage was reached in the story of the Holy Family.    Everything had begun in the Seminary of Issy, near Paris.  There, as a young seminarian, Pierre Bienvenu Noailles gave his life to God.  Like every young person, he dreamed…but his dreams were sustained by the solidity of his faith; his hope was as strong as a rock and his love was so great that it sought to embrace the whole world.  Soon he set out on a journey that was not a solitary one.  As sometimes happens for those who begin something new, he was well aware of his limitations; he felt doubt, but Jesus showed his approval in the Miraculous Benediction and Pierre Noailles continued his journey reassured and strengthened by God’s visible blessing.    It was risky to set out into the unknown but Pierre Noailles trusted.  He did not seek the security of the familiar and known; he formed a community…a Family made up of people from all milieux and all vocations.  The needs of his contemporaries were great and he was open to collaboration from all who presented themselves.   150 years have passed, since the 8 February 1861 when Pierre Bienvenu Noailles completed his journey.  The Family he founded continues the journey, responding to all kinds of calls, trying to live the spirit of GOD ALONE.  Eyes fixed on the humility and simplicity of Nazareth, the members of the Family carry out the mission of creating communion, spreading and strengthening the faith in all social classes, forming one single Family which today is opening out to a new vision of the world … a new way of relating to God, to humanity and the whole of creation – a mission that is truly relevant for today Pierre Bienvenu Noailles who was declared Venerable on 8 February 1988 accompanies his Family and he accompanies in a special way those who pray through his intercession.  Many people receive favours through his intercession and we pray that the day will soon come when we will see him proclaimed “Blessed” by the Church.  This would be a source of great encouragement for us, members of the Family, as we give ourselves in service to the Church and the world which seeks and needs the serenity that comes from knowing and experiencing the love of God Alone.  Mª Carmen Leach