When the whole world is caught up in pandemic, stand still and locked down…..In Malawi….. one of the poorest country…. On the 26th of October we began our 5th ‘Uplift Girl Child’ Training programme at Chikowa , one of the centers of Benga Parish .
Continue Reading …https://saintefamillebordeaux.org/v2/sites/main/files/Malawi.pdf
 
 
 

Rome, 25th November
Dear Sisters,
I write to inform you that yesterday in Pau, (France) our dear Sister Marie-Paule CHAUVIN entered eternal life. Many of us knew her personally, but for those who did not, Sister Thérèse Segretain (Provincial of the France-Belgium Network) shares the following details:
“Marie-Paule CHAUVIN was very familiar with General House life.    From her First to her Final Profession, she was a member of the secretariat of the Immaculate Conception in Talence (Bordeaux).
After a  stay of three years at “Regina Mundi” in ROME, where she wrote her thesis,  she was back again in Talence, this time to work with the “Probanists”, in charge of the “3rd year”  (formation for Temporary Professed)  before being elected to the General Council, and appointed Vicar General, during the time that Vatican II was  in progress.
Elected Superior General in 1969, after the turmoil of May 1968 in France , she left Talence once again, when the whole Generalate moved to Rome!
During her two mandates, she contributed to renewing the organisation of the Family by deepening one of the fundamental elements of the charism:  the Association.
It was during that time that the Holy Family Congress was established,  bringing the Family together every ten years and strengthening our belonging.
As part of the missionary impulse which emerged in the context of Vatican II, new foundations, communities of presence close to the people, were opened throughout the world. In the same way another mode of presence also developed in Europe and in the older Provinces: communities gradually left the institutions: nursing-homes, big private schools, to be inserted in the suburbs or in more underprivileged areas.
On her return to France, after her time in office, Marie-Paule put her skills to work in the service of Bordeaux, her native Diocese. She was a key figure in the Diocesan Synod, in the Secretariat for Religious Life and supported the student parish of the university.
Numerous links were forged and afterwards maintained with a few priests;  later, when her strength began to diminish,  Marie Paule asked to join the EHPAD (retirement home) in  Pau,  close to her family.
Always faithful to the Good Father, she reflected deeply on the Charism in the light of the texts of the Word of God chosen for us by the Founder.  She shared her insights with us through a few booklets, the last of which was: “Your Word is a Lamp for my Feet, a Light on my Path” (April 2008).
In this time of Christ the King, we can appropriate for ourselves this passage from the booklet she wrote on the Word of God:
“The Good Father asks us to strive to establish in ourselves the Kingdom of Jesus Christ by contemplating the Holy Family.  This means that we realise that the Kingdom is in our midst… a Kingdom to be welcomed and built up…
“The Son of God came on earth to form the Holy Family”… “The Church is called to continue the life of the Holy Family so that humanity may become the family of God”.
Having given her life to Mission in the Holy Family, she now enjoys the presence of her Lord. She loved the Word of God so much!  Now she has come face to face with Jesus, the Word of God.
We join in mourning and celebrating her life.
May she rest in God’s love!
Ana María Alcalde , Superior General
25/11/2020
 
 
 

From the Inter-Vocational Team
A long time ago when I was seventeen years old, I was at a camp organised by the Eucharistic Youth Movement. A companion to whom I had spoken about my desire to be a missionary in Africa said to me, “The best way to see things clearly is to personalise your faith”. The result was that instead of becoming a White Father, I became a diocesan priest in Gironde. And I am certain that the good advice I received guided me during my teenage years and young adulthood. Then I met a Holy Family Apostolic Sister who told me about the Priest Associates – one of the five Vocations that constitute the Family of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles.
My first memories of the Christian life go back to the days of my childhood and youth – being introduced to prayer in my family, Sunday Mass and the priests encouraging us to become involved in the life of the parish.
Then during my seminary training, I made three big discoveries: The word of God, the teachings of Vatican II and the richness of the spiritual trends down through the centuries. I am grateful that these three focal points moulded me into the priest that I am today and continue to inspire me. I also believe that this way of seeing Church as being composed of a diversity of baptismal Vocations prepared me for saying “Yes” to becoming a Priest Associate. Throughout the assignments that I received from successive bishops, I have almost always been able to work with young people, adults, religious sisters and priests. We shared the deep conviction that the Church, in the renewed vision of Vatican II, had to be a people, a family within which each one shared with the others the treasures she/he received from the Holy Spirit for the good of all. I am amazed at how much I have received and have been able to share during my priestly life.
I have always loved reading the bible thanks to a pocket bible that was given to me on the occasion of my profession of faith at the age of twelve. I loved the Gospel sharings that we had with both young people and adults. At the moment, the practice of lectio divina is a great support for my spirituality. I have also discovered the importance of preaching in the ministry of a priest working in a parish. I humbly confess that, until recently, I found the art of homily giving very difficult. Thank God, the Holy Spirit finally took pity on me and gave me a greater charism in that area. During my formation as a Priest Associate, I discovered what an essential place the word of God had for our Founder as nourishment for his spiritual life.
Thanks to my grandmother and a visit to Lisieux when I was ten, I discovered Carmelite spirituality through St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. During my seminary training, I was able to deepen my understanding of various spiritual families. Before meeting the Holy
Family, I was happy to receive nourishment from Carmelite spirituality and from the works of St. Francis de Sales. At the same time, I deepened my understanding of the importance of meeting the Lord with the whole of my personality as a human being in tune with the realism and simplicity of the gospel.
When the Sister who became my accompanier suggested that I read the report of the meeting of the Priest Associates in Kandy (Sri Lanka) in 2004, I realised that I was called to this vocation. In the light of this, I re-read my life as a Christian and as a priest. The Lord had been preparing me for this for a long time by giving me the desire to live my ministry as a diocesan priest in a spiritual family. When I read the life of Pierre Bienvenu, I discovered the place of the word of God, the harmony of the various Vocations and the need to live the evangelical life with a family spirit. I was so happy to find confirmation of what I was trying to live in my daily pastoral life: promoting the desire to make the Church a huge Family gathered together in God like the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

During my formation, I discovered other aspects of Holy Family spirituality – the spirit of God Alone, attentiveness to the signs of the times – something else we got from Vatican II – in order to respond to present-day needs and the international dimension of our Charism, which enables me to live in deep and rich communion with the five Vocations. As a diocesan priest, of course, I am linked to my bishop and the priests of my diocese. But I have a very strong fraternal bond with the international group of Priest Associates and I thank God for that. I had the joy of making my commitment in Martillac in October 2007 during the meeting of Priest Associates. Fr. Bernard from Lesotho made his commitment at the same time.
In this year of the Bicentenary of the foundation of our Family, I am happy to share the journey that led me to make this commitment and to be happy living my vocation in the Holy Family of Bordeaux. I would like to thank especially the Apostolic Sisters because it is usually they who awaken the Priest Associate Vocation around the world. Some years ago, a French bishop said quite rightly, “To call is to liberate”. Blessed be the Lord who has called us all to be part of the beautiful Family of the Children of God.
Jean-Louis Despeaux,
Holy Family Priest Associate
of the Diocese of Bordeaux
 
 

Kathleen Mitchell, South Africa
 
Our move from Auckland Park to Rose Village, Methodist Retirement Centre, took a long time to become a reality. In fact, we (Shelagh Mary, Melanie, Kathleen and Joy) wondered whether it would happen at all. Once our house in Auckland Park was sold, we were due to move out by the end of May. However, “lockdown” happened and we all know what that meant! – Stay at Home. This was humorously illustrated for us by the video clip of a cat trying to keep a little mouse in a shoe and telling it to – Stay at Home.
Well, we stayed at home. Deeds Office was closed, Municipal Offices were closed, the transfer could not happen and we were advised to stay where we were!  Winter arrived with its bitterly cold weather and where were our winter woollies? Packed of course! However, we found enough of what we needed to keep relatively warm.
We have all experienced the packing up of a house, but I’m sure Auckland Park took the cake!   We had inherited so much from other houses that had been closed.  What to do with books, furniture, pictures, bed linen and more was an enormous headache!
Much time was given to preparing Auckland Park for the new owners. Washing curtains, cleaning carpets and cupboards and much more had to be done.  We are most grateful to Sr. Priscilla who stayed with us and was a tremendous help in our packing up and cleaning. Mrs.Lenah Ngozi who had worked for the sisters for about 35 years in Parktown, Yeoville, Escombe Ave. and Auckland Park was sadly missed during that time as she, like everyone else, was in lockdown. Our deep gratitude to Zeph Dube (our gardener) and Lenah for their loyal and trustworthy service of us at all times.  Amidst all the hustle and bustle, there was a deep sadness in the heart of each one. Auckland Park had been home to so many of us since 2003 and a place of healing for many of our sisters who came for medical care from DR Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Botswana and Cameroon. As we reflect back on our move, we are it amazed that a home was found for everything.  Finally, we moved out on the 31st July. During our final two to three weeks in Auckland Park, we spent time in Rose Village hanging curtains and transporting furniture to our 2 cottages.

Delightful garden outside our north-facing door
We received a very warm welcome from residents and neighbours when we finally arrived in Rose Village. Unpacking took much time and energy but we finally managed to settle down and now feel ‘at home’ in our new environment.
Spring is upon us and the gardens have blossomed and come to life. It is no wonder that this village is called Rose Village when one sees the beautiful roses blooming all around us.
We are truly reminded that we are celebrating Creation and God’s many gifts to us. We are blessed to experience this beauty all around us.
Thank you, Creator God, for the beauty and giftedness of Mother Earth which we experience in gardens and the colour and variety of the birds and flowers here in Rose Village”.
 

Sr. Blandina Tsibela
Lesotho
Due to some restriction movement measures in Lesotho, it is impossible to meet the Marginalized. However, there is an urgent need to fight for women and children who are facing great difficulty of being assaulted and murdered. We succeed this fight as a nation not as individuals. Women`s Dignity team therefore decided to be the voice of the voiceless at Radio Maria Lesotho on Tuesday 27th October. Birthday of our founder. The radio is listen by many people and it is also accessible through Facebook account.
Sr. Blandina Tsibela on behalf of the team specified that Life is a precious gift from God. Gen 1: 26 – 29 God said “And now we will make human beings, they will be like us and resemble us” God is life and life is from God.  At the end of our journey in this world we will go back Home. Hence, we have to respect life of every person. We have to respect life of children even before they are born. To respect life is to respect God in us. Jesus himself pronounced that he is the truth and life. As a team, we believe that life is the total humility and the love of God to the human beings and nature. Nature itself embraces the gift of life by its existence. Therefore, life gives a beautiful meaning when it is respected.
Killing Women and children has never been a solution to any problem as some people thought. As human beings, we encounter different challenges in life from the people we live with. We should bear in mind that every person is part of a whole with our vulnerabilities. Therefore, life is a learning from people we meet in the journey of life. While some people become our blessings. As a result, Killing is not a solution each one has to live in peace with the whole despite challenges.  Mother Theresa once said, we definitely do not need guns or any weapon for peace and to respect life. We need love and compassion. We all receive life from God and no one has a right to destroy it. Life is not a problem to be solved, but a true journey to perfection. We destroy people`s life physically, psychologically and spiritually we hinder life from flourishing.
To respect life we need to ask ourselves these four questions:
What do I want to do to save life
Why am I doing what I am doing
Who am I serving
What will I do to save life which is in danger
Being able to answer these questions deeply, they will help us to respect life in general. One of the writers L. Brown said life is a war which makes us warriors and if we stop fighting for women and children`s rights some people will take over and make destruction of the life of the innocent people. The truth is that destroying life is destroying peace.  Pope Francis has recently challenged the united nations for buying the weapons and losing the focus of helping women and children who are most in need during this time of Covid 19. He stressed that human dignity has fallen to the people who do not respect the giver of life-God. As a team, we believe that life is sacred and respecting life is not a matter of negotiation or choice but a must.
 
 

Bicentenary celebration and Final Profession of Sr. Anualite BUSINGE  in Rwanda. please click the link to watch the full video of the Eucharistic Celebration.  Hope you will enjoy it!
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/eDssfa00_U8

227th Birthday of Ven. Pierre Bienvenu Noailles
Your birth was such a gift to your family that your mother named you ‘Bienvenu’ (Welcome!).
Your company was so pleasant to the children that they named you ‘Good Father’.
Your presence was such an inspiration to our first members and others that they considered you ‘Saint’.
As we celebrate YOU today, we thank God for the Gift you are to us in the Holy Family, to the Church and to the world at large.
May our lives mirror yours so that our presence will also be a ‘good’, ‘holy’ and ‘welcome’ blessing to all!
 
 
 

Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice,
For they shall be satisfied.

“Whatever you have done to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me”
Sr. Eucharista Cyril
Rizal Community
The Holy Family Feeding and Health Program in Rizal in the Diocese of Sorsogon is a long standing Humanitarian Project handled efficiently by the Holy Family Sisters beginning from the Pioneers since 1984. It was sponsored by the Holy Family Mission for Ten long years and then sponsored by CARITAS-SPAIN Organization up to now. This Project gave access to the Community of Sisters in Rizal to become acquainted to the people, their culture and the situation of the families. They have been serving the poorest of the poor and their compassionate service was mainly towards the Children in the area who were 2nd, 3rd and 4th degree malnourished, most of them identified with Tuberculosis. It was a program that was very much in line with the needs of the Poor and was well appreciated and welcomed too by the people.
As I was newly assigned in Rizal, I had the opportunity to observe the Feeding and health Program that was carried out and how it was well planned and implemented. I was touched by the love and care with which the Feeding was taking place from Monday to Friday to 65 Students from the Elementary and High Schools of Rizal and the Beneficiaries are from the indigent families who are from far flung Barrios from which the Students come walking 4-6 km. In the course of time I came to know that most of them come to school without breakfast and they wait to be catered in the feeding until lunch time. It is then I realized the need for this humanitarian program and its urgency.
 

 
I also observed that the feeding program also cared for the spiritual side of the Beneficiaries as it included the reading of the Word of God for the day with a short echoing of its message, the praying of the Rosary and relating the stories of the Saints. It also included the values formation, allowing the beneficiaries to experience shared responsibilities, leading the Prayers and organizing the celebrations. On the Health side, the beneficiaries are recipients of the health facilities and there is a check on their growth by weighing them monthly. The Children enjoy their meals as they have Five different Menus for the week. Their smiling faces and the burp that we hear tells that they are contended and full. There are times for events and celebrations their choice of food been prepared.
It is a holistic Program inclusive of the Parents. The Parents are grouped monthly for On-Going Christian and Values Formation. They are the core group for the Holy Family Environment program and they are continuing with their formation as well as with the Activities of the Environment program such as Man-Grove restoration, Clean-up Drive and Waste Management. The Health Program includes the people – the sick and the elderly in the area. There is a medical mission taking place quarterly for the Senior Citizens and for those who would wish to avail of the help for medicine on prescription.
The 35 years of this humanitarian and compassionate program is considered as a blessing by the families and they are grateful for the presence of the Holy Family Sisters for their continued support and concern for the least of the brothers and sisters. I was touched by the dedication and selfless service of the Holy Family Sisters who were part of the Community of Rizal since 1984. It also made me to reflect if this program is being carried out for 35 long years, to my mind, it became somewhat clear the need and perhaps the economic situation has not that much improved. It is amazing how come the program accommodates 65 – 70 children every year and there are still names on the waiting list. In my mind I made a conclusion that the poverty situation has not changed that much and it is true.
Times have changed with the entrance of Covid 19. From mid-March this year the schools were abruptly closed for strict Lockdown and Protocol measures that were introduced by the government. Due to this Pandemic situation, the feeding program was suspended for the meantime. With the compassionate concern and strong suggestion of CARITAS, the program was renamed as CARITAS-HOLY FAMILY COVID 19 NUTRITION AND HEALTH PROJECT. As to the suggestion of Caritas, activities related to Covid 19 were added and the Feeding and Health Program began to function as COVID 19 MEALS-ON-WHEELS since May 2020. The cooked food is taken to Five Barrios and Four Sitios on a weekly basis and Feeding is operational. Within the last five months the Feeding Program was catering to 540 children in the different places. It included too some of the Elderly and sick adults as they freely come in on the days meals is served.
I am fortunate, I would say that I am entrusted with this humanitarian and compassionate ministry since July 2020. I am grateful for the trust placed in me by the Unit and the Community to carry out this ministry which I accepted in Obedience. My gratitude goes to our Unit Leader Sr. Vivian Fernando for her encouragement and to Sr. Ida Joseph the long standing Coordinator of Caritas Project for initiating me to take up the responsibility. I am working with two valiant ladies – Ate Norma and Ate Divina who are dedicated and long standing partners of our mission. I am learning from them their cultural aspects, the language and the Filipino culinary tops which they share with me graciously.
I am only a learner, because it is only now that I realize the work entailed in a Project especially when it is sponsored by Funding Agencies. The Paper Work, the Reports, the Evaluations, the Monitoring, the Correspondence, Bank transactions, Accounting and the actual Supervision of the Project. I am not yet familiar with all of these. But I have accepted this ministry in faith, trusting in the Lord to guide me. I will not hesitate to ask for help on matters that are beyond my capacity until I get into the system of this particular ministry connected to Caritas Organization. I know that I will be helped at any time. It is a beautiful ministry touching lives and touching the situation of our people.
Jesus said : ‘When I was hungry you gave me to eat.” The same Jesus is offering me this opportunity to feed the hungry – God’s Children in Rizal. If I am to be judged on the last day, I am sure that Jesus would recognize me for just this one ministry that I did with much love for Him – feeding the hungry!

19 September 2020, another historical event marked the story of Holy Family sisters of Italian unit. The community of Monte Nevoso, Rome has finally moved into a new house – a small apartment- in Monte Trina Rome. 
At first, the house in Monte Nevoso was occupied by the prison chaplains and was sold to the Holy Family sisters in 1976 and since then it belonged to the sisters of the Holy family of Bordeaux.
The decision of selling this house was planned when Italy was part of the European (Reseau) Network, together with France and Belgium since 2006. Italy became a separate Unit again in 2018. So what was already planned was realized by the present Unit Leadership team.
On the day of the inauguration of the new house, sisters from Italian unit and members from the Generalate community together with Eithne Hughes, member of General Leadership Team participated in the simple ceremony organized. 
Three sisters from Italian Unit will experience, living together in this new place. The gathering had a small prayer, blessing of the house and a delicious aperitif. At the end feelings and sentiments of gratitude were put into words by the community members, Unit Leader and the Bursar, and finally, Eithne Hughes on behalf of the GLT briefly addressed the small gathering.  
A simple, joyful and family experience!

HOLY FAMILY SISTERS ST. DAVID (Lesotho) GIVE FOOD PARCELS TO VULNERABLE STUDENTS
On the 27th of August, 2020. The sisters at St. David distributed food parcels and sanitary products to Mampota high school students who are most vulnerable due to covid 19 pandemic. Donated food included maize meal, eggs, Fish, vegetables and fruits.
During this lockdown we did not stop working but we could not do education, so we got involved with food distribution to our poor students because most of their parents are being locked in South Africa and children are left with grandparents and some are child-headed households.
We have to stay motivated, we have to keep helping especially with parents not being employed and there is hunger at their homes. This time of civid 19 has affected the economy so badly and most of the parents are sitting at home, they have not been working for months since the lockdown stared. So the food parcel be the only food they received.
This distribution of food was also to mark our 200 years anniversary.
Those who received food said this was a blessing from God as they thank the sister for their generosity.
News sent by Sr. Blandina Tsibela
St. David Community, Lesotho