1. One Family five Vocations:

The Association of the Holy Family, founded by the
Venerable Pierre Bienvenu Noailles in 1820 in Bordeaux (France) is an international Charismatic
Family comprising five Vocational Groups. They live the same spirituality of loving, seeking and
desiring God Alone according to their own specific Vocation; their model is the Holy Family of
Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  They all share the common mission of promoting communion at all
levels in our interconnected world.
Today the Holy Family comprises:

• Apostolic and Contemplative Sisters who together form a Religious Institute
• An Institute of Consecrated Secular Women
• Lay Associates
• Priest Associates

The Religious Institute includes Apostolic and Contemplative Sisters.  All the Sisters make the
vows of obedience, chastity and poverty and live in community.

2.Motto: “Glory to God Alone”

The term God Alone recurs unceasingly and in all circumstances in Ven. Fr. Noailles’ writings, In
his personal journey, this intuition is certainly due to the deep experience of God which he
received at the feet  of the Blessed Virgin of St. Sulpice in Paris, which changed his life-direction
and  led to his entry to the seminary three days later. We read in his seminary notes …May I no
longer see anything but you. May I no longer live for anything but you”. (Issy Notes 1817 –
Source 4, Founder’s writings)
For him, God is the Trinitarian God, self-giving, inclusive, unending Love, Ultimate Mystery
made visible in Jesus Christ- born to Mary, fostered by Joseph in their home at Nazareth in a
wonderful Communion of Love.
God Alone! was not only a motto for him but a charter for a radical way of life, a spirit which
animated his whole being. God Alone was the cry which sprang spontaneously from his lips and
from his pen in response to trials and hurts, to joys and successes.
He said repeatedly that Jesus, Mary and Joseph loved, sought, and desired only God Alone.  To
live for God alone following the example of Jesus, Mary and Joseph has become the core of the
spirituality of the Holy Family.
In fact, identification with the Holy Family in their living for God Alone embraces all aspects of
life and is a task that lasts until death.  It is the vocation of every member of the Holy Family and
also a way of life that guarantees great happiness and peace.
Fr. Noailles was convinced that the spirit of God Alone, lived to a ‘heroic degree’, was necessary
to ensure that communion was lived visibly and promoted the reign of God.  “The living of the
richness of this process of surrender to an ever deeper and fuller YES to life in all its fullness is
the living of the spirit of God Alone.  It is this spirit that enriches our limited capacity to go
beyond boundaries, to accept in peace and love circumstances that seem beyond our capacity
to go on living in hope and trust.”
Loving, seeking, desiring God Alone is an invitation to live with deep awareness, to be fully
involved with life, to open ourselves to the profound unity within all of life, to look for the
sacred essence at the heart of everything, connecting all life in a sacred web of communion.

3. A Eucharistic Miracle:

On 3 February 1822, a Eucharistic Miracle a took place in the chapel of the Association of the Holy
Family in Bordeaux – an Association that was still very much in its infancy. Since the Founder was
unable to give the blessings and he requested Fr. Delort, formerly Priest in charge of the Parish of
Barie and then retired in the parish of St. Eulalie, Bordeaux, was asked by Fr. Noailles to give
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at the House of the Ladies of Loreto.

Scarcely had he exposed the Blessed Sacrament on the altar when the Sacred Species moved slightly
and the bust and head of Our Lord, surrounded by a brilliant halo, were distinctly seen. They were
encircled by the rays of the monstrance like a portrait in its frame, with this difference- that the
person was alive. His face was of dazzling brightness and represented a young man of about thirty,
exceptionally beautiful. He had fair hair, which fell in ringlets on to his shoulders, he wore a red
scarf; his left hand rested on his heart and his right was stretched out towards the people who were
in the chapel. He bowed from time to time and seemed then to detach himself from the circle of the
monstrance, which appeared bigger than usual. He had a kind of luminous diamond on each
shoulder and one would have said that the Chapel was lighted up by brilliant lights.
Amongst the people present, some were absorbed in deep contemplation, others wept tears of joy,
love and gratitude; several could not contain their sentiments of fervour.

This miraculous apparition continued during the hymn of the Blessed Sacrament, Domine Salvum
Fac, the prayers, canticle and up to the blessing, that is to say, twenty minutes.
Of the twenty-one persons probably present in the chapel (plus those unknown), fourteen testified.
Sr. Marie Louise Françoise Peychaud, who did not see the apparition, but had her eyes closed in
deep prayer, heard these words in her heart.

I am the One who is and there is no other.
Honour and the esteem of creatures are but smoke
and I am the One who is.
Their friendship is but dust
and I am the One who is.
wealth and pleasure are but mud
and I am the One who is
and there I no other.

These words set the seal on Pierre Bienvenu’s motto: God Alone!

Pierre Bienvenu Noailles experienced deep joy at this event. In a letter to the Vicar General he
writes, “I believe in the reality of the wonder which I did not have the happiness to witness and I
am not the only one convinced by these testimonies. Many highly respected priests and pious
persons give it as much credence as I do, even though they have not had the same opportunity as
I of listening to the witnesses, whose simplicity and fervour are most impressive”. 
The Apparition of 1822 was therefore consistent with all that Pierre Bienvenu Noailles had
hitherto lived. He was in no doubt. “It is unquestionable proof that the Holy Family is the work
of God”, he wrote to Fr. Gouffret. From it he drew new strength to go forward, strength from
which the whole Association would benefit, from generation to generation.
The Archbishop d’Aviau of Bordeaux issued a decree in 1823, repeated in 1825, in which he
granted the Sisters permission to commemorate “the favour they had received on Septuagesima
Sunday from our Divine Saviour”; (Eucharistic Miracle, Peyrous)

4. The Island of All Graces

When the Good Father came to Martillac, he often withdrew to a quiet, secluded place, far
from the noise of the world. Surrounded by woods and the gentle sounds of nature, it
became a space of prayer and reflection. There, he entrusted all his plans to Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph, invoking especially the powerful protection of Mary.

In these moments of prayer, a vision was born: a place dedicated to her, where his Daughters
could gather, pray, and consecrate themselves. What began as the simple idea of a grotto
gradually grew into something greater – an island set apart, belonging entirely to Mary,
honoured as Our Lady of All Graces. “All through Mary,” he would say, expressing his deep
trust that every grace comes through her.

With confidence in Divine Providence, the vision slowly became reality. Streams were
widened, the land was shaped, and nature itself helped form the island. A grotto was built,
and Mary was honoured there, first with a simple image and later with a statue offered in
gratitude. By 1836, the island was complete. Though challenges arose – including a sudden
flood that caused damage – the work was restored with perseverance and faith.

The island remains a lasting sign of trust in God, a place of devotion, and a reminder that,
beyond every trial, we are called to rise again.

5. Our Lady of All Graces

The Good Father invoked Mary under many titles, yet he gathered them all into one: Our
Lady of All Graces. He first came to know her under this name at the seminary of Saint-
Sulpice at Issy, where a statue depicted Mary presenting Jesus to the world.
Later, at Martillac, he wrote the Rules for the Holy Family before her statue in the grotto,
often pausing to seek her guidance. When illness prevented him from going there, he had a
replica placed in his room so he could continue his work in her presence. For him, every
image of Mary was truly Our Lady of All Graces.
When the island was blessed in 1844, the original statue was still there. Later, a new one was
chosen for the Association – Mary presenting the Child Jesus – after a lively and heartfelt
exchange among the Sisters.
He encouraged all to honour Mary under this title, trusting simply in her as a loving Mother
who brings every need to God. Reflecting on the Wedding Feast at Cana, he reminded them
that just as Mary interceded then, she continues to do so now, transforming our hearts and
leading us more deeply into the love of God.