I was born and grew up in Berlin (Germany).

It has been 25 years since I joined the Community of the Beatitudes. Yet I hadn’t planned anything in that direction. Before this new life, I had embarked on teaching studies, with clear priorities: sport and physical activities.

At the age of 12, I started bicross. It gives one pure adrenaline! For me it was more than just a simple hobby. It was my life. I spent all my time on the bike, investing all my money and all my energy on it. Competition had become a source of recognition for me. I had to shine.

All this, just to win a small metal trophy and be acclaimed after the competition ! Yet, how fleeting are such moments.

Much later, I realized that I was constantly striving after performances. I despised everything that did not serve this ideal. Gradually and without being really aware of the situation, I lost the meaning of life and became more and more lonely. Internally, I had even lost my family.

But God is good ! Through miraculous circumstances, the Lord led me to Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is a Marian shrine visited by millions of pilgrims from all over the world. I experienced a strong encounter with the living God.

It is very difficult to write about it in a few words, but I can only say that I was aware of my selfishness and the coldness of my heart, nevertheless discovering at the same time God’s ineffable love for me. This experience completely changed me !

I began praying regularly. It allowed me to approach ecclesial life. I then joined the Community of the Beatitudes because there was a deep desire in me to give my whole life to the Lord. I found my family there. I met brothers and sisters who had experienced similar things with God. I could walk with them to serve the Lord and the Church.

And time passes quickly… since then I have been ordained to the priesthood, I try to look for lost sheep. As in my experience, I want to tell them about this deep source of happiness that every man seeks after.

So do not hesitate to get in touch with Him, to talk to Him, to share your questions, your worries, your problems, your wounds. And above all, pray to Him to manifest himself and show you His great mercy towards you.

Br. Johannes Maria

We are Guillem and Esther. Originally from Barcelona, we joined the Community when we were engaged in 1995. Esther had studied as a teacher and pianist, and Guillem had studied journalism. We got to know the Community at its summer conferences in Lourdes. We kept in touch by going regularly for short periods to the house of Saint Martin du Canigou 250 kms from us.

Esther : I was touched by the quality of prayer and fraternal life and by the eschatological dimension : “seeing the People of God (brothers, sisters, families, priests), living in the spirit of the Kingdom in their midst” : you could feel it, breath it, and see it…

Guillem : What touched me was the missionary and evangelization dimension. We could see that the fruitfulness of the Community’s missions had its source in its prayer life. We both had a desire to consecrate our couple to God and to the service of His Kingdom. The Lord has shown us the Community and its charism as the response to this deep desire dwelling within us.

Esther : This evidence was obvious to me first. I waited and prayed for Guillem to come to the same conclusion.

Guillem : During a Holy Week at the Community in the Abbey of Saint Martin, while doing some gardening, I too felt this calling !

We spent nine years in residential community life, during which time we continued our studies ¾ psychopedagogy for Esther and theology for Guillem ¾ And in 2004, we were sent to found the Community in Spain in the diocese of Segorbe-Castellon. It is there that, after ten years of marriage, the Lord blessed us with the arrival of our daughter, a gift of the Virgin Mary. This has prepared us for the apostolate we are in charge of today among young single mothers in difficulty.

Today, we both work as teachers and with the communications service of the diocese. We also offer prayer vigils, retreats and sessions throughout the year.

We live a missionary dimension that is nourished by a life of friendship with God, through prayer, the sacraments and continual conversion.

When we are on a mission, the Lord allows us to experience poverty at all levels. It is not always easy, but we experience that the poorer we are, the richer we become, and the greater in us is the certainty that the Lord Alone is working in hearts in the midst of the world.

Guillem and Esther

My name is Sr, Thérèse of the Holy Face (a reference to the face of Christ for the uninitiated). I am a French national from Guadeloupe (West Indies). I have been a member of the Community for 20 years. Jesus came and plucked me from university in Paris where I was studying mathematics.

From early childhood I received a basic religious education. When I left my island for mainland France I entered, at every level, into a phase of autonomy to which my faith was not imune: what  sort of a Christian was I?  Who was Christ for me? What importance did the Eucharist have in my life? Was it simply a tradition I had to carry on with?

With all these questions going through my mind, I came across a prayer group which became the channel of a significant spiritual experience. I discovered a living God not at all distant from my life. I can share two elements of that experience: in front of Jesus exposed in the Blessed Sacrament I tasted God’s infinite love for me, I had met Someone who loved me in a unique way. Furthermore, when a few members of the prayer group prayed for me, I saw my whole life in an instant and was made aware of God’s faithfulness at various moments of my life. I had touched something of God, something great and beautiful that nothing and nobody could rob me of. Not only was I convinced of God’s existence but I knew from within that He was in me and with me.

Faced with such Love a calling to religious life (first experienced at about 12 years of age) resurfaced in my heart: a desire to give my whole life to God in order to love Him and make His Love known.

During the time of discernment that followed I providentially met a person at the Faculty who was going on a retreat with the Community. I decided to go on that same retreat as well to find out God’s will for me. I have not been disappointed!

I was struck by the liturgy, the fervent praise expressed in this community, the quality of fraternal life, the beauty of God emanating from the very simple quality of life, as well as its  evangelisation outreach. I, therefore, chose the Community because it was apparent to me that my great desire to give myself to God could find its full expression in a life where contemplation and mission intermingled so strongly.

Religious life for me is a means to love to the full. It is a way that shows that God exists and that it is worthwhile to consecrate one’s whole life to Him. Every day I learn to surrender and let myself be enlightened by God and to become ever more available and ready to make Him known and loved. “The wind blows where it will. You hear the sound it makes but you do not know where it comes from, or where it goes. So it is with everyone begotten of the Spirit (Jn 3,8). To follow Christ is an adventure : letting God constantly surprise us and remaining open to renewal in the Spirit…

 Sr Thérèse of the Holy Face

I come from French-speaking Switzerland. Before joining the Community, I was a young car mechanic in a garage that prepared vehicles for the Paris-Dakar.

It was during a pilgrimage for vocations in 1983 that I heard very clearly in my heart Jesus calling me to become a priest. I was about to turn twenty. The word of Jesus burned my soul. During that day of prayer we were meditating on a text by Pope John Paul II, which read as follows: « Dear young people, I would like to address a very special appeal to you : reflect, understand that I am talking to you about very important things. It is about dedicating one’s entire life to the service of God and the Church… Open your hearts to a joyful encounter with the Risen Christ ! Allow the power of the Holy Spirit to work in you and inspire you with the right choices for your life… Perhaps the Lord is calling you…”. With these words of the pope, my vocation germinated. For more than four and a half years I put up a resistance. I liked my profession very much and I could not make up my mind. It was after a pilgrimage to Medjugorje that I was able to surrender to the Lord’s calling. I was passing through Ars, without knowing that the Community of the Beatitudes was organizing a conference there. What a shock! A sister invited me to take my turn at Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the middle of the night ! This request honored me. When I found myself facing Jesus in the Eucharist, I felt that I was really at the right place. “A community that gives space to ‘adoration’ this is what I need.” After this love at first sight experience, I deepened this “encounter” by visiting the house of Pont-Saint-Esprit. As simple as that…

Today, having been a priest for 22 years, I fulfil my priestly ministry in the parish at the service of the new evangelization, surrounded and helped by my brothers and sisters of the Beatitudes. I dedicate a large amount of my time to the service of youth. Our parish house in Lausanne runs a small student home. With them, we do scouting and all kinds of activities: mountain camping, ski camping, pilgrimages, WYD, humanitarian trips…

Jesus calls us to great challenges. He also counts on you. Leave your mark on this world. He needs the freshness of your young years. « Come follow me ». Together we will build a civilization of Love.

Brother Jean-Marie

I am Joumana from Lebanon. I joined the Community, aged 25, fourteen years ago. I used to teach philosophy to senior year classes and assisted in the production of televised cultural programs.

Having, on the one hand, gone through phases questioning my faith and, on the other, loving life a lot and dreaming of advanced studies and marriage, the thought that one day I “would tumble into God’s love” and that that love would call me to abandon and surrender everything, never crossed my mind.

Searching for “the truth”, at 20, I gave vent to the following challenge : “If philosophy proves God’s existence to me, I will believe, otherwise that’s the end of faith for me”. Taking me at my word God, at first, approached me through philosophy… A brother, studying with me, having invited me to attend Saturday Vespers with the Community it is then that the God of philosophers revealed his most loving face and touched my heart with the beauty that emanated from the place, from the faces, from the songs… and spontaneous prayers : that evening I understood that His name is “Lord”, and that He is “the Truth”.

At the age of 24,  during the visit of Thérèse’s relics to Lebanon the Community crossed my path again, and I joyfully discovered the new program of retreats that had just been set up. From retreat to retreat the madness of a calling resounded in me and all the other desires already present just gave way. The strength of my resistance matched that of my attraction to this unequalled love, and day by day I allowed myself to be invaded by this unique desire: «To love is to give everything and to give oneself». Everything in the Community spoke to my heart ! So I said yes, and I never regretted it.

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”… no greater happiness either, for “who is in God, lacks nothing” !

  Joumana

I was born in Kazakhstan. Surely it isn’t often  one comes across a text in French about someone coming from so far away.

My family wasn’t a practising one.It was a difficult situation, for my mother was Orthodox and my father Muslim. However, at the age of seven, I was baptized in the Orthodox Church. Nevertheless, we never spoke about God at home.It is the dramatic event of my brother’s death (I was 16 at the time) which started my family along the path of faith. The thought of an eternal life to come was a consolation to us.

My godfather, a Catholic, encouraged us to join him in church. The priests had formed a team of young people to whom they entrusted little missions. Very quickly I spent most of my free time in church whilst still continuing my accountancy studies. I experienced great joy when participating in all those activities (at Mass, catechism, evangelization, etc.)

In 1999 the Community of the Beatitudes launched their first Youth Festival in Kazakhstan. During a prayer vigil I felt Jesus was calling me to consecrated life, although I had plans of getting married ! The sister who prayed with me expressed in her prayer exactly what was in my heart ! However, I told her : “Just for today” !

I asked to spend some time with other friends in the house that had just opened in Kokchetav. I felt at home ! It is during adoration in the Community chapel that I ENCOUNTERED Jesus and felt the great love He had for me.

Today, after seventeen years of life in community, I give thanks to the Lord for having called me and I discover every day the beauty of a consecrated life within the Community of the Beatitudes. Life with Jesus is a daily adventure, full of unexpected events, surprises, happiness and I give thanks to the Lord for all that He is continually doing in my life.

If doubt fills your heart; don’t hesitate, don’t be afraid, Jesus will fulfil your expectations and give you a hundredfold !

Sr. Klara Misericordia

A Parisian, I joined the Community at the age of 24 after a master’s degree in philosophy and studies in finance.

I remember my first calling at the age of seven. It was a calling to consecrated life. Without knowing it, I had really made my own this quote from the Curé d’Ars : « There is no greater happiness on earth than to love God and to know that He loves us ». This desire for the greatest happiness in consecration has always remained deep in my heart, even when I later thought of marriage.

At the age of 24, this calling having become obvious, I left everything to answer it : family, country, culture, friends and girlfriend, work. I joined the Community of the Beatitudes in… Côte d’Ivoire, in a Catholic mission. It was here that my call to the priesthood was born, seeing how much people “needed the sacraments”.

Since then, I have travelled a lot : six years in Africa (Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Gabon), Israel, Rome, Toulouse, Denver in Colorado… And yes, the four continents ! This is one of the aspects of the Community I like the most : its international dimension. The Community has given me the opportunity to meet the People of God in their universality and to meet them in truth and in depth. As brothers and priests, we share the most intimate part of people’s lives: their joys, their distress, etc. We are present at the happiest moments of their lives (marriage, births, etc.) as well as at the hardest moments (death, etc.). What grace, and what wealth !

I can testify that the Lord speaks the truth when He promises a hundredfold in brothers, sisters, houses… to those who have left everything to follow Him. He has fulfilled me far beyond what I could have dreamed of. After eleven years in Denver, Colorado, I came back to France this year, for a new service : that of our Parisian house and parish at Maisons Alfort. After so many years abroad, I return to serve “my” people who need it so much.

Do you discern a calling ? Then let me tell you: if you are baptized, listen to your heart, not your fears. Come out into the deep, He will be faithful.

Brother Nathanaël

We are married and have three children aged 15 to 9. We are of French, Italian and Spanish origin! We are currently on a mission in the island of Reunion. We joined the Community in 1995 and 1996, both as singles, and having met we got engaged and married in the Community.

In 2002 we wanted to take time out to build our family and after thirteen years we returned to the community. The different ways of life the community offers are well adapted to our family life and we can fully serve the Lord.

We live in a house that is seven minutes walk from the Brothers’ House. This geographical proximity is crucial for us and allows us to participate in Divine Services and fraternal life in a very flexible way taking into account the organization of our family’s life. The community foyer remains the place of communion (life of prayer, fraternal moments together and occasions for missionary outreach). The communion of all states of life is a real challenge to be met today and tomorrow to evangelize and to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

Professionally speaking, Jaime is a Spanish teacher and Laurence is a Communications Trainer and Consultant. Our professional life allows us to provide for our family, but it is also our mission to bear witness to our faith through simple gestures, actions and words.

Life with the Lord is an extraordinary adventure!

Jaime and Laurence

I’m a New-Zealander of English origin. I was sixteen months old when we left England for New Zealand, a country my father fell in love with in the course of his maritime journeys.

In my youth my aspirations were more of an artistic nature with an attraction to the fine arts. For different reasons this dream never came true.I went through different types of training which allowed me to work whilst seeking my vocation. At the time I was already thinking of a consecrated life… but where ?

I had to wait for God’s hour! This time of somewhat painful waiting proved necessary to learn not to turn away when confronted with God’s silences. After a 6-year search I received the answer I was waiting for. In a prayer group a video on a ”new community” in France was making the rounds. A German/New Zealand couple in touch with “that community” in Germany desired the Community to be known in NZ I discovered young people experiencing an intense life of prayer and what’s more there were consecrated artists present ! That is how I discovered the “Community of the Beatitudes”.

It needed something strong and somewhat out of the ordinary to convince a rather timid soul to leave everything/ family, work, country, culture and language to follow the call received in her heart and set sail toward the unknown.

Today my heart is full of gratitude. In Him I have learned to live a new, ample, free life : the life of the Kingdom. I have become a citizen of that Kingdom searching the way in my heart that I may live ever more deeply in that Kingdom and communicate it to all around me.

The advice I would give is to always listen to our heart’s aspirations : they are the desires God implants in us, and He can do all things for He is with us and on our side !

Sr. Claire of Assisi

Born at the end of the war 39-45, in a Christian family, I always wanted to be a missionary. At the minor seminary, I met a White Father (missionary from Africa). What drew me to them was that “they prayed and ate together,” as the martyrs of Uganda used to say « mission in community life, to bear witness to the “see how they love each other ». I was ordained a priest in 1974 and sent on a mission in the Sahara desert. When missions were called into question, I experienced the Holy Spirit. Then, together with other White Fathers, we founded a small fraternity of missionary monks. This was the beginning of an exciting experience : new converts from Islam met Christ, while some Muslims gathered around Fr. Christian de Chergé and one of us in Tibhirine, in the bond of Peace. This experience could not continue in Algeria, nor even as White Fathers. The Bishop who welcomed us, Blessed Bishop Pierre Claverie, accompanied us up to the Lion of Judah and the slain Lamb.

We stayed there because we found prayer, a liturgical life, a life in community all simplicity and surrender. And we were the first two priests to join the Community already having a true missionary experience. In 1983 the Community sent me to found a house in Lebanon, in the midst of war, and subsequently in many other countries and on other continents. My ministry is marked above all by preaching through retreats and large evangelization events, the encounter with the Muslim world and the accompaniment of converts.

Strive to seize Him who has seized you (cf. Phil 3 :12-14). “Do not grow slack but be fervent in spirit ; he whom you serve is the Lord » (cf. Rom 12 :11).

Br. Pierre-Marie

A Lebanese national, I have been living in the Community house of Gharzouz, in Lebanon, for two years. I am an interior designer since 2012.

I felt a strong calling from God several years ago, and after a long discernment, I realized that this calling rested on several points : a life of intense prayer and a desire for union with God, a fraternal life (that is to say, in a community) with the communion of all states of life (mixed), a missionary outreach and a total gift of myself while remaining in touch with the world. But in which community ?

One day, a friend suggested that I help the brothers and sisters of the Gharzouz house in one of their missions (the organization of spiritual days for schools during Lent). This is when I really got to meet the Community up close. Little by little I realized that it corresponded to what I wanted and I decided to join the Community.

I live my calling in everything I do :

• in a life of prayer with daily Eucharist and adoration, with the various Divine Services (as well as the Easter Triduum) that strengthen my relationship with God, deepening more and more my trust in Him.
• finally, in evangelization missions, which teach me to become a true disciple : the joy of making others taste the Kingdom of Heaven and interceding for the world that needs much prayer.

Oh I don‘t forget the little struggles of every day that root me in my calling to open the doors of holiness to me.

“A soul united to Jesus is a living smile that radiates Him and gives Him” (St Elizabeth of the Trinity).

Julie

Born in Grenoble, I entered the Community aged 23.

When I was confirmed at the age of 16 I experienced a true outpouring of the Holy Spirit which changed my life. In a mysterious way I heard God say to me: “Sandrine I trust you to proclaim me to others!” This was serious .I felt great peace and joy, an inner conviction that I had to commit myself to God and his Church.

I started studying in Paris: philosophy followed by secretarial training. During that time I joined a missionary fraternity: a prayer group of young people with whom I had the joy of sharing my faith and participating in evangelization missions. I experienced God’s power in my daily life.

Two unforgettable experiences deepened within me the desire to give my life as a religious :

• a humanitarian experience with “rag men” in a Cairo slum in Egypt with Sr. Emmanuelle whose testimony impressed me so much : give everything for others !
• and a second experience during an incredible week of prayer and sharing with thousands of young people from the whole world during the Youth Festival in Medjugorje. At the end, I was no longer the same ; it was as if the Lord was telling me: “If you follow me I will fulfil you.” I knew I could count on His Faithfulness, so I said “Yes” to Him. Having decided, immense was my joy !

Two years before, during a Holy Week retreat with the Community of the Beatitudes at Nouan-le-Fuzelier, I remembered saying “Lord, if one day you should call me to consecrate my life to you, it is here I shall enter !”

My calling to the Community of the Beatitudes was so strong that one year later I asked to enter and that was twenty six years ago ! So much for God’s sense of humour !

To love in giving and giving with love !

Jesus fulfils the heart of those who give Him everything. As for the hope within me, I have not been disappointed !

  Sr. Claire Sandrine

We got married in 1993 and have three children.  We are Belgian nationals, of flemish origin and live in Flanders (Belgium).

We met the Community as « tourists » while visiting the Abbey of  Saint-Martin-du-Canigou. We were immediately struck by the joy, the beauty of the liturgy and the communion of all states of life.

In our spiritual quest we had been searching for quite a while ! And it is in the Community that we truly met Christ ! Whaoo ! What a change in our life. We discovered a diversity, both in prayer and in spirituality : Byzantine Vespers, entry into the Shabbat, Israeli dances, Charismatic Renewal, Carmelite spirituality. The international dimension of the Community broadened our vision of the world tremendously..

What we like in the Community is this equilibrium between a contemplative life and an active mission orientated outreach. It is expressed both through inner quiet prayer, adoration before the Blessed Sacrament and through praise and charismatic prayer.

What lovely unity !

Bart and Veerle

I’m Austrian and have been in the Community of the Beatitudes for 22 years. Before following the Lord’s calling I was a law student intending to train as a diplomate. The Lord made good use of my attraction for different countries and cultures by calling me as His ambassador to… Peru, to proclaim His love as a missionary.

How did it come about ? My path toward consecrated life started with a Mass celebrated by the Community of the Beatitudes in Lisieux. Touched by the beauty of the liturgy, by the joy of its consecrated members singing and dancing before God, I immediately knew that Jesus was inviting me to join in that joy.

A consecrated sister gave me a booklet on the Community’s mission in Peru. It must be said that I had been looking for quite some time for a location to experience a missionary activity. That is when my adventure with Jesus started.

After working as a « volunteer » I decided to join the Community in Peru. Having worked on several evangelization projects in different countries, I am now back in Peru. I can only admire God’s faithfulness, His love for me which sustains me and the joy of having given my life to Jesus.

I can see every day the marvels God achieves in the lives of the poor who cry out to Him. Jesus is present : He consoles the afflicted, He strengthens the weak, He heals the broken-hearted, where there is despondency He gives hope. My joy is to be His little instrument, a witness of His mercy and of the joy experienced when giving one’s life to Jesus !

Sr Eva of Jésus

I was born and grew up in Berlin (Germany).

It has been 25 years since I joined the Community of the Beatitudes. Yet I hadn’t planned anything in that direction. Before this new life, I had embarked on teaching studies, with clear priorities: sport and physical activities.

At the age of 12, I started bicross. It gives one pure adrenaline! For me it was more than just a simple hobby. It was my life. I spent all my time on the bike, investing all my money and all my energy on it. Competition had become a source of recognition for me. I had to shine.

All this, just to win a small metal trophy and be acclaimed after the competition ! Yet, how fleeting are such moments.

Much later, I realized that I was constantly striving after performances. I despised everything that did not serve this ideal. Gradually and without being really aware of the situation, I lost the meaning of life and became more and more lonely. Internally, I had even lost my family.

But God is good ! Through miraculous circumstances, the Lord led me to Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is a Marian shrine visited by millions of pilgrims from all over the world. I experienced a strong encounter with the living God.

It is very difficult to write about it in a few words, but I can only say that I was aware of my selfishness and the coldness of my heart, nevertheless discovering at the same time God’s ineffable love for me. This experience completely changed me !

I began praying regularly. It allowed me to approach ecclesial life. I then joined the Community of the Beatitudes because there was a deep desire in me to give my whole life to the Lord. I found my family there. I met brothers and sisters who had experienced similar things with God. I could walk with them to serve the Lord and the Church.

And time passes quickly… since then I have been ordained to the priesthood, I try to look for lost sheep. As in my experience, I want to tell them about this deep source of happiness that every man seeks after.

So do not hesitate to get in touch with Him, to talk to Him, to share your questions, your worries, your problems, your wounds. And above all, pray to Him to manifest himself and show you His great mercy towards you.

Br. Johannes Maria

We are Guillem and Esther. Originally from Barcelona, we joined the Community when we were engaged in 1995. Esther had studied as a teacher and pianist, and Guillem had studied journalism. We got to know the Community at its summer conferences in Lourdes. We kept in touch by going regularly for short periods to the house of Saint Martin du Canigou 250 kms from us.

Esther : I was touched by the quality of prayer and fraternal life and by the eschatological dimension : “seeing the People of God (brothers, sisters, families, priests), living in the spirit of the Kingdom in their midst” : you could feel it, breath it, and see it…

Guillem : What touched me was the missionary and evangelization dimension. We could see that the fruitfulness of the Community’s missions had its source in its prayer life. We both had a desire to consecrate our couple to God and to the service of His Kingdom. The Lord has shown us the Community and its charism as the response to this deep desire dwelling within us.

Esther : This evidence was obvious to me first. I waited and prayed for Guillem to come to the same conclusion.

Guillem : During a Holy Week at the Community in the Abbey of Saint Martin, while doing some gardening, I too felt this calling !

We spent nine years in residential community life, during which time we continued our studies ¾ psychopedagogy for Esther and theology for Guillem ¾ And in 2004, we were sent to found the Community in Spain in the diocese of Segorbe-Castellon. It is there that, after ten years of marriage, the Lord blessed us with the arrival of our daughter, a gift of the Virgin Mary. This has prepared us for the apostolate we are in charge of today among young single mothers in difficulty.

Today, we both work as teachers and with the communications service of the diocese. We also offer prayer vigils, retreats and sessions throughout the year.

We live a missionary dimension that is nourished by a life of friendship with God, through prayer, the sacraments and continual conversion.

When we are on a mission, the Lord allows us to experience poverty at all levels. It is not always easy, but we experience that the poorer we are, the richer we become, and the greater in us is the certainty that the Lord Alone is working in hearts in the midst of the world.

Guillem and Esther

My name is Sr, Thérèse of the Holy Face (a reference to the face of Christ for the uninitiated). I am a French national from Guadeloupe (West Indies). I have been a member of the Community for 20 years. Jesus came and plucked me from university in Paris where I was studying mathematics.

From early childhood I received a basic religious education. When I left my island for mainland France I entered, at every level, into a phase of autonomy to which my faith was not imune: what  sort of a Christian was I?  Who was Christ for me? What importance did the Eucharist have in my life? Was it simply a tradition I had to carry on with?

With all these questions going through my mind, I came across a prayer group which became the channel of a significant spiritual experience. I discovered a living God not at all distant from my life. I can share two elements of that experience: in front of Jesus exposed in the Blessed Sacrament I tasted God’s infinite love for me, I had met Someone who loved me in a unique way. Furthermore, when a few members of the prayer group prayed for me, I saw my whole life in an instant and was made aware of God’s faithfulness at various moments of my life. I had touched something of God, something great and beautiful that nothing and nobody could rob me of. Not only was I convinced of God’s existence but I knew from within that He was in me and with me.

Faced with such Love a calling to religious life (first experienced at about 12 years of age) resurfaced in my heart: a desire to give my whole life to God in order to love Him and make His Love known.

During the time of discernment that followed I providentially met a person at the Faculty who was going on a retreat with the Community. I decided to go on that same retreat as well to find out God’s will for me. I have not been disappointed!

I was struck by the liturgy, the fervent praise expressed in this community, the quality of fraternal life, the beauty of God emanating from the very simple quality of life, as well as its  evangelisation outreach. I, therefore, chose the Community because it was apparent to me that my great desire to give myself to God could find its full expression in a life where contemplation and mission intermingled so strongly.

Religious life for me is a means to love to the full. It is a way that shows that God exists and that it is worthwhile to consecrate one’s whole life to Him. Every day I learn to surrender and let myself be enlightened by God and to become ever more available and ready to make Him known and loved. “The wind blows where it will. You hear the sound it makes but you do not know where it comes from, or where it goes. So it is with everyone begotten of the Spirit (Jn 3,8). To follow Christ is an adventure : letting God constantly surprise us and remaining open to renewal in the Spirit…

 Sr Thérèse of the Holy Face

I come from French-speaking Switzerland. Before joining the Community, I was a young car mechanic in a garage that prepared vehicles for the Paris-Dakar.

It was during a pilgrimage for vocations in 1983 that I heard very clearly in my heart Jesus calling me to become a priest. I was about to turn twenty. The word of Jesus burned my soul. During that day of prayer we were meditating on a text by Pope John Paul II, which read as follows: « Dear young people, I would like to address a very special appeal to you : reflect, understand that I am talking to you about very important things. It is about dedicating one’s entire life to the service of God and the Church… Open your hearts to a joyful encounter with the Risen Christ ! Allow the power of the Holy Spirit to work in you and inspire you with the right choices for your life… Perhaps the Lord is calling you…”. With these words of the pope, my vocation germinated. For more than four and a half years I put up a resistance. I liked my profession very much and I could not make up my mind. It was after a pilgrimage to Medjugorje that I was able to surrender to the Lord’s calling. I was passing through Ars, without knowing that the Community of the Beatitudes was organizing a conference there. What a shock! A sister invited me to take my turn at Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the middle of the night ! This request honored me. When I found myself facing Jesus in the Eucharist, I felt that I was really at the right place. “A community that gives space to ‘adoration’ this is what I need.” After this love at first sight experience, I deepened this “encounter” by visiting the house of Pont-Saint-Esprit. As simple as that…

Today, having been a priest for 22 years, I fulfil my priestly ministry in the parish at the service of the new evangelization, surrounded and helped by my brothers and sisters of the Beatitudes. I dedicate a large amount of my time to the service of youth. Our parish house in Lausanne runs a small student home. With them, we do scouting and all kinds of activities: mountain camping, ski camping, pilgrimages, WYD, humanitarian trips…

Jesus calls us to great challenges. He also counts on you. Leave your mark on this world. He needs the freshness of your young years. « Come follow me ». Together we will build a civilization of Love.

Brother Jean-Marie

I am Joumana from Lebanon. I joined the Community, aged 25, fourteen years ago. I used to teach philosophy to senior year classes and assisted in the production of televised cultural programs.

Having, on the one hand, gone through phases questioning my faith and, on the other, loving life a lot and dreaming of advanced studies and marriage, the thought that one day I “would tumble into God’s love” and that that love would call me to abandon and surrender everything, never crossed my mind.

Searching for “the truth”, at 20, I gave vent to the following challenge : “If philosophy proves God’s existence to me, I will believe, otherwise that’s the end of faith for me”. Taking me at my word God, at first, approached me through philosophy… A brother, studying with me, having invited me to attend Saturday Vespers with the Community it is then that the God of philosophers revealed his most loving face and touched my heart with the beauty that emanated from the place, from the faces, from the songs… and spontaneous prayers : that evening I understood that His name is “Lord”, and that He is “the Truth”.

At the age of 24,  during the visit of Thérèse’s relics to Lebanon the Community crossed my path again, and I joyfully discovered the new program of retreats that had just been set up. From retreat to retreat the madness of a calling resounded in me and all the other desires already present just gave way. The strength of my resistance matched that of my attraction to this unequalled love, and day by day I allowed myself to be invaded by this unique desire: «To love is to give everything and to give oneself». Everything in the Community spoke to my heart ! So I said yes, and I never regretted it.

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”… no greater happiness either, for “who is in God, lacks nothing” !

  Joumana

I was born in Kazakhstan. Surely it isn’t often  one comes across a text in French about someone coming from so far away.

My family wasn’t a practising one.It was a difficult situation, for my mother was Orthodox and my father Muslim. However, at the age of seven, I was baptized in the Orthodox Church. Nevertheless, we never spoke about God at home.It is the dramatic event of my brother’s death (I was 16 at the time) which started my family along the path of faith. The thought of an eternal life to come was a consolation to us.

My godfather, a Catholic, encouraged us to join him in church. The priests had formed a team of young people to whom they entrusted little missions. Very quickly I spent most of my free time in church whilst still continuing my accountancy studies. I experienced great joy when participating in all those activities (at Mass, catechism, evangelization, etc.)

In 1999 the Community of the Beatitudes launched their first Youth Festival in Kazakhstan. During a prayer vigil I felt Jesus was calling me to consecrated life, although I had plans of getting married ! The sister who prayed with me expressed in her prayer exactly what was in my heart ! However, I told her : “Just for today” !

I asked to spend some time with other friends in the house that had just opened in Kokchetav. I felt at home ! It is during adoration in the Community chapel that I ENCOUNTERED Jesus and felt the great love He had for me.

Today, after seventeen years of life in community, I give thanks to the Lord for having called me and I discover every day the beauty of a consecrated life within the Community of the Beatitudes. Life with Jesus is a daily adventure, full of unexpected events, surprises, happiness and I give thanks to the Lord for all that He is continually doing in my life.

If doubt fills your heart; don’t hesitate, don’t be afraid, Jesus will fulfil your expectations and give you a hundredfold !

Sr. Klara Misericordia

A Parisian, I joined the Community at the age of 24 after a master’s degree in philosophy and studies in finance.

I remember my first calling at the age of seven. It was a calling to consecrated life. Without knowing it, I had really made my own this quote from the Curé d’Ars : « There is no greater happiness on earth than to love God and to know that He loves us ». This desire for the greatest happiness in consecration has always remained deep in my heart, even when I later thought of marriage.

At the age of 24, this calling having become obvious, I left everything to answer it : family, country, culture, friends and girlfriend, work. I joined the Community of the Beatitudes in… Côte d’Ivoire, in a Catholic mission. It was here that my call to the priesthood was born, seeing how much people “needed the sacraments”.

Since then, I have travelled a lot : six years in Africa (Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Gabon), Israel, Rome, Toulouse, Denver in Colorado… And yes, the four continents ! This is one of the aspects of the Community I like the most : its international dimension. The Community has given me the opportunity to meet the People of God in their universality and to meet them in truth and in depth. As brothers and priests, we share the most intimate part of people’s lives: their joys, their distress, etc. We are present at the happiest moments of their lives (marriage, births, etc.) as well as at the hardest moments (death, etc.). What grace, and what wealth !

I can testify that the Lord speaks the truth when He promises a hundredfold in brothers, sisters, houses… to those who have left everything to follow Him. He has fulfilled me far beyond what I could have dreamed of. After eleven years in Denver, Colorado, I came back to France this year, for a new service : that of our Parisian house and parish at Maisons Alfort. After so many years abroad, I return to serve “my” people who need it so much.

Do you discern a calling ? Then let me tell you: if you are baptized, listen to your heart, not your fears. Come out into the deep, He will be faithful.

Brother Nathanaël

We are married and have three children aged 15 to 9. We are of French, Italian and Spanish origin! We are currently on a mission in the island of Reunion. We joined the Community in 1995 and 1996, both as singles, and having met we got engaged and married in the Community.

In 2002 we wanted to take time out to build our family and after thirteen years we returned to the community. The different ways of life the community offers are well adapted to our family life and we can fully serve the Lord.

We live in a house that is seven minutes walk from the Brothers’ House. This geographical proximity is crucial for us and allows us to participate in Divine Services and fraternal life in a very flexible way taking into account the organization of our family’s life. The community foyer remains the place of communion (life of prayer, fraternal moments together and occasions for missionary outreach). The communion of all states of life is a real challenge to be met today and tomorrow to evangelize and to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

Professionally speaking, Jaime is a Spanish teacher and Laurence is a Communications Trainer and Consultant. Our professional life allows us to provide for our family, but it is also our mission to bear witness to our faith through simple gestures, actions and words.

Life with the Lord is an extraordinary adventure!

Jaime and Laurence

I’m a New-Zealander of English origin. I was sixteen months old when we left England for New Zealand, a country my father fell in love with in the course of his maritime journeys.

In my youth my aspirations were more of an artistic nature with an attraction to the fine arts. For different reasons this dream never came true.I went through different types of training which allowed me to work whilst seeking my vocation. At the time I was already thinking of a consecrated life… but where ?

I had to wait for God’s hour! This time of somewhat painful waiting proved necessary to learn not to turn away when confronted with God’s silences. After a 6-year search I received the answer I was waiting for. In a prayer group a video on a ”new community” in France was making the rounds. A German/New Zealand couple in touch with “that community” in Germany desired the Community to be known in NZ I discovered young people experiencing an intense life of prayer and what’s more there were consecrated artists present ! That is how I discovered the “Community of the Beatitudes”.

It needed something strong and somewhat out of the ordinary to convince a rather timid soul to leave everything/ family, work, country, culture and language to follow the call received in her heart and set sail toward the unknown.

Today my heart is full of gratitude. In Him I have learned to live a new, ample, free life : the life of the Kingdom. I have become a citizen of that Kingdom searching the way in my heart that I may live ever more deeply in that Kingdom and communicate it to all around me.

The advice I would give is to always listen to our heart’s aspirations : they are the desires God implants in us, and He can do all things for He is with us and on our side !

Sr. Claire of Assisi

Born at the end of the war 39-45, in a Christian family, I always wanted to be a missionary. At the minor seminary, I met a White Father (missionary from Africa). What drew me to them was that “they prayed and ate together,” as the martyrs of Uganda used to say « mission in community life, to bear witness to the “see how they love each other ». I was ordained a priest in 1974 and sent on a mission in the Sahara desert. When missions were called into question, I experienced the Holy Spirit. Then, together with other White Fathers, we founded a small fraternity of missionary monks. This was the beginning of an exciting experience : new converts from Islam met Christ, while some Muslims gathered around Fr. Christian de Chergé and one of us in Tibhirine, in the bond of Peace. This experience could not continue in Algeria, nor even as White Fathers. The Bishop who welcomed us, Blessed Bishop Pierre Claverie, accompanied us up to the Lion of Judah and the slain Lamb.

We stayed there because we found prayer, a liturgical life, a life in community all simplicity and surrender. And we were the first two priests to join the Community already having a true missionary experience. In 1983 the Community sent me to found a house in Lebanon, in the midst of war, and subsequently in many other countries and on other continents. My ministry is marked above all by preaching through retreats and large evangelization events, the encounter with the Muslim world and the accompaniment of converts.

Strive to seize Him who has seized you (cf. Phil 3 :12-14). “Do not grow slack but be fervent in spirit ; he whom you serve is the Lord » (cf. Rom 12 :11).

Br. Pierre-Marie

A Lebanese national, I have been living in the Community house of Gharzouz, in Lebanon, for two years. I am an interior designer since 2012.

I felt a strong calling from God several years ago, and after a long discernment, I realized that this calling rested on several points : a life of intense prayer and a desire for union with God, a fraternal life (that is to say, in a community) with the communion of all states of life (mixed), a missionary outreach and a total gift of myself while remaining in touch with the world. But in which community ?

One day, a friend suggested that I help the brothers and sisters of the Gharzouz house in one of their missions (the organization of spiritual days for schools during Lent). This is when I really got to meet the Community up close. Little by little I realized that it corresponded to what I wanted and I decided to join the Community.

I live my calling in everything I do :

• in a life of prayer with daily Eucharist and adoration, with the various Divine Services (as well as the Easter Triduum) that strengthen my relationship with God, deepening more and more my trust in Him.
• finally, in evangelization missions, which teach me to become a true disciple : the joy of making others taste the Kingdom of Heaven and interceding for the world that needs much prayer.

Oh I don‘t forget the little struggles of every day that root me in my calling to open the doors of holiness to me.

“A soul united to Jesus is a living smile that radiates Him and gives Him” (St Elizabeth of the Trinity).

Julie

Born in Grenoble, I entered the Community aged 23.

When I was confirmed at the age of 16 I experienced a true outpouring of the Holy Spirit which changed my life. In a mysterious way I heard God say to me: “Sandrine I trust you to proclaim me to others!” This was serious .I felt great peace and joy, an inner conviction that I had to commit myself to God and his Church.

I started studying in Paris: philosophy followed by secretarial training. During that time I joined a missionary fraternity: a prayer group of young people with whom I had the joy of sharing my faith and participating in evangelization missions. I experienced God’s power in my daily life.

Two unforgettable experiences deepened within me the desire to give my life as a religious :

• a humanitarian experience with “rag men” in a Cairo slum in Egypt with Sr. Emmanuelle whose testimony impressed me so much : give everything for others !
• and a second experience during an incredible week of prayer and sharing with thousands of young people from the whole world during the Youth Festival in Medjugorje. At the end, I was no longer the same ; it was as if the Lord was telling me: “If you follow me I will fulfil you.” I knew I could count on His Faithfulness, so I said “Yes” to Him. Having decided, immense was my joy !

Two years before, during a Holy Week retreat with the Community of the Beatitudes at Nouan-le-Fuzelier, I remembered saying “Lord, if one day you should call me to consecrate my life to you, it is here I shall enter !”

My calling to the Community of the Beatitudes was so strong that one year later I asked to enter and that was twenty six years ago ! So much for God’s sense of humour !

To love in giving and giving with love !

Jesus fulfils the heart of those who give Him everything. As for the hope within me, I have not been disappointed !

  Sr. Claire Sandrine