The Community of the Beatitudes is a Catholic community present in over twenty countries worldwide. It brings together in the same family consecrated sisters, brothers, priests, and lay members (married and single), who wish to follow Christ on the path of the Beatitudes by sharing a fraternal life, prayer life, and mission.
Le frère Jean-Paul a été ordonné prêtre le 26 juin 2021 à Libreville (Gabon)…
We are married and have three children aged 15 to 9. We are of French, Italian and Spanish origin!
A Parisian, I joined the Community at the age of 24 after a master’s degree in philosophy and studies in finance.
My name is Maya and I am Lebanese. Jesus came to pick me up during my studies in Belgium where I was doing my Masters in Finance at the age of 25.
I come from Vietnam and am the eldest of four children. I grew up in the faith thanks to…
We got married in 1993 and have three children. We are Belgian nationals, of flemish origin and live in Flanders
I’m a New-Zealander of English origin. I was sixteen months old when we left England for New Zealand…
My name is Brother Andreas of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I was born in German-speaking Switzerland in 1986.
We are Guillem and Esther. Originally from Barcelona, we joined the Community when…
Born in Grenoble, I entered the Community aged 23. When I was confirmed at the age of 16…
My name is Brother Anthony of the Transfiguration. I come from Boulder, USA, at the foot of the Rockies…
Jean-Claude, a permanent deacon, and myself, Martine, are among the very first members of the Community.
J’ai grandi non loin de Saint Gall en Suisse. Avant d’entrer en 2010 à la Communauté des Béatitudes à Zug
D’une famille nombreuse où on priait une dizaine de chapelet tous les soirs, j’ai perçu l’Amour…
My name is Sr Emilie of the Heart of Jesus and Mary. I am originally from Ardèche and it is after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in history…
I come from Sicily. Over there, from childhood, my heart was filled with a mad desire for happiness but…
A Lebanese national, I have been living in the Community house of Gharzouz, in Lebanon, for two years.
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 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
Je suis né et j’ai grandi à Berlin en Allemagne. Il y a maintenant 25 ans que je suis entré
Born at the end of the war 39-45, in a Christian family, I always wanted to be a missionary
“Votre don sera reçu par la Fondation pour le Clergé, en faveur de la Communauté des Béatitudes et les données recueillies sur le formulaire de don serviront aux communications de la Communauté des Béatitudes et de la Fondation pour le Clergé.”
Les frères et sœurs de la Communauté des Béatitudes prient pour vous et à vos intentions, spécialement lors de l’office d’intercession du jeudi soir suivie de l’Heure Sainte ou de la nuit d’adoration. Pendant celles-ci, la Communauté accompagne le Christ en agonie à Gethsémani et intercède auprès de Lui.
Qu’Il vous apporte ses grâces de force et de réconfort ainsi qu’à tous ceux que vous nous confiez.
La Lettre à nos Amis est un bulletin papier de quatre pages qui paraît deux fois par an. S’y ajoute au mois de juin la Lettre des Frères. Ces trois Lettres vous donnent des nouvelles de la Communauté, de ses missions à travers le monde, de ses propositions pastorales, de ses vocations et de leur formation. Elles vous donnent aussi une nourriture spirituelle.
N’hésitez pas à vous y abonner gratuitement en laissant vos coordonnées postales.
Cette proposition est réservée aux habitants de la France métropolitaine.
Le frère Jean-Paul a été ordonné prêtre le 26 juin 2021 à Libreville (Gabon). Médecin de formation, Fr. Jean-Paul a senti l’appel du Christ à devenir médecin des âmes… Actuellement en mission dans notre maison de Zug en Suisse allemande, il nous livre le témoignage de sa vocation en vidéo.
Nous sommes mariés et avons trois enfants de 15 à 9 ans. Nous sommes d’origine française, italienne et espagnole ! Nous sommes actuellement en mission à la Réunion. Entrés à la Communauté en 1995 et 1996, comme célibataires tous les deux, et après notre rencontre, nous nous sommes fiancés et mariés à la Communauté.
En 2002 nous avons voulu prendre le temps de construire notre famille et après treize années, nous avons réintégré la Communauté. Les différentes modalités de vie communautaire sont bien adaptées à notre vie familiale et nous pouvons pleinement y servir le Seigneur.
Nous vivons dans une maison qui se trouve à sept minutes à pied du foyer des frères. Cette proximité géographique est capitale pour nous et nous permet de participer aux offices et à la vie fraternelle de manière très souple par rapport à notre organisation familiale. Le foyer communautaire demeure le lieu de la communion (vie de prière, temps fraternels et missionnaires). La communion des états de vie est un véritable défi à relever aujourd’hui et demain pour évangéliser et annoncer la bonne nouvelle du Christ.
Nous sommes, pour Jaime, professeur d’espagnol, et pour Laurence, formatrice et consultante en communication. Notre vie professionnelle nous permet de subvenir aux besoins de notre famille, mais est aussi une mission, celle de témoigner de notre foi par des gestes, des actes et des paroles simples.
La vie avec le Seigneur est une aventure extraordinaire !
Jaime et Laurence
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 Jesus
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
I had everything to be happy but I was desperately looking for meaning in my life. I had just forgotten what was most essential : God.
The Blessed Virgin came to seek me out in all my impasses and began to lead me step by step to help me return to the Church and allow me to discover the Community. Enrolled in a youth camp in Lebanon during the summer of 1997, it was a decisive experience followed quickly by a « Nazareth » year (a time for God offered to young people to discern their vocation).
I felt a clear calling to the Beatitudes because, aspiring to union with God ,according to Carmelite tradition, I was very attracted by Marian spirituality and the beauty of the liturgy. There I discovered the joy of fraternal life and welcoming the poor, a simple and sober life as a remedy for materialism, cemented by liturgical prayer and Eucharistic adoration. In short, everything seemed familiar and attractive to me. One thing quickly became clear to me : after two years of research, I had finally found my spiritual family.
Today, I live my community calling within the Lay Branch having pronounced a vow of celibacy for the Kingdom. This calling allows me to live my consecration and to be fully Christ’s spouse, witnessing discreetly, while exercising a profession that I love.
It is a great joy to be able to live community life to the full, while working on the spot in a tailor-made job ! This work is also an opportunity to participate in a work of evangelization through the book media that has always fascinated me.
Finally, another thing is close to my heart : music and singing in particular. I have the joy of being part of the team of singers who lead the services and masses to help the Community and the retreatants who visit it. Helping others to pray through music is so beautiful !
My whole journey could be summed up in one sentence : “Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) It was through the Heart of Mary that I was able to enter into the intimacy of the Heart of Jesus. Deo gratias!
Valérie
My name is Maya and I am Lebanese. Jesus came to pick me up during my studies in Belgium where I was doing my Masters in Finance at the age of 25.
My name is Maya and I am Lebanese. Jesus came to pick me up during my studies in Belgium where I was doing my Masters in Finance at the age of 25.
During childhood, I received a Catholic education, partly from my parents and partly from my school. But I always had in my mind an image of a distant God, who is in heaven and looks down on us as if watching a movie. Since my adolescence, I have followed a very dynamic path in scouting and various sports activities, with a busy social life and full of friends. As they say, I was “always on the move”! I didn’t feel the need to take pauses for reflection!
When I left my country to study in Belgium, I entered a very difficult period to live with: for the first time, I had lost my bearings and my network of friends. In this solitude – the first break in my life – I realized that I was not happy. And a lot of questions arose at that time: what is true happiness? What is the meaning of my life ? Why this emptiness in me?
Still in Belgium, and in full questioning, I made the acquaintance of the Community of the Beatitudes, where I came to spend the weekends and the holidays. What joy on the faces of the brothers and sisters, I who was looking for happiness! I was challenged by the life of prayer, adoration, the beauty of the liturgy, fraternal life, the communion of states of life. From stay to stay, the Lord spoke to my heart, drew me to Him, I found happiness in Him, this void in me was filled with a presence, with His Presence. I discovered a God very close, not at all distant. I was drawn to worship where I tasted God’s love for me, where I experienced deep peace! The experience of God was taking up space in my heart. More and more, I was certain that God
loved me with an infinite love that nothing and no one could take from me. This love gripped me from within.
Vocation: the call to the Community
Little by little a desire to give myself to God was born in me, at the same time as my attraction for the Community grew. And my resistances have all fallen! I understood that the Lord was calling me to give him my life in the Community.
I entered the Community in 2013 and made my first vows in 2016. On May 29, I will make profession in Lebanon. I give thanks to God for the path traveled with Him and in the Community. “The eternal appeared to me: I loved you with an eternal love; therefore I draw you with kindness. (Jr 31.3)
I entrust myself to your prayers so that the love of Christ never ceases to attract me and that in my turn I can always be faithful and respond to his call daily with joy because before the Lord, I desire to be a soul joyful.
Sr. Maya-Lys of Jesus
I come from Vietnam and am the eldest of four children. I grew up in the faith thanks to very religious parents. I was able to follow the catechetical training of my parish but I never thought of becoming a priest or a religious. It was only at the age of 22, after my baccalaureate, that I asked myself the question of a vocation ! Not very keen on studying, I missed the entrance exams to the universities. So the following year, I stayed with my family to help my parents in agricultural work. I had the opportunity to go to Mass every day, join the choir, teach catechesis to the children and I even accompanied my parish priest in his rounds.
One day, after the evening rosary, a lady catechist came up to me and said, “Son, do you want to become a religious ?” So surprised by this question, I did not know what answer to give her. Hesitating, I replied, “I never thought about it.” She replied, “Go and pray, I too will pray for you.” She gave me two readings to go through: The story of a soul of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and the life of Saint Damien who took care of lepers on the island of Molokai.
I began to pray and read these two stories. I was also fortunate to have a spiritual director. Three months later, I wanted to become a religious, to be like St Thérèse and St Damian in his service to the poor. The priesthood was not yet at the center of the questions I was asking myself. You should know that in Vietnam, to become a priest you have to have university degrees, and that was not my thing at all.
During this period, every morning I got up very early to take part in the Mass at 4 : 30 am ! I loved the Mass, especially the homilies. As my priest was old, he sometimes did not preach. When that happened, I was unhappy. One day, as this happened again, I prayed to the Lord : “Lord, if you make a priest of me, I will preach in his place”. It was simply like this that I had the desire to become a priest. And this prayer was answered… 20 years later!
With this desire to become a religious and a priest, one of my cousins introduced me to the Community of the Beatitudes in Vietnam. Immediately, I saw brothers and sisters together and especially so joyful. It is this communion of states of life that attracted me. “Lord, this is where I want to live” I have been there since December 27, 1999. And now that I am a priest, the prayer made 20 years ago has been answered : I preach for priests who can no longer preach.
« If you believe, you shall see the glory of God ! » So why not you ? Just believe !
Brother Alphonse-Marie
Nous nous sommes mariés en 1993, et avons trois enfants. Belges néerlandophones, nous habitons en Flandres (Belgique).
C’est comme « touristes », en visitant l’abbaye Saint-Martin-du-Canigou, que nous avons fait la rencontre de la Communauté des Béatitudes. La joie, la beauté de la liturgie et la communion des états de vie nous ont tout de suite interpellés.
Dans notre quête spirituelle, nous avons beaucoup cherché ! Et c’est dans la Communauté que nous avons vraiment rencontré le Christ ! Whaou ! Quel changement dans notre vie. Nous avons découvert la diversité de la prière et de la spiritualité : vêpres byzantines, entrée en shabbat, danses d’Israël, renouveau charismatique, spiritualité carmélitaine. Et avec l’internationalité, la Communauté a formidablement élargi notre regard sur le monde.
Dans la Communauté des Béatitudes nous aimons cet équilibre entre la vie contemplative et la vie active et missionnaire. A la fois la prière intérieure, l’adoration, le silence, mais aussi la louange et la prière charismatique.
Quelle belle unité !
Bart et Veerle
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. Clare of Assisi
My name is Brother Andreas of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I was born in German-speaking Switzerland in 1986. After my high school, I studied geography and geology in Zurich. It was during a pilgrimage in 2006 that I met the Community of the Beatitudes. Attracted by the quality of fraternal life and by the beauty of the liturgy, at the age of 21 I joined the Community House in Zug in German-speaking Switzerland). I was able to finish my studies there.
And yet, my lifestyle until then was totally different !
After a lovely childhood, very early on, at the age of 12, I began to lead a life of pleasure and absolute freedom, repetitive parties and evenings out. Alcohol, adrift… and yet I thought I had found great happiness.
At the age of 16, my « happiness » collapsed. In a second ! A serious scooter accident with my older brother.
We fell asleep while driving, colliding with a car coming in the opposite direction. We were both seriously injured. Lying on the ground, I could not move. It took a long time before help arrived. My life ? What about it ? All those parties, pleasures… and now ? For the first time I was looking for meaning. Isn’t there something more ?
While I was in hospital for five weeks, I looked for answers. It was later, and contrary to all my expectations, that I found them within the Catholic Church. While participating in a Mass, when the priest raised the host, I knew intimately that Jesus was there, and that He loved me.
Unbelievable ! Everything had changed. JESUS was now the meaning of my life ! A few years later I decided to dedicate my whole life to Him. It is in the Community of the Beatitudes that I pronounced my final vows, saying : “Lord Jesus, I renounce myself to become attached only to You, the one Treasure and the only hope of my sojourn on earth as long as I live.”
On 15 September last I was ordained a deacon. The Community tasked me with a youth ministry. Asking me to act towards them as a “servant of charity” and to lead them to Jesus. Wishing them to discover that only Jesus can fulfill our deep desires, “He is the Way, the Truth and the Life !” (Jn 14 : 6)
“Here I am Lord, without delay, unhesitatingly, not looking back, out of love ! ” (St Michael Garicoits)
Brother Andreas of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
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
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 fulfill 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 humor!
To love in giving and giving with love!
Jesus fulfills the heart of those who give Him everything. As for the hope within me, I have not been disappointed!
Sr. Claire Sandrine
Je m’appelle frère Anthony de la Transfiguration. Je viens de Boulder, USA, au pied des Montagnes Rocheuses. Alors que j’étais au séminaire diocésain, le Seigneur m’a appelé à entrer dans la Communauté des Béatitudes.
Au séminaire, on nous a appris qu’au centre du Sacerdoce, il y a la vie liturgique. Or ce n’était pas cela qui m’avait attiré à devenir prêtre, et j’avais alors beaucoup à découvrir. Notre formation nous guidait vers les hauteurs de l’Eucharistie, en passant par les montées de la louange, l’art sacré et le chant.
A la Communauté, j’ai été ébloui par la beauté de la liturgie, c’est l’une des raisons pour lesquelles j’ai, finalement, discerné de continuer mon chemin vers le Sacerdoce. La Liturgie est un devoir et une œuvre, mais elle est d’autant plus une participation à la louange du Ciel ! Trois fois par jour, la cloche me coupe du travail. Je passe des soucis et contraintes du « monde » à une ambiance de paix et de beauté. Je me retrouve au milieu de frères et sœurs aussi bien que des anges et des saints. Là, je puise à la communion avec le Seigneur et avec les autres qui me fortifient pour demeurer en Lui au milieu de l’action du jour, que ce soit des œuvres du ministère ou des tâches pratiques.
« Les frères et sœurs de la Communauté veilleront à être un seul corps et une seule âme, manifestant ainsi dans la liturgie l’unité du peuple de Dieu. En elle, ils puiseront les forces vives pour l’exercice de la charité ».
Depuis l’ordination, mon activité apostolique vise à semer les vocations, surtout chez les jeunes américains. Il s’agit d’aller chez les jeunes, de leur témoigner de la joie de tout donner. Je trouve souvent l’occasion de les faire goûter à la beauté de la liturgie. En mission sur les cités universitaires, souvent on les offre une belle célébration d’un office ou de l’Eucharistie. Je trouve chez les étudiants et jeunes adultes un recouvrement du sacré et du respect. Mais c’est souvent un pas de l’avant pour eux que de découvrir l’émerveillement à la Présence de Dieu, et aussi de s’ouvrir pour que le Seigneur puisse demeurer en eux.
Je les invite à prendre du temps pour Dieu, dans une retraite ou un séjour à la Communauté à l’étranger, surtout en Israël où je suis affecté actuellement. Nous sommes entourés dans ce pays de la liturgie des différentes communautés religieuses (rite oriental, judaïsme…), sans parler des muezzins qui appellent les musulmans à leurs prières. Cela stimule les jeunes à chercher pour leur vie aussi un rythme de prière.
Que l’on soit chez nous à Emmaüs pour des semaines de service, ou en sortie pour une semaine de camping en Galilée, chaque jour est centré sur l’Eucharistie, les Laudes, les Vêpres, et un examen de conscience suivi de la bénédiction avant le coucher. C’est un goût de la vie religieuse et de la vie communautaire pour ceux qui ouvrent leur cœur. Pour tous, cette habitude de la prière quotidienne permet de se garder dans la Présence de Dieu.
Ces expériences avec les jeunes renouvellent ma vie spirituelle et mon écoute à la radicalité de l’Évangile. A quarante ans, est-ce que je commence à perdre l’élan ? Eh bien, garder la Liturgie au centre, c’est anticiper le Ciel, ainsi il n’y aura jamais aucune raison d’aller à la retraite !
Fr. Anthony de la Transfiguration
Jean-Claude, a permanent deacon, and myself, Martine, are among the very first members of the Community.
We were both students at the Medical School of Nancy and our paths crossed in 1970 in the Reformed Protestant chaplaincy which the founder of the Community also attended together with a few other friends. We asked ourselves many questions about God, about the Truth, about our future…
In July 1974, at the end of our studies, we got married Shortly before, the Charismatic Renewal had become known in town and following the testimony of our friends Gérard Croissant and his wife Jo, we had received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which radically orientated our life. We understood that Jesus was a living and active person who was calling us to walk in holiness. The solution to this was community life, because even if each one of us has a specific calling, we cannot do it alone. Community life made it possible to organize and stimulate one another so that God would always be the first served.
Responding, in an act of faith, to the Lord’s calling, we set out headlong in this crazy and unprecedented project and integrated the first house of the Community in Cordes in September 1975, that was 44 years ago. After a few months, we left, without anything, to found the Community in Israel, and to live close to the chosen people from whom we are learning so much.
Back in France, we took part in various new foundations and took on various responsibilities : youth ministry, adolescents at first, then adults, administrative and legal services, training, support for community NGO’s and various government tasks that have kept us busy !
What can we learn from this journey? We have experienced ups and downs, blessed times and times in the desert, periods of communion and others of dissension… But after 44 years, the certainty that dwells in us and remains intact is that the Community is a gift of God, it is not a human work, and what God gives, He does not take back. If we are fickle, our God is faithful, we can count on Him ! Therein lies our strength that nourishes our hope.
Jean-Claude and Martine Michel
Je m’appelle Sr Claudia de l’Agneau de Dieu. J’ai grandi non loin de Saint Gall en Suisse. Avant d’entrer en 2010 à la Communauté des Béatitudes à Zug, j’ai fait des études de théologie.
A l’âge de dix-sept ans j’ai eu la chance de faire une rencontre personnelle avec Dieu. J’ai alors ressenti une joie et une paix que je n’avais jamais connues avant !
Après cette découverte de l’amour de Dieu pour moi j’ai voulu me mettre au service du Seigneur et passer du temps avec Lui dans la prière. Je le cherchais entre autres en m’investissant dans l’organisation des JMJ en Suisse. Louer Dieu en jouant du piano avec d’autres jeunes dans un groupe de louange me procurait toujours beaucoup de joie.
Durant mes études, une question me travaillait continuellement: « Suis-je appelée à fonder une famille et à me mettre au service d’une paroisse ou bien suis-je appelée à la vie consacrée ? » J’appréciais la beauté du mariage et j’aimais beaucoup les enfants. Mais au fond, l’attirance pour la vie consacrée était la plus forte. J’ai alors demandé au Seigneur des signes concrets pour recevoir une lumière.
Pour mieux connaître le quotidien d’un monastère j’ai vécu un an chez les Filles de la Croix à Rome. Touchée par la lecture de la Parole de Dieu et le témoignage des sœurs, mon désir de consacrer ma vie au Seigneur grandissait toujours plus en moi. Mais dans quelle communauté aller ? J’en visitais plusieurs à Rome, mais il y en avait tellement … de toutes sortes et de toutes les couleurs ! Alors, comment faire ? Mon accompagnateur spirituel me conseilla de noter tous les éléments importants survenus dans ma vie et ma prière personnelle. À ma plus grande surprise et avec beaucoup de joie j’ai réalisé que tout ce que j’avais écrit dans ma liste correspondait au charisme de la Communauté des Béatitudes : la beauté de la liturgie, l’adoration quotidienne du Saint-Sacrement, la vie fraternelle entre les sœurs, les frères et les membres laïcs, ainsi que la fidélité à l’Église universelle !
Aujourd’hui, à 32 ans, je suis sœur à la communauté en Suisse et j’ai prononcé les vœux définitifs le 8 décembre 2018. Je suis très heureuse d’appartenir totalement au Seigneur. À Zug nous sommes une quinzaine de frères, sœurs et laïcs. Un des apostolats principaux du foyer est la nouvelle évangélisation auprès et avec les jeunes, dans lequel je suis impliquée. Toutefois notre première mission est la prière.
Confiante, je remets mon avenir dans les mains du Seigneur. Il est tellement bon ! Jusqu’à présent il a dépassé toutes mes attentes. Chaque jour nouveau est l’occasion pour moi de découvrir son amour délicat, jusque dans les plus petits détails du quotidien.
La vie avec Lui vaut vraiment la peine !
Sœur Claudia de l’Agneau
D’une famille nombreuse où on priait une dizaine de chapelet tous les soirs, j’ai perçu l’Amour absolu de Dieu à 12 ans autour d’un feu scout : je voyais les humains si microscopiques sous la voie lactée, et chaque Ave Maria était comme une flèche d’Amour divin. J’ai saisi qu’il n’y aurait personne d’aussi grand et beau que Dieu à qui donner ma vie.
Comme à l’école ça allait bien, j’ai mis cela de côté. Je cherchais beaucoup d’argent, faisais beaucoup de voyages et de sports, mais sans jamais pouvoir trouver l’absolu.
J’ai fait HEC. Puis je suis devenu directeur des opérations d’une compagnie de safaris. J’y pratiquais de l’alpinisme au Kilimandjaro et de la plongée sous-marine. Mais de nouveau la Bonté inouïe de Dieu est venue me visiter… sur le toit d’une Land Rover ! Je me trouvais au milieu de la grande migration des bêtes sauvages en Tanzanie : le Créateur de ces merveilles devait vraiment être encore plus extraordinaire. J’ai commencé à vraiment lire la Bible et aller à la messe chaque jour à la mission.
A l’époque, j’ai vu les tentes de centaines de milliers de Rwandais rescapés du génocide, sans personne pour se lever et les secourir. J’ai fait un volontariat dans les Commandos Marine en passant la sélection comme officier de réserve. Mais en lisant la vie de Mère Teresa, j’ai vu que l’action la plus efficace de toutes pour le bien de ce monde, c’était la prière et la charité.
Je suis entré à la Communauté des Béatitudes en 1998, et pour deux raisons principales :
– j’y ai vu réunis tous les états de vie en train de louer et adorer le Bon Dieu, dans une profonde joie. Tout cela constituait à mes yeux comme une anticipation du Ciel ;
– j’y ai vu des frères et sœurs partageant tous un grand désir de sainteté, et cherchant, chacun avec ses faiblesses, à vivre d’abord la radicalité de la charité.
On m’a ensuite envoyé selon les besoins en mission sur les cinq continents. Ordonné prêtre : la célébration de la Messe est devenue mon Ciel quotidien. J’ai eu la chance de passer un doctorat biblique sur la version araméenne ancienne des Évangiles pour annoncer Jésus en s’appuyant davantage sur l’autorité du texte même, et participer aux travaux catholiques de retraduction.
Actuellement, je suis curé dans la mission du port de Lima (Pérou). Jésus touche les cœurs, il vaut plus que tout la peine d’être suivi, et Lui seul ne déçoit jamais:
Ep 3, 19 : « L’amour du Christ surpasse tout ce qu’on peut connaître ». Le reste ça peut être bien, mais à côté, ce n’est pas grand-chose.
Fr. Etienne
Je suis Joumana du Liban. J’ai rejoint la Communauté il y a quatorze ans déjà, à l’âge de 25 ans. Avant cela, j’étais prof de philosophie pour des classes de terminales, et assistante de production dans des programmes culturels télévisés.
Ayant vécu des phases de remise en question de ma foi d’une part, aimant beaucoup la vie et rêvant de projets d’études avancés et de mariage d’autre part, j’étais loin de penser qu’un jour je « tomberais amoureuse de Dieu » et que cet amour m’appellerait à tout abandonner, et à tout donner.
En pleine recherche de « la vérité », je lance à 20 ans un défi dans l’absolu : « si la philosophie me prouve que Dieu existe, je croirais, sinon, c’en est fini pour la foi ». Me prenant à la lettre, Dieu s’approcha de moi dans un premier temps à travers la philosophie… Ayant été invitée un samedi soir aux vêpres à la Communauté par un frère qui étudiait avec moi, le Dieu des philosophes acheva de découvrir son visage plein d’amour et de toucher mon cœur par la beauté qui émanait du lieu, des visages, des chants… et des prières spontanées : ce soir-là j’ai compris que son nom est « Seigneur », et qu’il est « la Vérité ».
A 24 ans, la visite des reliques de Thérèse au Liban remit sur mon chemin la Communauté, et je découvris avec joie le programme tout neuf des retraites qu’elle venait de mettre en place. De retraite en retraite la folie d’un appel retentissait en moi et faisait tomber tous les autres désirs déjà présents. La force de ma résistance égalait celle de mon attirance vers cet amour que nul autre n’égalait, et jour après jour je me laissais envahir par ce désir unique : « Aimer, c’est tout donner et se donner soi-même ». Tout dans la Communauté parlait à mon cœur ! Alors j’ai dit oui, et je ne l’ai jamais regretté.
« Il n’y a pas de plus grand amour que de donner sa vie pour ses amis »… pas de plus grand bonheur non plus, car « qui est en Dieu, ne manque de rien » !
Joumana
My name is Sr Emilie of the Heart of Jesus and Mary. I am originally from Ardèche and it is after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in history that I entered the Community.
As an adolescent, during a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, I had a strong experience of the presence of God in my life. Oh, I wasn’t overjoyed to be there: my parents where the ones who took me there. Indeed God had little place in my life at that time. A few months later I perceived a calling to consecrated life: when I read a prayer intention for consecrated souls I heard this question resound in my heart: “and why not you?” , which for me was a source of great joy… Almost in the same period I discovered the Community of the Beatitudes who had come to carry out a mission in my parish. What joy could be seen on the faces of the brothers and sisters! I wanted to know more, to have a closer look at this. I asked to stay in one of the houses for a week. I was so challenged by what I saw: a life of prayer, adoration, the beauty of the liturgy, a fraternal life, the communion of states of life, and a concern for evangelization. Of course, I was still too young. I continued my education followed by my studies. During the latter, I discovered other communities, but I always returned to this first calling to the Community of the Beatitudes. For me it was evident the Lord was waiting for me there. From the beginning of my life in community, the importance of a heart-to-heart with God in adoration, in contact with his Word, has been anchored in me. that’s where I can come and get everything I need to answer his call. I crossed the threshold and a whole adventure began: the Lord is full of surprises! And this adventure does not end with perpetual vows. Every new day is a sign of this, there is always a “yes” to give, and this assurance that God is there,
“ The favors of the Lord are not exhausted, his mercies are not spent; they are renewed each morning, so great is his faithfulness! (Lm 3:22). So … “ duke in altum ”,
“ Put out into deep water… ” (Lk 5, 4)
Sr. Emilie of the Heart of Jesus and Mary
I come from Sicily. Over there, from childhood, my heart was filled with a mad desire for happiness but, growing up, I no longer sought it in God ! I put my heart into my studies and the goals I had concerning my artistic career. The influence of individualistic thought had cooled the impulse of gratuity in me. My relationship with others was becoming self-interested. My paintings were turning dark with selfishness. Sometimes I felt like I was forgetting “something” essential.
At the age of 24 I had a very strong experience during which I was made aware of the greatness of God’s Love. I knew that I had found the precious pearl of my life and without doubting the value of His call, I began to listen. In my heart there was a very strong desire to consecrate myself to the Lord and to become a priest.
I met the Community of the Beatitudes during an evening prayer meeting organized by the Charismatic Renewal in Palermo. The “supernatural beauty” expressed through the songs, the liturgy, the prayers and fraternal joy overwhelmed me. After a few months, the Community came to my village on an evangelization mission. For a week, great was my joy to find myself among those brothers and sisters, their happiness, their light. After visiting them on several occasions, I decided to take the plunge and went to the Community House in Erice, Sicily.
In May 2017 I was ordained a priest and am at the service of the Foyer of Noto near the shrine of Our Lady « Ladder to Paradise ».
I always have this calling at heart: the service of building up the Kingdom of God through a continuous search for union with Christ and fraternal communion. God wants salvation and happiness for all. So if you have a great desire for happiness and wish to live your life to the full as a very beautiful “adventure of love”, follow Christ and let yourself be led by the Holy Spirit on the path of the beatitudes. Do not be afraid !
“The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (1 Thes 5 : 24).
Brother Giuseppe Maria
Julie
Julie
Je suis née au Kazaskhstan… Eh oui, ce n’est pas fréquent de lire en français quelqu’un qui vient de si loin.
Ma famille n’était pas pratiquante. Avec une maman orthodoxe et un papa musulman, c’était difficile ! A sept ans pourtant, j’ai reçu le baptême orthodoxe. Mais à la maison, on ne parlait jamais de Dieu. C’est le drame du décès de mon frère (j’avais alors 16 ans), qui a commencé à faire cheminer ma famille. La perspective de la vie éternelle était une consolation pour nous.
Mon parrain, catholique, nous a tous entraînés à l’église. Les prêtres avaient formé une équipe de jeunes à qui ils confiaient de petites missions. Très vite, je passais presque tout mon temps libre à l’église, tout en continuant des études de comptabilité. Je ressentais une grande joie en participant à toutes ces activités (animation de messes, catéchisme, évangélisation, etc.).
C’est en 1999 que la Communauté des Béatitudes a lancé son premier Festival des Jeunes au Kazakhstan. Au cours d’une veillée de prière, alors que j’avais en tête le projet de me marier, j’ai senti que Jésus m’appelait à la vie consacrée ! La sœur qui a prié pour moi, a dit dans sa prière, exactement ce que je portais dans mon cœur ! Cependant, je lui ai dit : « Juste pour aujourd’hui » ! J’ai demandé à faire un séjour avec d’autres amies dans la maison qui venait de s’ouvrir à Kokchetav. Je me sentais chez moi ! C’est pendant l’adoration, à la chapelle de la Communauté, que j’ai fait LA RENCONTRE avec Jésus et que j’ai éprouvé le grand amour qu’Il avait pour moi.
Aujourd’hui, après dix-sept ans de vie communautaire, je rends grâce au Seigneur de m’avoir appelée et, chaque jour, je découvre la beauté de la vie consacrée à la Communauté des Béatitudes. La vie avec Jésus est une aventure quotidienne, pleine d’imprévus, de surprises, de bonheur et je rends grâce pour tout ce que le Seigneur ne cesse de faire dans ma vie.
Si le doute demeure en ton cœur, n’hésite pas, n’aie pas peur, Jésus comblera ton attente et te donnera au centuple !
Sœur Klara Misericordia
I am originally from the Paris area (Meaux), where I lived until I was 15 years old. My family was Catholic and practicing. Although ‘turbulent’ during my adolescence, I entered the minor seminary, run by the Holy Ghost Fathers until the baccalaureate, in the south. Those years were a grace for me, with an extraordinary awareness of the missions, and attending a nearby monastery gave me an insight of the contemplative life. In short, it provided an occasion for a ‘new conversion and confirmation of a calling. In the end, however, I hesitated between joining a monastery or one of those ‘new communities’ that were taking their first steps. After two years of philosophy at the Catholic Institute of Paris, followed by two years as a cooperator in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, I found myself staying for a week at the brand new house of the Community in Pont-Saint-Esprit, thanks to friends. God « relates » with us and speaks through various and formidable mediations !
After the inner storm of the decision I had to make, and the strongly inspired advice of an old monk, I wrote to Pont and three months later I disembarked. It was in 1979, this year 40 years ago (already) ! Following my one-week stay in July, I entered in October. What touched me from the outset, in this community, is the love of the brothers and sisters for the Lord and the mutual charity experienced, as in a family.
The Jewish dimension or the Eastern Christian liturgy, were well attuned to my poles of interest. As for a « mixed » life together, it suited me well. Seven months after my entry, I went to Jerusalem for a year’s study, then went down to Rome for three years to pursue theological studies. After that, there followed a litany of various destinations from Lebanon (during the war) to Morocco, a few years in France, then Gabon, Rwanda, Sicily…
Ordained to the priesthood 33 years ago, I was first a vicar, then a parish priest, in the diocese of Albi, and a pastor in various countries. I have been living now for seven years in the south of Reunion Island (Indian Ocean) as parish priest in Terre Sainte (St Pierre). I feel very much at home. I share, with my brothers and sisters, in our spiritual home of the Beatitudes, called « Living Water », prayer times, welcoming activities, and spiritual highlights. Fraternal life is a precious gift.
Everything of a universal nature attracts me, and Reunion Island embodies it in an extraordinary human, cultural and religious microcosm: I have been a member of the Interreligious Dialogue Group (Hindus, Muslims, Baha’is… Chinese religions) since the beginning of my arrival, and am a diocesan delegate for the work of « l’œuvre d’Orient » (a French Association which supports Christians from the Eastern churches).
God is truly faithful. The Church opens us to all things universal and the Community allows me to live this dimension which is both apostolic and contemplative. I thank God for this 40 year long beautiful adventure !
Br. Isaïe
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 evangelization 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. Therese of the Holy Face
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 evangelization 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. Therese 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 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
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
I come from St Germain-en-Laye and am the fourth child of a family of five. I was brought up in a practising, united and loving catholic family. The activities I was most passionate about were scouting and sport, especially sailing in Britanny. I grew up peacefully, without any major worries or questions, supported as I was by some good tutors : my family, friends and the scout movement. However, my faith, received simply as part of my education among other subjects, was superficial.
Aged 21, I went abroad for three years to finish my studies and to work. This time abroad, far from my dear ones, proved to be an unsettling and very difficult experience which led me to become more mature, both on a personal and spiritual level. God used this situation as a springboard.
Back in France, an inspired word, a providential meeting with a priest, my involvement with handicaped children … paved the way to my returning to God. Finally, the most important event was a retreat I participated in with the Community of the Beatitudes.
During those few days I experienced a « turn around », an inner upheaval which is called a conversion. What seemed to me until then neither possible nor desirable became for me a way of life and happiness. I received a calling to the priesthood, loud and clear, at the Community of the Beatitudes. I left Paris in order to live one then two years in the Community. Everything was clear to me : that is where I was to be, for God found me again and called me there. I have been in the Community for sixteen years and a priest for six years.
From the day I peacefully accepted my calling I am aware that my happiness depends on my total surrender to God.
The intuition I received during that short retreat, a long time ago now, is confirmed at every moment : God is faithful and a source of deep joy.
When God call, it’s for life !
Brother Olivier-Marie
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
Je m’appelle Maya et je suis libanaise. Jésus est venu me cueillir pendant mes études en finances à 25 ans…
