1

Up Sails! The international letter of Faith and Light N°22 September 2014

Contents

Editorial 2

The 85th birthday of a great lady

Reports "Happy 85 years Marie-Hélène" 4

Vera in Luč celebrates its 30 years 6

At Shambaat, in Sudan 9

Our treasure: fragility 10

It moves in Zimbabwe! 12

"Lights of the Orient" in Busan! 14

In Croatia, the Good Shepherd 16

To Lebanon with Marie-Hélène 18

Family album 21

Readers mail 23

International agenda 25

International solidarity 25

Marie-Hélène's letter The grace of saying yes 26

Foi et Lumière international 3 rue du Laos 75015 Paris France - T. + 33 1 53 69 44 30 - foi.lumiere@wanadoo.fr

www.foietlumiere.org - http://fli-afoi.blogspot.fr/

2

D ear Marie-Hélène, Five years ago I gave you a pair of flip

-flops in anticipation of your trip to

the Indian Ocean! Today, I’m the one

wearing flip-flops down in the South of France

and, although I’m relishing this time of rest

with my family, I’m really sorry not to be with

you to wish you happy birthday in person:

Corinne will be the one passing on my greet-

ings!

I remember (it’s the subject for today!) our

first meeting, some years ago now. It was in

Les Mesnuls. We had barely taken our first

Editorial

few steps in a community ("A Dieu vat", in

Chaville), and Julie was about to undergo heart

surgery. What I mean is that I remember this

agonising wait more that my meeting with the co

-founder of Faith and Light! Isabelle had already

met you several years previously: at a confer-

ence for women she had attended In Lyon.

Amongst the various workshops on offer that

day, she had chosen the one on disability that

you were running…. And Julie hadn’t even been

born at the time….

After this, we saw each other again very of-

ten and I’m very grateful for everything I’ve

BIRTHDAYS ARE ALWAYS CELEBRATED WITH JOY AT OUR COMMUNITY MEETINGS – THEY ARE PART OF OUR IDENTITY. THIS ISN’T DOWN

TO NOSTALGIA ABOUT TIMES PAST, BUT INSTEAD ABOUT PUBLICLY RECOGNISING THE PERSON WHO IS HONOURED IN THIS WAY! SO

WHEN IT’S OUR FOUNDER’S TURN WE SHOULD PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS, AS SHE REALLY DESERVES THAT WE HONOUR HER! THIS

YEAR, ON 3 JULY – ONE YDAY EARLY – FAITH AND LIGHT, OCH, ALL MARIE-HELENE’S FRIENDS WANTED TO GIVE THANKS WITH HER FOR

ALL THAT SHE HAS BEEN ABLE TO GIVE US - BIG AND SMALL THINGS ALIKE, THEY’VE ALL BEEN IMPORTANT!

UNFORTUNATELY I WASN’T THERE THAT DAY, BUT CORINNE WAS ABLE TO BE MY SPOKESPERSON TO TELL HER, ON MY BEHALF BUT

ALSO ON BEHALF OF EVERYONE WHO WASN’T THERE WITH HER, JUST HOW MUCH GOOD MARIE-HELENE HAS DONE AROUND HER FOR

SO MANY YEARS: THE CROWD OF HER “FANS” ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO BE COUNTED, AND EACH OF US CAN SAY THAT WE WOULDN’T BE

WHO WE ARE TODAY IF SHE HADN’T BEEN ALONGSIDE US!

The 85th birthday

of a great lady

During the speech of Ghislain

3

learned from this contact with you: in a way,

you’ve accompanied me throughout my entire

Faith and Light journey! I was very happy to be

able to accompany you to Rwanda in Decem-

ber 1996 for a formation session, and it was

there that I realised just how important the

meticulous preparation and monitoring of

each project actually was, and that you should

never leave anything to chance! I particularly

remember leaving mass late one morning and

everyone was happy to chat in the sun: it was

already past lunch-time and the afternoon pro-

gramme was going to be delayed (there were

no siesta plans, which threw the participants

into a panic!) It was then that you had the

idea of starting a big farandole: each of us

took the hand of someone at random and we

sang “My friends, let's sing our joy” as we

headed off in the direction of the canteen –

and less than five minutes later we were sit-

ting at our tables! Now that’s a model of how

to be both gentle and effective!

I’ve heard you tell the story of Faith and

Light I don’t know how many times, but I must

say that I never tire of hearing it! I feel like a

child who always has the same story read to

them at bed-time, before going to sleep. I

know very well how it ends, but every time it’s

like the first time that I’ve heard it! And as you

come up with new anecdotes to add to it each

time, we listen very attentively and our hearts

are burning once we’ve listened to you.

You know that it’s important to always keep

going back to your roots, that’s what Father Ar-

buckle had told us in Madrid. It allows us to

keep up the momentum and enthusiasm that

we had at the beginning: you told us this again

in Leeds last July by quoting Bishop Jacques

Perrier: “faithfulness is not about imitating the

founders, it’s about returning to the sources of

their inspiration”.

That’s why the book “Never again alone” is so

important! It’s already been translated into sev-

eral languages and will allow us to keep return-

ing to the sources of what the Holy Spirit in-

spired in you and in Jean. And then the initial

propulsion, the “big bang” of our beginnings in

1971, will keep going, and Faith and Light will

continue to do good for all those who are lonely

and are waiting for us….

Happy Birthday, Marie-Hélène, stay with us

for many more years, because although it is al-

most evening and the day is now nearly over,

your presence does us so much good!

GHISLAIN DU CHÉNÉ

International Coordinator

With François during the mass With Bruno

4

F ather Cuche’s invitation to celebrate the

85th birthday of Marie-Hélène at the

Little Sisters of the Poor retirement

home was a providential one. The at-

mosphere of the birthday celebrations was in-

spired by this place, a haven of peace in the

centre of Paris, with a pretty garden of trees

and flowers and beautiful weather!

The thanksgiving mass was wonderful

and fervent, inspired by the architecture and

the light of the chapel. We felt welcome, invited

to surrender ourselves to an internal peace. The

welcoming words and the homily of Father

Cuche, the songs led by Denis Thomas and

Catherine Luquin, carried by the voice of Cécile

Gandon, the procession of offerings….. All this

created a deep bond between all of us from

Faith and Light and OCH….around Marie-

Hélène.

The Sisters, who were very welcoming, let

us “personalise” the garden with photos of

Marie-Hélène and friends of Faith and Light

from around the world. It was really wonderful

to see all these faces that created a community

above and beyond those who were present.

Marie-Hélène sat herself down by Patrick and

Jocelyne…The party started, with a few

“messages”, interspersed with some

"Hallelujahs” and songs.

Then a very proud and happy Loïc gave

Marie-Hélène his watercolour of boats, which is

on the cover of the guestbook.

This guestbook is so precious to us, containing

more than 150 “I remember” testimonies from

all over the world: a real treasure!

Marie-Hélène was very touched and over-

whelmed to see all the names of people who

had written for her. So many friends in the world

who wanted to leave a message and share

memories with you, Marie-Hélène!

The members of the Magnificat communi-

ties and Notre Dame de l’Arche d’Alliance

brought with them all their good cheer, testify-

ing to their joy at being there. There was also

Happy 85 years, Marie-Hélène!

1 All those who wish to send a message to Marie-Hélène can send it via us: secretariat.fli@orange.fr

Offerings: five loaves and two fish, a world map,

Copies of "Shadows and Light"...

Pam and Benoit in front of the buffet

5

Pam, Fran and Rich from the United States, who

came to join us.

The buffet was groaning under the weight

of the tarts, quiches, cheeses, fruit and wine

that everyone had brought along. When the

birthday moment arrived, the community mem-

bers moved in procession towards Marie-Hélène

with cakes covered in candles! "You will have to

help me to blow them out because you know

that I’ve never been able to do anything on my

own”. You’re unique, Marie- Hélène!

This party was full of joy, warmth and se-

renity, and we all felt carried by a very simple

joy around Marie-Hélène and by the thoughts of

all those who would have liked to have been

there.

GUÉNAËL REYNAUD

"You will have to help me"

Loïc offers her watercolor

"Oh ... It's incredible!"

6

Report

Vera in Luč celebrates its 30 years

N ine people had also

come from Croatia to

participate in this

wonderful party. I was

there with Isabelle, who I had

invited to accompany me for

these few days in this beautiful

country. Often when I travel

she remains behind, and it’s

really good when she’s there

because she makes many con-

tacts and she’s always very

well received (this is only what

she deserves!)

The sun was shining at the

beginning of the afternoon

when the communities arrived.

One by one, they came up to

stick a red pastille on the map

of the country: 38 pastilles for

a small country of 2 million

people: now that’s good cover-

age! Other people were invited

along, and there were two

songs interpreted by a re-

nowned orchestra, who had

come to testify and greet the

participants. First we had

Mariana, who started Faith and

Light in Slovenia: if you have

read the booklet “Sharing our

responsibility in Faith and

Light” you will definitely know

her because she wrote the

lovely story about a flock of

sheep lost on the mountain

and which she accompanied

back to the valley with a friend!

Now that’s a parable without a

doubt! Mariana told the story

of the beginnings of Faith and

Light in Slovenia, accompanied

at the time by Mariangela Ber-

tolini, who had, by a cruel twist

of fate, re-joined her daughter

Francesca in the heavens just

a few days previously.

Then the Croatians also

came to toast their Slovenian

friends and then it was my turn

to wish happy birthday to Vera

in Luč.

All this time, as well as the

songs, there were several

workshops going on, offering

different practical activities

and many took part.

Then the sky clouded over

and it was decided to cele-

brate the Eucharist in a gym:

everything was transferred

THE SLOVENIAN COMMUNITIES CHOSE 1 JUNE TO CELEBRATE THE THIRTI-

ETH ANNIVERSARY OF FAITH AND LIGHT IN THE COUNTRY. THERE ARE 38

COMMUNITIES AND AROUND 700 PEOPLE MET AT SAINT STANISLAS, A

SCHOOL IN THE DIOCESE OF LJUBLJANA.

7

magnificently: swiftly and with

nobody complaining!

The mass was presided by a

bishop from a diocese in the

West of the country and he was

surrounded by around twenty

chaplains!

Then the day continued with

a meal, songs and dances. Af-

ter singing the traditional song

to the guardian angels that

ends every meeting in Slove-

nia, the room started to empty,

starting with those who had

come from far away by coach:

several people with disabilities

needed to return to their

homes…. It was a really won-

derful party and the Slovenian

communities are like a big fam-

ily: I was happy to see people

of all ages, from babies to

great-grandparents, people

with disabilities, parents,

friends and many chaplains!

When you experience Faith and

Light like a big family, it means

that you can look serenely to

the future, and I hope that the

Slovenian communities con-

tinue into the next thirty years

in confidence: that they live

their lives with joy and in

friendship, that everyone puts

efforts into activities according

to their abilities, and that they

also transmit to others the life

that they themselves have re-

ceived.

Before and after this won-

derful day, we had many oppor-

tunities to meet the members

of the provincial team, who are

all very friendly.

Thank you to all those who

went to considerable trouble to

welcome us. I return home very

grateful and in deep admira-

tion of this beautiful country

and the members of the provin-

cial team, and of course for of

the guidelines team and the

country’s communities!

Hvala! Vesel rojstni dan! (Thank you! Happy Birthday!)

GdC

TO ALL

MY SLOVENIAN FRIENDS

D ear friends, I am very

happy to be here with

you to celebrate your

30th birthday! I’m happy to see

all of you, many have come

from all of your communities

and you are full of joy and

enthusiasm!

Yesterday, we were with

Mitja, Helena, Matej and

Natalija in Bled, following in

the footsteps of Father Joseph

Larsen who was with you ten

years ago. We rowed on the

lake and I am certain that

Matek and Natalija wanted to

check that I could steer the

Faith and Light boat in the

right direction! I hope that they

were reassured on that front!

Thirty years ago, in 1984, I

was not aware of Faith and

Light. I had just heard it

mentioned during a retreat at

which a very tall Canadian

philosopher had preached…..

Jean Vanier! Thirty years ago,

Julie hadn’t been born yet, she

is only 26! Thirty years is a bit

like a generation; it’s an age

where you can stop a moment

to catch your breath, look

behind you at the path you’ve

Invited to address all the

Slovenian communities,

we publish below a long

extract from the speech of

Ghislain, which is also

addressed to each one of

us!

Mitja, Helena, Matej, Natalija, Mitja, Helena, Matej, Natalija,

Isabelle and GhislainIsabelle and Ghislain

8

already travelled before setting

off again. (…)

What I see is a large

number of communities,

people of all ages (….). You are

a big family! When I visit a

community, I like to see that

there is a wide range of ages

and that the community is like

a big family. It’s the same

thing for your country: you’re

like a family, with its joys and

suffering…. There are friends,

parents (mums and dads, I like

seeing dads, it’s important for

them to be there!) and people

with an intellectual disability.

We’re going to start the

year in September with some

new guidelines, the beautiful

The end of the prayer to the

Holy Spirit that we use for this

novena is “Give eternal joy"!

I also pray that Mary is

always there during our

formation sessions: that she

always reminds us that it is

important to know our roots, to

know the intuition of our

founders when they started

Faith and Light; may she help

us, not to imitate our founders,

but always to keep returning to

the sources of their

inspiration! Then we will be

able to respond positively to

Peter’s call; Peter who was

transformed by his meeting

with the resurrected Christ.

Peter, who was transformed by

Mary’s teaching, Peter who

was transformed by the Holy

Spirit: "in order that you may

proclaim the mighty acts of

him who called you out of

darkness into his marvellous

light” (1 P 2,9).

Let’s go! Those who are still

in the darkness – families that

are isolated and withdrawn

into themselves because of

their child’s disability – have

the right to know and admire

the light of a Faith and Light

community as we do!

Happy birthday! And here’s

to the next thirty years!

May God bless you! GdC

fruit of work carried out with a

Slovenian team!

We’re going to become

missionaries of joy, there are

so many families and young

people we are waiting to

discover Faith and Light (….)

I’m also happy to be here

with you, at this moment

between Ascension and the

Pentecost. I like to imagine the

apostles and Mary “assiduous

in prayer”. I’m convinced that

Mary had a very important

role: she maintained cohesion

within the community of

apostles. She received the

Holy Spirit at the Annunciation,

the apostles were waiting for

it. She conserved in her heart

and meditated upon

everything that Jesus said,

while the apostles only

retained what interested

them…

These ten days were an

extraordinary time of formation

for the apostles, ten days of

formation that was full of

gentleness but also full of

strength! And after these ten

days, the Holy Spirit came and

led the apostles right to the

ends of the earth.

We were invited to pray a

novena to the Holy Spirit at the

same time. I pray that the Holy

Spirit continues to give us its

gifts so that we can never stop

announcing the Good News. With Mariana as interpreter

9

to love more, with a pure love,

through a love for the weak-

est, smallest and most iso-

lated amongst us. After the

talk, we all had some time to

ourselves (or with our friend

with a disability) to meditate

on these words, before meet-

ing in our communities to

share the fruits of this medita-

tion. Everyone stayed in this

atmosphere of inner contem-

plation until the following

morning after prayers.

The following day, 25 April,

was devoted to formation,

particularly of new members,

around two themes: "accom-

paniment of brothers with

disabilities", led by Mary John

and "running lively commu-

nity meetings" led by Jose-

phine James. As senior mem-

bers in the movement, these

two leaders tried to help the

T hey had come from all

corners of the city of

Khartoum, and all

these members of dif-

ferent communities met in a

festive atmosphere as we had

just celebrated the Passover

festival four days previously.

The joy of the reunion could

be read on everybody’s faces.

At 18:00, a bell rang to

bring this reunion to an end

and to signal the beginning of

a time of retreat. I tried to un-

derline the spiritual founda-

tions that drive our commit-

ment in the Faith and Light

movement as brothers of peo-

ple with a learning disability,

members of a family or as

friends. These foundations

boil down to the fact that our

commitment in the movement

is first and foremost a call

from God to imitate Him and

At Shambaat in Sudan

FROM 24 TO 25 APRIL 2014, REPRESENTATIVES FROM DIFFERENT FAITH AND LIGHT COMMUNITIES IN SUDAN

MET AT THE SHAMBAAT SEMINARY FOR A RETREAT FOLLOWED BY A FORMATION DAY. FATHER JOËL OUÉDRAOGO,

ORIGINALLY FROM BURKINA FASO, CHAPLAIN FOR SUDAN, HAS SENT US SOME NEWS…

Report

various participants to better

experience their commitment

in their respective communi-

ties.

At the end of the day, each

community set off home and

a new meeting was arranged

for June, the same month in

which we will hold our holiday

camp.

FATHER JOËL

Father Joël

10

Report

A very smiley wel-

come team ticking

participants’ names

off a list and distrib-

uting songbooks and badges.

The coffee is ready, and the

room is decorated wonder-

fully…. What preparation!

Thanks to all the team.

A choir, a few instruments

and some beautiful voices

with a hint of a Canadian ac-

cent, inviting us to sing.

Then there is a board show-

ing a gift offered up with these

words: “Repeat it!”. The scene

is set. The topic is “Identity

and Mission of Faith and Light

in today’s world. Is Faith and

Light still a gift that has mean-

ing for me in today’s world?”

In many places, there is

the issue of aging commu-

nities…. We need to have

the courage to ask our-

selves questions, looking to

the future before searching

for solutions.

In his talk, Claude presents

the many changes that have

happened in our world since

1971, from the health, techno-

logical and social behaviour

point of view… This was a way

of introducing the “merry-go-

round” workshops.

Each group pauses at a

board that paints a picture of

the state of play of Faith and

Light in our society: its needs,

its strengths, its richness and

its problems…. And also some

questions which we are asked

to answer together.

Each quarter of an hour, we

move round to a new board to

discover a new aspect and

new questions….

Then, we are invited to con-

tribute to a drawing to summa-

rise the morning’s exchanges.

We return to the main room to

look at all these works and

listen to a short explanation.

Claude asks us two questions:

what emerges from these

Our treasure: fragility A FORMATION SESSION IN BELGIUM

drawings? What does not fea-

ture in them?

The response to the first is

easy, it’s been staring right at

us since that morning: what

emerges from the drawings is

what each person experiences

in a community: the gift of

Faith and Light. For the sec-

ond, the drawings do not

name the most difficult thing.

Claude observes that the Mis-

sion aspect is not discernible,

we don’t see where we are

heading, we are not pushing

ourselves forward, and we

don’t speak about testimony

11

enough.

This is a way of telling us just

how important it is to ask our-

selves questions, to continue

to go deeper in the coordinat-

ing team, without wanting to

find immediate solutions, re-

flect by asking ourselves what

we can do by adapting to to-

day’s world. We need to find

the happy medium between

too much optimism and too

much defeatism!

We should be realistic

about what is happening, at-

tentive to the signs of the

times and should ask our-

selves what we really believe

in.

Finally, Claude presents

what has been happening in

Faith and Light since 2006.

We browse through the book-

let: "You will shine in the

world like bright stars" (a

good working tool to help us

pursue our reflections in our

communities!).

To help us get going with

our activities following this

introduction, Clause asks

each group to build a light-

house out of card: the base of

the lighthouse reflects the

group’s thoughts on what is

fundamental in Faith and

Light in a few words. The

groups who are building the

tower add the fruit of their

reflection on the essential

ingredients of our work. Fi-

nally, those who are assem-

bling the lantern write down

the different ways of “bearing

fruit”.

To close this very dense

day, our chaplain Xavier helps

bring us to a conclusion for

our concerns through his

wonderful testimony: Re-

cently, I met Jean Vanier at

Trosly. Jean is happy and

proud of his age. He is radi-

ant. Why would communities

not be happy and proud of

their age? In aging, we be-

come fragile. Our treasure is

fragility, but it frightens us.

Let’s not be frightened of our

fragility! If I’m not fragile, I

can’t hold responsibility

within Faith and Light. Our

treasure is fragility. The treas-

ure of Jesus is fragility:

"Father, I abandon myself into

your hands". The treasure of

Faith and Light is fragility! The

treasure: it’s not the commu-

nity that’s running well, nor

the communities that are

beautiful….It’s what we have

in our hearts!

Jean Vanier said: "If Faith

and Light has expanded, and

has also experienced commu-

nities that are aging and oth-

ers that are dying out….We

should rediscover the heart of

Faith and Light, rediscover

that treasure that we have

had since the beginning.”

Jesus and the Holy Spirit

often guide us through the

desert to invite us to go fur-

ther. Let’s rediscover the

treasure that is ours: it’s the

current mission of Faith and

Light.

GEORGES MARTIN Père Xavier Nys

12

Report

ling. So often, siblings get

overlooked and it is so impor-

tant to hear the whole fam-

ily’s story.

We were fortunate to meet

the first community in Zim-

babwe "Mabvuku" born 30

years ago. We were privileged

to be part of their meeting

F rom the 26th to the

29th of July 2014,

Faith and Light lead-

ers from Zimbabwe,

Judex Violette (Vice Interna-

tional Coordinator from Mauri-

tius) and myself (from South

Africa) got together at the

Wadzanai Training Centre in

Harare. The Provincial Chap-

lain, Father David Harold

Barry and Time Baluwa put in

a lot of work to present a well-

thought out programme for

the formation.

What is wonderful about

being an African and being

part of an African gathering is

the spontaneity – especially

when it comes to the music.

What rhythm and harmonies

fill the African air! The singing

and dancing draws everybody

and we all partake in a wonder-

ful time of community, regard-

less of whether we can speak

the same language or not.

During the 2 days of for-

mation, we addressed many

items, including, the Call of

Faith and Light, Ownership of

Faith and Light, the gift of re-

lationships in Faith and Light

and the future of Faith and

Light in Zimbabwe.

We also had a very moving

and interesting interview with

a Faith and Light mom and

her son about living with their

disabled daughter and sister.

It is so good to hear people’s

stories and how they cope

with life and their disabled

family member. Especially

good, was to hear from a sib-

It moves in Zimbabwe!

and we had a great time of

celebration.

The meeting ended with Art-

kin Muwishi boosting Faith

and Light Zimbabwe and we

closed the formation on an

encouraging note.

KATHRYN MORGAN Provincial coordinator

Songs and dances with the Mabvuku community

13

I t was 12 degrees when I

got off the plane in Ha-

rare! I thought it was al-

ways hot in Africa?! How-

ever, Time and Florence’s

welcome made me forget the

cold. We would be around

twenty participants.

In the evening we all intro-

duced ourselves in English

and this was translated into

Shona, one of the languages

spoken in Zimbabwe. Father

David spoke on the theme of:

"How to reignite the fire of

communities and help them

thrive again after thirty

years.” He gave us a snap-

shot of the communities,

some are struggling, some

are stagnating and others

regressing.

We placed candles on the

ground to represent each of

the existing communities, but

also for those which no longer

exist and for those coordina-

tors and members who have

re-joined the father. We also

placed candles for the com-

munities that haven’t been

born yet.

Through the discussions

and analysis of the begin-

nings of Faith and Light and

also of Jean Vanier’s visit to

Zimbabwe, we noticed that

there was a gap at the level of

structures and of leadership.

Taking the cultural diversity

of Zimbabwe into account, we

worked on the identity and

mission of Faith and Light in

order to fix objectives.

After two days of intense

and frank discussions and

interpretations of the Charter

and Constitution, we then

held a discernment for a vice-

coordinator, supported by two

other people whose main task

is to accompany the commu-

nities, to visit them and to

encourage them to revive

their desire to tell people with

a learning disability about

Faith and Light, and also their

parents and friends. Michael

Goredema, a Faith and Light

Dad, was elected to accom-

pany the country.

It was also decided that

Faith and Light would work

closely with L’Arche and

through this would have a

little place to store docu-

ments and would become

visible for many more people.

Announcing Faith and Light

is important, and visiting par-

ents and people with a learn-

ing disability, finding solutions

to welcome young people in

the communities, meeting the

national team twice per year

and including people with ex-

perience - the wise heads

who can give more impetus to

activities to come. Each com-

munity received a charter and

some people had never even

seen it before!

The Zimbabwean communi-

ties needed this formation to

reveal the light of communi-

ties and bring them out of the

shadows. All of this could not

have been organised without

the essential support of the

International and the gener-

ous donors. There is plenty

still to do but you need the

right tools in order to get

there.

JUDEX VIOLETTE Vice-international coordinator

Michael Goredema Kathryn and Judex

14

Report

"Lights of the Orient" in Busan !

R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s

gathered from South

Korea, Japan, Hong

Kong and Taiwan in

Busan (South Korea) for this

very special occasion. There

were challenges… language

and culture to name just

two….. and yet that wonderful

Faith & Light spirit was evident

and we were very conscious

that we were gathering during

the weekend of Pentecost

Sunday. Each of us were given

a fruit of the Spirit made by our

special friends in their

workshop during the gathering.

leadership to prepare others to

take up this role in the future.

I could give a formation time

About the Structures of Faith

and Light and encouragement

to be creative in adapting them

to meet the particulars needs

of the Province; as well as

Finances in Faith andLight.

SHARINGS OF PARENTS Perhaps the highlight and

the most moving session was

the sharing of Parents and the

A NEW PROVINCIAL TEAM Sr Gerardine Ryan gene-

rously agreed to lead the

Province for the next four years

after originally withdrawing her

nomination. She believed that

another person would bring a

fresh approach to the role.

However as a province with

particular challenges, Sr

Gerardine’s experience will be

very valuable. Those attending

are very aware that there is an

urgent need for formation in

Anne-Marie (on the left) and

the new provincial team : Sr

Gerardine Ryan, Mr Koshiro

Katani (Japan), Kuo Shu-Shia

(Taiwan); Jean D’Arc (Sung

Mi) Kwak (Korea), Elaine

Chan (Hong Kong), Singing

“Magnificat”

Clara and her mother Veronica share their story

15

ultimately the same… we all

want to belong, be loved and

listened to…. And I was

reminded again that there is

more to communication than

language…. the memory of

the smiles and acceptance of

transformative journey that

each one has walked with

their disabled child…. Each

one different, but each one

very deep. To listen to these

was a great privilege and I am

so grateful for the wonderful

honesty of the sharing.

AN EXPERIENCE OF DISABILITY

For me ( from New Zealand)

it was a personal experience

of disability… The English

language was very much in

the minority… I could not read

any signs around me in

Korea. I had to be met and

escorted wherever I went and

wait to be told what was being

said. Often I had to find a

person who spoke English to

speak for me if I had a

message for someone who

was not English speaking. I

had never needed to use

chopsticks before, so even

mealtimes were a challenge.

My friends with intellectual

disability who live his

experience every day of their

lives were very much in the

forefront of my mind… it was

a good and very deepening

experience for me. I left the

g a t h e r i n g w i t h a n

overwhelming gratitude to

God that I have been called to

belong to a big international

family, so diverse, yet

Priorities listed in Japanese, Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese We prayed in the spirit of Taizé

Learning a new dance...

At Hyundae Beach

me at this beautiful gathering

still warms my heart.

ANNE-MARIE PIKE Acting IVC

A

a

16

listened to each community

tell how they experience this.

It was very interesting to hear

their difficulties and their

joys…. Lucia listened to the

reports with considerable in-

terest and looked on the map

of the country to find where

each community is located.

Josipa gave us a detailed

presentation of the wonderful

international meeting in

Leeds, which she participated

at together with Zvonko. It

was at Leeds where Croatia

was recognised as a province.

On Saturday evening we

took part in a wonderful mass

at the cathedral in Dakovo,

then we had a big celebration.

There was singing, dancing

and a big dinner. We all ap-

preciated this wonderful

meeting!

Perhaps it’s a good thing to

remember what Lucia told us

about communities that have

too many members: when

communities are too large,

the relationships between the

T he first meeting for the

“Croatia” province had

“Jesus, the Good Shep-

herd” as its theme.

We all met in Ðakovo from

21 to 23rd March. Delegates

and leaders from all the Croa-

tian communities were there.

The aim of the meeting was

to encourage community lead-

ers and give them renewed

energy.

We were giving thanks for

having celebrated the twenti-

eth birthday of Faith and Light

in Croatia in June 2013 (last

year), and also the fortieth

birthday of Faith and Light in

the world. We all really appre-

ciated this party!

Lucia Casella was with us

once again to accompany us

and support us, which we

really appreciated.

Father Ervin Ukusik

(provincial chaplain) spoke to

us here in Đakovo about the

Good Shepherd and Lucia

members cannot grow deeper

and they remain superficial.

She reminded us of the impor-

tance of the leader role within

the community: they are not

just there for work and organi-

sation but is the good shep-

herd of the flock, as Jesus is

for us. She stressed that the

community is not just a place

for singing and dancing, but a

place where we recognise our

own gifts and we put them to

the service of the community.

The leader must also manage

to reveal the gifts of each and

every one of us and encour-

age us to put these gifts to the

service of others to help every-

one to grow.

On the subject of communi-

ties that do not have enough

young friends, Lucia was clear

that when they come, it’s im-

portant for young people to

feel that they have a role

within the community. If these

young friends feel that they

will not have any responsibility

and that the “old ones” will

In Croatia, the Good Shepherd

Report

17

pilgrimage to Slavonski Brod

in June 2015. We also talked

about the Summer holiday

camps that will be held this

year in the mountains and not

at the seaside as in previous

years.

At the provincial level every-

one is happy, the council is

cling to their roles then they

will leave.

Then Lucia reminded us

that communities are called

to take root in the parishes.

This means that they need to

participate in the life and the

work of the parish, make

themselves useful by offering

practical help (cleaning the

church, doing visits with the

curate, leading the mass…)

Finally, Lucia reminded us

just how Faith and Light was a

magnificent gift from God and

that we should announce this

in our communities. The mis-

sion of Faith and Light is to

help others discover the joys

of community life.

We did not conceal our

problems. We just know bet-

ter now how to deal with

them.

We all have a big need for

celebration. In today’s world,

there is a lot of suffering and

people are thirsty for joy, and

it’s Faith and Light’s mission

to bring them this joy.

During the meeting, we

also carried out projects. We

decided to organise a national

working effectively. However,

we need to make progress on

the legal aspects so that we

c a n b e c o m e m o r e

“professional”.

MARIKA CAVLEK

Josipa and Svonko in Leeds, with the colors of Croatia

18

Report

I t’s the day before we’re

meant to be travelling

and Marie-Hélène has

still not received her

passport. The plane is taking

off tomorrow at 10:30 from

Roissy Charles de Gaulle. We

agree to meet at 8:00 the

next morning so that we can

get to the consulate when it

opens. It’s our last resort. Oth-

erwise, I’ll be leaving on my

own, which would cause a

national incident in Lebanon.

Everyone is praying, in France

and Lebanon.

On the day itself we take a

taxi at 8 in the morning, as

Marie-Hélène’s car refuses to

start…. If anyone is in any

doubt that the Devil exists,

well there we have the proof.

We arrive at the consulate to

find that there is already a

queue. Stress levels are ris-

ing. Then, an employee

catches sight of us and bran-

dishes Marie-Hélène’s pass-

port, waving it in the air:

“We’ve got it! We’ve got it!!”

Everyone smiles in the consu-

late, which is something that

doesn’t normally happen. By

the time we sign the papers it

is 9am. I’d asked the taxi

driver to wait for us just in

case.

"Driver, can we get to Roissy

in three quarters of an

hour?”

"It can be done.”

"Well, let’s go! We managed

to get the passport - so we

can catch the plane…..

After breaking a few rules

of the road, we arrive. It’s ex-

actly 9:45am. By the time we

Aboud and Micheline Imad,

the coordinators of the two

Lebanese provinces, invited

all the former leaders. There

are at least 50 of us in the

restaurant gardens. There is

Roland Tamraz, Jacqueline

Awada… Roy and Mirna had

come from Syria… On their

faces, I read the weariness

and the suffering of this inter-

minable war and I am deeply

moved. This only magnifies

the joy of our reunion.

The following morning, we

meet all the community coor-

dinators of the communities,

accompanied by a member of

the coordinating team, for a

formation day on the theme

of “Identity and Mission of

Faith and Light”. There are

around 60 of us. The day

starts with a long, beautiful

time of prayer. To end, we go

to kiss the cross in a proces-

sion.

It’s Marie-Hélène who

starts the show with the tale

of the birth of Faith and Light.

find the right check-in desk,

it’s 10am. There’s nobody

there anymore, all the other

passengers are in the bus.

However, after I shed a few

tears and explain the impor-

tance of our mission, the

steward gives us our boarding

cars. We’re almost there.

Marie-Hélène walks with little

steps, I’m carrying the bags,

the computer…. With all the

stress I’m worried I might col-

lapse. But we make it, we get

on to the plane.

Arriving in Beirut is always

magical. The light, the soft-

ness, the noise…. A small

group is there to welcome us

and to take us to the Sisters

of the Cross who are waiting

for us outside, under the cy-

press trees. Antoinette Ma-

khoul, one of the founders of

Faith and Light in Lebanon

will be our guardian angel,

guide and interpreter through-

out our stay, from sunrise to

sunset.

That evening, Antoine

To Lebanon with Marie-Hélène

Antoinette, Rita, Marie-Hélène and Tatius

19

Then it’s my turn to present

Faith and Light around the

world using a PowerPoint and

then, after a coffee, Carla

Waked, former provincial co-

ordinator for Lebanon, takes

over with a lesson on “Identity

and Mission”. A priest also

comes to talk about the place

of Christians in the Middle

East. The programme is

dense and rich. The partici-

pants’ attention doesn’t wa-

ver, despite the intensity and

the talks one after the other.

Then everyone meets in shar-

ing groups.

All this time everyone wants

to have their photo taken with

Marie-Hélène before, during

and after the time set aside

for signing her book “Never

again alone.” We had brought

50 with us, but could actually

have brought 100, they would

all have been snapped up!

At the end of a question ses-

sions, Marie-Hélène asks one

final one: "But what are you

going to do with all these pho-

tos?” This is met by a general

laughter and…. Yet more cam-

era flashes!”

Sunday is pilgrimage day.

Everyone is wearing white.

since she came in 1980, and

she ends by stressing the

three words that must remain

central to our lives: Thank

you, Sorry, Please. Thank you,

Lord, for all that you give us.

Sorry for my refusals to love.

Please, give me the grace to

follow you…

This wonderful party ends

with the release of multi-

coloured balloons that fall

from the ceiling. They fly up

amongst the terraces, the at-

mosphere is lively and every-

one is smiling.

The pilgrims move, accord-

ing to colour, with astonishing

smoothness to the courtyard

where dinner will be served.

3000 people receive a basket

of food each. Marie-Hélène

moves round the massive room

to greet each community.

After some traditional

Lebanese dancing and sing-

ing, we leave for the church,

still in an orderly fashion. The

mass is led by Bishop Boulos

Rouhana, Maronite bishop of

Sarba. The liturgy is very dif-

ferent to the one in our West-

ern church. I don’t know the

order in which the Eucharist is

The 12 “regions” receive a

coloured scarf and a white

baseball cap. We arrive to

cheers and the terraces of the

stadium are packed! And then

we sing the inevitable "My

friends, let's sing our joy".

Young people, young families

with children, babies in push-

chairs, but also a few older

people…. A youthful joy bursts

forth everywhere! We see

groups of colours singing all

around the stadium, talking

loudly, laughing and applaud-

ing..…

Down below, in the sta-

dium, teams are teaching us

mimed songs. There are

guessing games and the one

who gets the right answer

wins….. a photo with Marie-

Hélène and comes to join the

crowd that is waiting for a

place beside her so they can

kiss her and get a photo .

We watch some very good

mimes. Everything is in Arabic

(there, that’s my disability),

but they are so expressive

that everyone understands.

Marie-Hélène addresses

the crowd. She tells them of

her love for Lebanon, ever

20

performed, but it is very beauti-

ful. Incense permeates the

church; the fervour and joy are

palpable.

At the end of the mass

Bishop Boulos addresses

Marie-Hélène. He had met her

when he participated at the

Synod on the Eucharist in

2005 where Marie-Hélène, in-

vited by Pope Benedict XVI, had

worked to ensure that an arti-

cle (N°44) specified the impor-

tance of giving communion to

people with a learning disabil-

ity. This was done thanks to

her.

It’s already time to leave.

Mirna comes to say farewell.

We return to our comfortable

lives, to our trade union

strikes, our financial scandals,

the football matches and de-

partment stores…. As for

Mirna, she is returning to hell.

We would give all we could to

take her with us. She is return-

ing to Syria to resume her work

with the deplaced peoples who

are pouring in from every-

where. They are also pouring

into Lebanon. And the Leba-

nese are welcoming their Syr-

ian former enemies in their

millions, sharing water and

electricity with them, both of

which may be cut off at any

moment.

Those three days in Leba-

non were incredible. Organising

such a gathering in only three

months would be unheard of in

our “old country”. Over there,

for all those involved in it, Faith

and Light is a priority for young

and old alike. They are “the

crippled, the lame, and the

blind” who, dropping every-

thing, rush to their Master’s

feast.

To all my Lebanese friends,

thank you to for testifying to

the world the enthusiasm of

your young!

CORINNE CHATAIN

An urgent appeal for peace

During my trip to Lebanon with Corinne, I met Roy and Mirna and realised the magnitude and the

importance of the suffering that Syria and Syrians know.

The moral, physical and psychological distress is intolerable. The Faith and Light communities

cannot gather together anymore, but the members are trying their best to stand together in

friendship and hope. Roy is focused on the refugee camps service and has mobilised a team most of

whom have a responsibility in Faith and Light. When I asked him what support Faith and Light could

bring, he told me: “Human wise, there is nothing left to do. We can only rely on prayer.”

We then thought about a prayer that could be said daily and would be proposed to all the Faith and Light

communities in the world and to each of us. With all our love, we will also pray for the people of Iraq, Palestine and

Israel, Ukraine, Nigeria and all the countries where war, conflict, tensions are rife, especially in thinking of

Christians who are so terribly threatened. The prayer would be the one of Saint Francis of Assisi: "Lord, make me an

instrument of Thy peace", either entirely or a paragraph, or just a sentence, for example: "Where there is injury, let

me sow pardon". This call of love will touch the Heart of Jesus. Then, we can implore the Virgin Mary: “Our Lady of

Peace, pray for us, pray for Syria, Palestine and Israel, Ukraine, Nigeria (...) pray for the world.”

Marie-Hélène Mathieu

http://www.faithandlight.org/rubriques/haut/actualites/an-urgent-appeal-for-peace

21

Family album

Welcome, little babies!

Adèle was born on 4 June in

Vilnius in Lithuania. She is the

first granddaughter of Michel

and Sabine Arduino, coordina-

tors of the France Between the

Seas province.

Amalia Lily was born on 2

June in Rotherham in England.

She is the second granddaugh-

ter of Ann Emmott, vice-

international coordinator.

Many congratulations to the

happy parents and grandpar-

ents!

Mauricette and Christian

On 18 May 2014 at the provin-

cial assembly at Pontmain,

Jerry Fuchs

Jerry, vice-coordinator for USA

East province left us on 11

June. Every day I prayed for

him with the words of James:

Blessed is anyone who

endures temptation. Such a

one has stood the test and will

receive the crown of life that

the Lord has promised to those

who love him. Let’s keep Joy

and the whole family in our

prayers.

Maggie Demco Coordinator of USA East province

I was on my way back home

after work in the car and I was

thinking of Jerry and Joy when

this cloud appeared. I stopped

to take this picture. The light of

the love of God was amazing!

Reverend Pam Landis Provincial chaplain

Mauricette and Christian Gef-

fard were elected coordinators

for the France Centre province.

A big thank you to Andrée and

Jean-Régis Boisdron who have

steered the ship of the prov-

ince for eight years

"Heart of Europe"

At the "Heart of Europe" as-

sembly at the end of May,

Hetty Gommans was re-

elected for a second mandate

to serve the province and

Nicole Stoffel was elected vice

-coordinator for Luxembourg.

Heartfelt thanks to Sam and

Bert Colyn who were the coor-

dinators of this province and

did an excellent job.

A safe onward journey to each

of them!

"The living stone"

After three years of probation,

the “living stone” community in

Mauritius was recognised on

18 May. Florise Raynal was

elected as its leader. Welcome,

Florise!

Marie-France Violette Coordinator of "Rainbow" province

Florise and Marie-France

22

Father Philippe Felletin

Father Philippe

left us on 30

March. He had

been the chap-

lain of the "Le

Cairn" commu-

nity in Grenoble

(France) for

many years.

We share in the pain and the

hope of all our friends from the

Faith and Light communities in

Isère.

ON 22 APRIL, OUR FRIEND MAI RE-JOINED THE FATHER WHO SHE LOVED SO

MUCH. SHE WAS 41. MAI HAD WORKED FOR A WHOLE YEAR AS A VOLUNTEER AT

THE INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT. SHE HAD BECOME A VERY DEAR FRIEND.

HERE, WE’D LIKE TO TELL HER FAMILY ONCE MORE JUST HOW CLOSE WE ARE TO

THEM IN THEIR SUFFERING, BUT ALSO IN THEIR HOPE.

These are Céline’s words read at the ceremony

P recious Mai,

Your Faith and Light friends send you this

message of tenderness with all our hearts.

Your profound kindness, your hunger for others,

your elegance, your radiant, communicative smile, your captivating voice, your softness

which calmed us, your mischievousness, your sense of humour that we loved… So many

qualities and so many signs of friendship that were so appreciated.

In the Faith and Light office where you worked for a year, you spread your good mood

through all the floors, you were always there, ready to help, and you were loved by

everybody. In the Magnificat Faith and Light community, you transmitted your joy to the

biggest ones and to the smallest ones and your kindness touched the hearts of everyone…

Mai, your gentle brightness will shine for a long time, like a star in our heart and in the

firmament. Your faithful friendship was so precious: a treasure. We know that we can

continue to experience this without you, in prayer. Mai, we love you very much.

CÉLINE DOUDELLE AND ALL YOUR FRIENDS

Céline et Mai

Father Göran Degen

I am sorry to have to tell you

that our chaplain for Sweden,

Göran Degen, has passed

away. He was chaplain for Faith

and Light since the beginning

of Faith and Light in Sweden, in

1979. He was very active in the

various communities. He

started in Gothenburg where

he lived for many years. Then,

he moved to Stockholm where

he was member of the

community. In recent years, he

was in charge of training

priests in Sweden. He

encouraged all the seminarists

to belong to a community.

Father Göran took part in all

the summer camps that take

place every year for all the

Swedish communities.

In May he planned to join

Jean’s retreat at Trosly.

Göran was 69. We loved him

very much. He was wonderful

with the people with

disabilities, he understood

them and admired their

parents.

We are really, really missing

him.

Join us in our prayer for Father

Göran.

Berit Keszei

Cordinator "Northern Lights” Province

23

Readers mail

L'Arche and the watermelon!

Our brothers and sisters

from l'Arche Atlanta certainly

don’t lack imagination or

dexterity…. Bravo!

News from Madagascar

At Tuléar, the two communi-

ties, "Love and Patience" and

"Wisdom" celebrated the Feast

of Light together in the Parish

of Notre Dame de l’Assomption

(founding parish of Faith and

Light).

A big mass was led by the

bishop of the diocese, Bishop

Fulgence Rabeony, accompa-

nied by Father Curate Pierrot

and the new Faith and Light

chaplain, Bany Hugues.

The day of 2 February fell on a

Sunday and many people at-

tended mass. The bishop an-

nounced our presence by say-

ing about all the good that

Faith and Light does and that

the smallest ones teach us

about the love of God, and that

each Christian should show

them love and joy.

After the Gospel of Matthew

25, 40, there was a commit-

ment ceremony for the parents,

with lighted candles, and we

sang "I’ve decided to follow Je-

sus."

After the mass, we ate together

and then had a party with

dances and mimes.

At Ihosy: the community

"Southern Cross" held a recol-

lection on Saturday 8 February

in the chapel des Filles de la

Charité. On Sunday 9, it cele-

brated the Feast of Light at the

cathedral with Father Luc. This

ended with a shared meal.

A Fianarantsoa: the three com-

munities "Joy", "Don Bosco"

and "Holy Family" came to-

gether at the Sainte Trinité

church in Ambatovory to cele-

brate the Feast of Light. Last

23 February, they also carried

out their commitment in front

of the altar. The mass included

prayers and the first commun-

ion for two children. The cele-

bration ended with a meeting

for three communities. I am

happy to share this news with

you!

Adeline Razafinirina Vice-coordinator for Madagascar

The community

"out in the streets"

In the latest edition of "Up

Sails!", Christine Lacroix asked

us to pray for a Hungarian

community that had found it-

self “Out on the streets”. Here

is some news to accompany

this photo:

After a period of wandering,

which meant that they had to

hold their last meeting in a

public park, the Hungarian

community Rügyek (the buds)

has found a room, and perhaps

even a chaplain!

Father Zoli from the parish

"Árpád-házi Szent Erzsébet-

plébániatemplom" (Saint Eliza-

beth) welcomed them to a

large room that looks out on to

a small courtyard with a gar-

den. He joined in all of their

meeting, sang and prayed with

them, and he even gave them

some representations of icons

with prayers.

Then he introduced them to the

Christian community of Saint

Elizabeth and told them that

they were part of the parish

community.

He then left them the room for

their next meeting on 1st June.

24

TO CONTRIBUTE TO “UP SAILS!”,

S E N D U S R E P O R T S O N

A S S E M B L I E S , M E E T I N G S ,

F O R M A T I O N S S E S S I O N S ,

PHOTOS… SEND US NEWS OF THE

COMMUNITIES YOU ACCOMPANY,

COLLECT FIORETTI...

Let’s hope that afterwards, he

will open his doors to them

every time.

The community has also wel-

comed some new members.

Let’s stay united, it’s our

strength!

Christine "Le Rocher" community, Belgium

An American parachute

The "Indian Creek" community

from Pennsylvania is having

fun with a parachute! Each per-

son catches an end of the

parachute and then everyone

lifts it together. When it’s com-

pletely in the air, people try

and pass underneath it without

the parachute falling on them.

REVEREND PAM LANDIS

Chaplain USA East

The 2014-2015 guidelines

have arrived!

A new Faith and Light year is

beginning. It promises to be full of

adventures with twelve great

witnesses that we are called to

follow throughout the year.

I would like to warmly thank the

wonderful Slovenian team who

drafted these guidelines with us :

Rozi Ternik (former national leader), Father Franc Kejžar

(former provincial chaplain), Vesna Knuplez (former vice-

provincial coordinator), Helena Furar (Mum), Edo Dolinar

(friend) and Ghislain du Chéné for the monthly meditations.

Have a wonderful year of mission and joy in each of your

communities. Let’s head out into the deeper water!

CC

Some feedback already!..

Many thanks for the new

guidelines. Thanks too to

the team who prepared

them lovingly and compe-

tently for us all. May Notre

Dame of Lourdes bless

your work and your path.

Elvira Gomero (Peru)

Many thanks for the

guidelines. Thanks too to

the Slovenian team who

worked on them with you.

The twelve chosen

witnesses are wonderful

and as Ghislain du Chéné

says: “Let’s follow on

behind them and cast out

our nets. Let’s not be

afraid.”

Geneviève Pellion

(France)

Thank you for bringing these guidelines to my attention. The

testimonies of these people who, through their lives and

example, have marked our spirits and our history, and who

help us in our desire to become each day more loving, closer to

Christ. May the Lord bless you and keep you!

MGR. JEAN-MICHEL DI FALCO LEANDRI

Bishop of Gap and Embrun(France)

Editorial direction: Ghislain du Chéné - Chief editor ans layout: Corinne Chatain

25

13 September : UK North province pil-

grimage to Walshingham

13-15 september : Celebrations and

press conferences in Krakow and War-

saw for the release of the book "Never

again alone" in Polish

20-21 September: meeting of the pro-

vince "Mountains and Valleys without

Frontiers" (Switzerland and French Jura)

at Notre Dame du Mont Roland

(France)

3-6 October: Provincial assembly

"Southern Cross" (Australia, New Zea-

land) at Waikanae (New Zealand)

Agenda

4-5 October: formation session for the

coordinating teams from “Campo Belo”

province (Brazil Centre) at Rio de Ja-

neiro.

17-19 october : meeting of the Board of

directors of Faith and Light international

in Paris

24-26 October: formation session,

Szeged (Hungary)

25-26 October: meeting of French prov-

inces ("West", "Rhône Azur", "Centre",

"Loire Rhône Auvergne" and "Entre 2

Mers") at Pian Médoc

8-11 November: retreat for the French

communities at Mondaye Abbey

8-9 November: council for "Campo Belo"

province at Juiz de Fora, Brésil

What have your contributions been used for since June?

Province "Holy Family" (Egypt North, Sudan):

holiday camps in Egypt North and formation session: 4,160 €

Retreat, formation session, holiday camp in Sudan: 4,220 €

Cameroon, formation session: 600 €

Province "Colours of Asia" (Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore), provincial assembly

in the Philippines: 2,404 €

Province "Open Hearts" (Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic),

provincial assembly in Honduras: 3,600 €

Participation of the Dominican Republic: 2,600 €

"Ukraine", provincial assembly: 5 ,020 €

"Capricorn Africa" (South Africa, DRC Lubumbashi, Zambia, Zimbabwe), support for

communities and formation : 4,850 €

East Africa (Burundi, Kenya, DRC Kivu, Rwanda), support for communities and formation:

3,400 €

Projects needing support "Reborn" province (Brazil North East), formation sessions, retreat, vice-coordinators council : :

7 950 €

You want to make a donation ?

In several countries, Faith and Light is a recognized and registered charity association. As in France, you may

be entitled to a tax deduction for each donation made locally. Check with your provincial association.

Online donation: www.faithandlight.org

Solidarity

26

Marie-Hélène’s letter

Mariangela,

the grace of saying yes

MARIANGELA BERTOLINI INSPIRED FEDE E LUCE IN ITALY, IN 1974, AND THEN

IN SEVERAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN SOUTHERN EUROPE, EVEN AS FAR AS

RUSSIA. IN 1983, SHE LAUNCHED THE MAGAZINE OMBRE E LUCI, THE LITTLE

SISTER OF SHADOWS AND LIGHT.

MARIANGELA ENTERED THE LIGHT OF GOD ON ASCENSION THURSDAY. I WOULD

LIKE TO TELL YOU ABOUT AN EVENT THAT RADICALLY TRANSFORMED HER LIFE,

AND THAT OF MANY OTHERS IN HER WAKE*.

I n 1969, Mariangela was taken to

Lourdes, emotionally “pulled” there by her

husband Paolo. He wanted to take their

little seven-year old daughter, Maria-

Francesca (Chicca), to Massabielle’s cave.

Profoundly handicapped in mind and body,

she rarely showed signs of consciousness.

Often Mariangela was strongly tempted to

wonder "Is this really a child?"

Mariangela accompanied her husband and

her daughter to Lourdes, as well as their son

Nanni, but it wasn’t her visit. She was

following, that was all… Her heart was closed.

Ever since Chicca’s birth, her feeling of revolt

has barely left her. And so it was that in front

of the cave her prayer was like Job’s when he

pours out his reproaches at God. She basically

tells the Virgin Mary: "You cannot understand ;

this has not happened to you. And you’re also

too far away: you can’t help me.” Mariangela

still keeps her eyes on the cave statue as she

adds: "But if you can, do something for me." It

was something she said rather than believed.

There was no hope behind these words. So

she leaves the cave with Chicca. A young

woman who also has a child with a disability

approaches her and hands her a piece of

paper. Mariangela slips it in her pocket.

Back at the hotel, she remembers the

incident. She reads: If you want to, come

along this evening to a meeting of parents of

children with disabilities at the pilgrims’

house.” Mariangela does not feel like going.

She even dreads it. In contrast, her husband

pleads that she go. To please him, she goes

along with a heavy heart. She joins a group of

parents and children at the entrance, almost

all of them profoundly touched by disability.

The meeting starts. Parents talk about their

difficulties and pain. Some dare to say that

their child had brought depth to their

existence, gave it a new meaning. They love

them, love them in their poverty, in their

uniqueness. One mum, Friquette, stresses that

her heart would never have been open to

others if she had not had this child “who is not

like the others". She also talks of a secret joy

through her suffering, a joy of love….

Mariangela listens to all of this. However, it

seems like another universe to her, a huge

misunderstanding. Yes, she listens, but doesn’t

understand.

At the end, everyone bursts into singing the

Magnificat. Mariangela joins in, almost despite

herself. She has to sing: “The Lord performs

wonders for me". She utters the words wearily,

but then, without knowing why, she feels her

heart softening. She sings more honestly: “He

raises the humble, he fills the hungry with

good". Then, she doesn’t sing anymore; she

cries. This hasn’t happened since the birth of

her daughter. She cries because she has just

found her faith again. It’s true: “God raises the

humble". She has just understood: "His

compassion grows year by year ". She has just

received this and will have it forever.

She looks at her daughter who is hurt and in

pain. She had never even thought of this, but

suddenly she recognises in Chicca the face of

the living Jesus. She has become the presence

of God, source of life, like a door opening into

God’s realm, the realm of the Beatitudes.

It was at the feast of the visitation, the feast

of the Magnificat and the Virgin Mary when the

funeral mass of Mariangela was held. She was

certain that she had been welcomed by Chicca

in an unbelievable encounter where the two

had trembled in joy.

* Extract from "Ombres et Lumière" N°200