What is your desire? What is your passion? What fire burns in your heart?
The launch of the new year during the Feast of St John the Baptist Province – France-England- on Sunday, the 25th August 2019 at Ploërmel was heartfelt: sharing joy and giving thanks together with the 20 Jubilarians, providing the impetus from the new year theme and sharing many news. All in the dynamic of the General Chapter inviting to write new pages with a new Provincial team. In short: something new!
+ «Are we ready to dig other wells? » The video by Bro Hervé Zamor, the Superior General, set the tone: – see the video on the Website –
“When the first five Brothers – whose average age was 29 – left Ploërmel on the 27th November 1837 to found our first mission in Guadeloupe, our Congregation was only eighteen years old.
Its youthfulness was its strength, its audacity, its passion and energy to dare to risk the mission. And yet, the fragilities were there.
They did not wait to be rich to send Brothers on mission Are we ready to abandon our dry wells to go elsewhere to dig others?
Let us not be afraid! Let us open our eyes, our ears, our hands and our hearts!”
+ «I am the mission on this earth»
During the meditation on the theme of the year, Pope Francis’ quotation from “The joy of the Gospel” served as the catalyst:
“I am the mission on this earth and that is why I am in this world.”
Let us invoke the Spirit to help us be this mission.
F. Yannick HOUSSAY a présenté le thème d’année à partir des trois verbes.
To SEE. “Bearing fruit. This is my mission. Let us look at how Jesus saw the realities around him. What is happening around us?”
To GET NEAR. “Who am I close to? Who am I going to approach? Who is my neighbour?”
To FEED. “Are we spiritual directors on the path of faith? What are we giving for food? What are we giving ourselves?”
+ Let us rejoice with the 20 Jubilarians!
50 years. Bros Yves ALLAIN, Jean-Yves DELAUNAY, Yvon DENIAUD, Rémy HAREL, Yannick HOUSSAY, Jean-Noël LEBLAY.
50 ans de vie religieuse. De gauche à droite: FF. Yves ALLAIN, Rémy HAREL, Yannick HOUSSAY, Jean-Noël LEBLAY, Yvon DENIAUD.
60 years. Bros Albert CASTEL, Maxime CHAN, Bernard COATANROc’H, Gabriel RIVIERE.
70 years. Bros Eugène HUCHON, Joseph LE ROY, Yves LEROUX, Gilles PIERRE
75 years. Bros François GUEDES, Maurice LALLEMAND, André LESOUEF, Paul TIRIAU
80 years. Bros Arsène LOUIS and Théophane URVOY
+ A missionary celebration
“Take me where men need your word.” It was under the inspiration of the Missionary Song that the celebration was lived. It was presided over by Father Paul DOSSOUS, Superior General of the Priests of St. Jacques, from Haiti. He recalled that the motto of their founder Bishop Testard of the Cosquer “I am not alone” owed much to the collaboration with the Brothers.
Père Paul DOSSOUS, Supérieur général des prêtres de St Jacques : “Je vous remercie Frères pour ce que vous êtes et ce que vous faites. »
He emphasized how the collaboration between the Brothers and the Priests of St James has borne fruit and continues to do so. He commented on this Sunday’s Gospel, emphasizing how God “fulfilled his promise for the salvation of all. The fulfilment of his promise is beyond our human visions.
Let us not be afraid of being disconcerted and deepen our relationship with the Lord: God Alone, everything else is nothing. “
He expressed his joy of seeing Jubilarians of 50 up to 80 years of religious life! “My heart leaps with joy and with the shining warmth of the sun of Haiti, I thank you Brothers for what you are and what you do”. “The grace of the Lord has made your efforts light since 200 years of the congregation’s history. Jesus is the guide and companion of our journey.”
During the celebration, the Jubilarians renewed their vows and the Lay Mennaisian associates – LMA – renewed their commitment.
Renouvellement des voeux des Jubilaires. Ils ont été reçus par le F. Jean-Paul PEUZE, 1er assistant de la congrégation.
Renouvellement de l’engagement des laïcs associés mennaisiens.
+ Greetings to the Missionary Brothers.
During the celebration the Missionary Brothers present who would be leaving in a few days were also greeted and thanked.
De gauche à droite : FF. Jean-Yves MINGANT, Francis CAILLET, Yvon DENIAUD, Yves ALLAIN, Albert LE CAPITAINE, Joseph BOUGET, Stéphane LE PAPE.
+ And the new provincial team?
FF. James HAYES, Laurent BOUILLET et Yannick HOUSSAY : nouveau trio de l’équipe Provinciale.
It is composed of Brothers Yannick HOUSSAY, Laurent BOUILLET and James HAYES. The team presented its operating realities – each one lives in his place of work – (Editor’s note: Vannes, Bain-de-Bretagne and Liverpool)-by making himself available for a part of the week to be at the service of the Province- and the team ‘s points of attention, in particular the openness to the whole congregation, the importance of formation for all and for vocations and calls.
The 3 members of the former Provincial team – Bros Louis SEITE, Rémy HAREL and Thierry BEAUPLET – were thanked for their 6 years of service. Thanks were also extended to Joseph FAUCHOUX, former Secretary General of the Tutelle.
FF. Thierry BEAUPLET, Louis SEITE et Rémy HAREL ont passé le flambeau.
+ Something new at the Mother House also. Bro. Michel Bouvais was thanked for his 9 years of service at the Mother House. Bro Pierrick BUSSON succeeded him as Director. He would be assisted by Bro Bernard BOURRIGAULT as a receptionist. Bro Robert Leroux also leaves the Motherhouse community for Derval.
Remerciements au F. Michel BOUVAIS, directeur de la Maison-Mère, en compagnie du personnel de la Maison-Mère et des FF. Bernard BOURIGAULT et Pierrick BUSSON, désormais au service de la Maison-mère.
F. Pierrick BUSSON – à droite- succède au F. Michel BOUVAIS comme directeur de la Maison-mère.
+ A Provincial Chapter in view. Following the Assembly of the Lay Associates and the Brothers held in spring, the Provincial Chapter is schedules to take place during next February. In order to prepare for it and to enrich it with the contribution of the laity, there will be meetings of the Lay people and the Brothers in the coming months. The objective of the Chapter will be to appropriate the work already carried out and to define priorities and concrete elements.
+ Tutelle. At the service of the Tutelle of the French LA MENNAIS network
L’équipe de Tutelle. De gauche à droite : F. Olivier MIGOT, François PERON, F. Yannick HOUSSAY, Ronan PETTON, Bernadette PETTON, Chantal DEVAUX, Ronan CARIOU et Loïc LE TOUZO.
The authority in charge of the Tutelle is Bro Yannick Houssay, as Provincial,
The 4 delegates of the Tutelle are:
Ronan Petton, Secretary General of the Tutelle
Ronan Cariou, Chantal Devaux, Loïc Le Touzo, each of them being responsible for accompanying part of the Mennaisian schools of the French Mennaisian Network.
Mrs Chantal Devaux has just joined the Tutelle team. She previously served as Director of Catholic Education in the Diocese of Montpellier and as a Headteacher in several departments.
Three persons in charge of mission are going on with their activities:
Bro Olivier Migot, Responsible of Formation.
Mrs Bernadette Petton, Responsible of the Pastoral Ministry
Mr François Péron, Responsible for school life and socio-educational projects.
