27th October 1793: A baby was born in the Noailles family in Bordeaux.
The country was going through difficult times because of the French Revolution.
The family welcomed the baby lovingly.
His mother said: “God has sent him to us, let us call him Bienvenu”. (Welcome)
He was baptized on the same day.
1810 : Seeing the conduct of her son, Madam Noailles is in tears. Bienvenu questions the attitude of his father who does not practice religion. However a change takes place. He gets friendly with two priests (Frs. Maretgoutte and Dinety) and starts the Association of “Christian Friends” and becomes it president.
June 1812 : The sudden death of his father.
Bienvenu begins his preparation for first communion. (I hour per day during 18 months)
1st November 1813: Probably Bienvenu received first communion at the age of 20. On the eve of his first communion he had a profound spiritual experience while he was praying at the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the cathedral of St André in Bordeaux.
“He felt that his soul was flooded with all the delights of heaven.” (H. Foucault)
“At the same time he experienced such an abundant love for God, such a deep sorrow for having offended him and he felt that his sins were forgiven.” (P.Machet)
10th October 1816: Bienvenu had a second life changing experience while praying near the statue of Our Lady, in the church of St.Sulpice in Paris. Recalling this experience Bienvenu said later “I heard her voice, she called me, and she showed me the path. I understood everything”.
13th October 1816: Following this experience he entered the seminary.
His decision surprised his friend Charriez who abandoned his ambition of joining the army and entered the seminary.
1818: During his seminary life, in the chapel of Our Lady of Loreto in the seminary of Issy les Moulineaux, Bienvenu conceived the fundamental idea of a society dedicated to the Holy Family.
11th October 1818 : During his retreat
« O my God help me to acquire these three virtues:
- Love of Jesus
- Conformity with the will of God
- Renunciation of myself.”
5th June 1819: Bienvenu was ordained to the priesthood on the eve of Trinity Sunday in the church of St. Sulpice in Paris.
August 1819: Fr.Noailles returned to Bordeaux and went to the parish of St.Eulalie. Soon after his arrival he started the Catechism of perseverance classes in the parish to strengthen and deepen the faith of young people. Among these young people, there were women who desired to consecrate themselves by evangelical counsels.
20th April 1820: “Every day they will recite devoutly the following prayer: O Jesus, I am at your feet to receive your orders and the grace to carry them out with love and submission.”
(Prayer of abandonment. Dossier 3, p.10)
27th May 1820: On the eve of the feast of the Holy Trinity, Fr.Noailles formed the first community of Our Lady of Loreto. « This first house bore the name of Our Lady of Loretto, so that those who lived in that house will never forget that the principal aim of their Association was to honour and imitate the Holy Family. (Dossier 3 pg.12)
With the three women who belonged to this community, he laid the foundation of the future association open to all vocations.
3rd February 1822: On the Septuagesima Sunday, Jesus appeared to the first members and all those who were present and blessed them in a miraculous way.
1822: Fr.Noailles founded the group of Poor Priests. This group lasted only till 1826.
18th June 1823 : Pierre Bienvenu is released from his parish in St.Eulalie.
“As a simple suburban curate in a poor parish he was able to detach himself from this captivating apostolate: his work which sprang from the soil of St.Eulalie, was gradually to take up all his time.” Dossier 2, pg 58)
1824: The community of Loretto develops as two branches:
- the Daughters of St.Joseph : they were to look after the orphaned and abandoned girls.
- the Daughters of Loreto was founded to educate young upper class girls in boarding and day schools.
25th March 1824 : Fr.Noailles formed the society of the Ladies of the Holy Family for women who wanted to be committed by vows and continue to live in the society without coming to live in a community.
19th October 1827: Fr.Noailles formed the Society of God Alone. It was opened to the members of the Holy Family who wanted to offer themselves to be at the service of the Association in whatever way that was necessary and to be a bond of unity among the various societies.
1829: By discovering the isolation and poverty of the countryside in the region of Pauillac, Fr. Noailles founded the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception for the education of the poorer children and to visit the isolated people in the countryside.
6th December 1829: The first two sisters settled in the small village of Vertheuil.
1831 Pierre Bienvenu wants recognition for the Association in its entirety by the Church, and presents the Statutes of the Association to the Pope.
30th April 1831: The Association is canonically erected.
1833: Fr. Noailles made a second attempt to found a congregation of priests by the name of “The Priests of the Holy Family”. However it did not last long and was disbanded in 1840.
9th April 1836: The Hope Sisters were founded to look after the rich sick people in their homes.
1837-1838: Development of the Island at La Solitude and the construction of the chapel of our Lady of Loretto.
5th October 1840: Departure for Rome, a journey of three week.
11th December 1840: Private audience with Pope Gregory XVI
2nd February 1844: First foundation in Spain
1851: 2nd trip to Rome. The General Rules are reviewed and re-edited.
8th December 1854: Foundation in Liège, Belgium, on the day of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
13th April 1856: Fr.Noailles founded the Agricole Sisters to help educate families who lived in country side so that they will not abandon the rural life.
8th January 1857: The Sisters of St. Martha was founded to look after clergy in presbyteries, bishops’ houses, seminaries and colleges.
1858: Association was affiliated with Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
1st June 1859: The last foundation of Solitary Sisters who were contemplatives. They had perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in thanksgiving for the Miraculous Benediction.
8th February 1861: Fr.Noailles died in Bordeaux after a long illness.
Geographical Expansion of the Holy Family
During the life time of Fr. Noailles the Holy Family went beyond the borders of France. At the time of his death they were present in France, Spain and Belgium. The missionary expansion continued after his death. The sisters went to Asia, Africa, Canada, Latin America and other countries of Europe.
Structural Evolution of the Holy Family.
At the death of Fr. Noailles the Association was organised as Different Branches. The laws of the countries and the Church affected the functioning of these Branches.
On 24 July 1902 Pope Leo XIII signed a decree approving the Holy Family with its Constitutions, as a congregation of simple vows.
On 18th December 1903 the Constitutions were definitively approved by the Holy See.
In 1956 The Sacred Congregation for Religious asked that the structures of the congregation be changed to provinces. In 1957 the provinces were established. The consecrated Seculars and the Solitary Sisters continued. The lay people and priests continued to be associated with the sisters.
1965: The Second Vatican Council made a request for all religious to return to the original spirit of the Founder and make it relevant to the present times. (Perfetae caritatis, no 2.)
1969: The General Chapter of 1969 studied the association and entrusted further study to the General Council. Special attention was given to the development of the lay vocation, encouraged by Vatican II.
1975: A letter was received from the Sacred congregation for Religious and secular Institutes encouraging the Association to continue. Efforts were made in the Provinces and Delegations to promote all the vocations of the Association. Constitutions were re-written for the three groups of consecrated life. However the Association failed to obtain global approval for the whole Association.
1985: The option was made to have four groups.
1. Religious Institute with two vocations; Contemplative and Apostolic. The Constitutions were approved on 18 December 1988.
2. Holy Family Secular Institute was erected on 1 may 1988. Their statutes were approved in the same year.
3. Lay Associates
1989 : création d’une équipe internationale composée d’apostoliques et d’associés laïcs
1992 : création du Comité Intercontinental des associés laïcs (6 membres) et 1ère édition de leurs statuts
1997 : le Comité Intercontinental des associés devient membre du Conseil de la Famille
22nd August 2002: the lay associates finalized their Statutes and approved them at their General Assembly.
4. The Priest Associates are in the process of developing their Statutes.
8th February 1988:
Pierre Bienvenu Noailles was declared Venerable by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.