As we mark the 204th Anniversary of the Miraculous Benediction, we are invited to contemplate the mystery of God’s presence among us. This commemoration is not merely a remembrance of a past event that happened 204 years ago in Bordeaux, but a living testimony that God continues to act amongst us, guiding us with God’s providence and love.
The theme “God Alone is Our Hope” resonates deeply with us, members of the Pierre Bienvenu Noailles family. Hope, in the theological sense, is not a fragile optimism nor a denial of suffering. It is the confident expectation rooted in God’s fidelity. Milady Peychaud testified after the Miraculous Benediction of 1822 that she saw nothing, but heard someone say to her “I am he who is.” The same as God’s self-revelation to Moses at the burning bush, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). The same God is journeying with us as our hope, as we proclaim to the world that “Communion is possible.” We walk by faith and hear the same words repeatedly, God saying to each one of us, “I am who I am, hope in me and you shall live.”
The Church has just concluded the Jubilee Year of Hope. Pope Leo xiv during his homily on the Feast of the Epiphany 2026 said that the Jubilee Year is closed but the spiritual searching continues. In a world often shaken by uncertainty, conflict, and despair, the 204th anniversary of the Miraculous Benediction calls us to re-anchor our lives in the One who never fails. The Miraculous Benediction stands as a sign that God’s grace is sufficient. Even when human strength falters, ‘God Alone remains our hope’. In 1822, our founding members’ faith was reaffirmed by God, the “I am” and they faced challenges of their time with renewed hope. We too, are challenged to live with radical trust and hope, surrendering our fears and aspirations to the Lord who alone secures our future.
Sr. Macrina Wiederkehr in her book; Behold Your Life: A Pilgrimage Through Your Memories, challenges us to see our lives as sacred terrain, where each memory is a stepping-stone towards deeper communion with God. Sr Macrina points out that we are pilgrims on the journey with God and for God. She says “A pilgrimage is a ritual journey with a hallowed purpose. Every step along the way has meaning...” As we contemplate the blessings we received on the 3rd February 1822, we are assured that we are pilgrims whose faith is deeply rooted in the promise that God Alone is enough.
We read in the Constitutions of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Bordeaux (Art 42) that we are guided by God through the Holy Spirit “to the fullness of our vocation…God helps us to discover his will and to accept it wholeheartedly.” God reveals Godself to us every day and we are forever grateful, ‘God Alone remains our hope.’ May this 204th Anniversary renew our courage to walk by faith, to serve with love, and to proclaim with our lives that God alone is our hope. May we be beacons of hope to those we serve and bearers of Good News to the world.
Happy 204th Anniversary to us all!!!
Sr. Clementine MAMPHETELI SEKANTSI
South Africa