12 JUNE – OUR LADY OF ALL GRACES

1816, St. Sulpice, Paris.  A young man, filled with enthusiasm gives his life to God.

His response to God’s call was also a gift to humanity that was impoverished and thirsting for lasting values in the midst of suffering and conflict at a time of transition and transformation.

In the garden of the seminary at St. Sulpice there was an image of the Virgin - Our Lady of All Graces and there was also a chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Loreto.  This place inspired Pierre Bienvenu Noailles to found a Family that would be open to all vocations in the Church and that would respond to the urgent needs of the world at each moment. 

The years passed, the dream took root and grew.  The foundation was blessed by Jesus on 3 February 1822 in a visible way in the Eucharist.

Close to Bordeaux, there is an oasis of peace: The Solitude, Martillac.  From the very first years this place has been and continues to be, a vital centre from which flows a spirituality that is transformed into service. 

And in the Solitude there is an island, an oasis of prayer and rest ...with a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of All Graces, a step on the interior path that leads to God Alone. 

On 2 October, Monsignor Donnet, Archbishop of Bordeaux, Monsignor Montblanc, Archbishop of Tours, numerous priests and dignitaries went on foot as pilgrims to the island.  And in 1844, Monsignor Donnet, who was always greatly interested in the Family of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles, went once more as a pilgrim to the island of our Lady of All Graces.  He made this pilgrimage on 12 June – a date that from the earliest years evoked sentiments of gratitude to Jesus, who with Mary and Joseph, offers us the inestimable gift of the Holy Family. 

Responding to a request expressed in many ways and in line with our early tradition, a petition was presented to the Vatican (Congregation of Divine Worship).  And on 3 February 2006, we received an indult giving us permission to celebrate the feast of our Lady of All Graces as the special protector of our Family.  The feast was to be celebrated on 12 June with its own liturgical texts.

Today, united as a Family, we pray together, meditating on the day’s Gospel text – John 2, 1-11 and we pray with the words of our Founder:

“… Mary, repeat the miracle at the marriage feast of Cana and change our hearts into hearts filled with love...”