On 19 June a group of thirty-six Holy Family Lay Members, Sisters and friends from Britain and Ireland arrived in Martillac to begin a week during which they would deepen their knowledge and appreciation of Fr. Noailles and his foundation in an atmosphere of rest and relaxation.
We began our time together with a two-hour “Martillac Walk” starting at the cemetery and ending in the chapel of the Contemplative Sisters named “The Chapel of the Good Shepherd” by our Founder. During this walk we received a comprehensive over-view of the history and development of La Solitude intermingled with the main points of Holy Family spirituality. The afternoon and evening were free so that people could pray, reflect and relax in whatever way suited each one. And that was the pattern of most of our days during the week.
We spent a morning on the Island making the Pilgrimage of the Holy Family using the up-dated version prepared by the Intervocational Spirituality Team of Britain and Ireland which was published in 2012. The whole group prayed the preparatory station together. We then broke into small groups, each group reflecting and sharing on two stations. We all met again at the Grotto of Our Lady of All Graces for the final station.
Another morning was spent watching and reflecting on power-point presentations of our Founder’s dream, his life, his devotion to Our Lady and his student days in Paris. During our final morning in La Solitude we visited Our Lady of the Woods and our Founder’s Fountain.
We had two day-long outings during which we broadened and deepened our knowledge of Fr. Noailles and his times. On the first of these we travelled to Verdelais, the 12th century Marian shrine of the Bordeaux diocese which our Founder loved to visit. It was in Verdelais that the idea of the Poor
Priests developed when Bienvenu, his brother Amand and their friend Charriez made a retreat there to reflect on their future together. Some years later, the Priests of the Holy Family also made a retreat there. We visited the Basilica and the Way of the Cross and had a very informative guided tour of the museum. We also had some free time for relaxation during which we wandered around this typical French village which is surrounded by acre upon acre of magnificent vineyards.
Our second outing was to Bordeaux. The morning was free so that each one could pursue her/his own interests. Some went (window) shopping, others toured Bordeaux on the City Tour Bus while several strolled around admiring the beautiful buildings and riverside. At 2 p. m. we met at the cathedral and spent the afternoon walking in our Founder’s footsteps.
We were also very fortunate to be in Martillac for the feast of our Founder which is celebrated there on the Sunday before 29th June so that the parishioners can be involved. At lunchtime we joined the two Martillac communities and some parishioners for a celebratory lunch in the grounds where we enjoyed meeting old friends and making new ones. That evening we had a very happy event when Gordon Connolly (Scotland) made his commitment as a Lay Member of the Holy Family. The commitment took place in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd during Evening Prayer in honour of the Ven. Pierre Bienvenu Noailles and in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed in the Miraculous Monstrance.
Our stay in Martillac concluded with a social where many hidden talents in the fields of singing and dancing came to the fore.
The whole of our pilgrimage/holiday was blessed with glorious weather which enabled us to enjoy all the beauties of the place that was so dear to our Founder, our first members and so many generations of the Family of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles.
Áine Hayde
Britain and Ireland