150th anniversary of Saint-Mandé house

Saint-Mandé is the Administrative House of the Network of Belgium, France and
Italy,  and it celebrates its 150th anniversary on 11 October.

150 years of history

and life still continues…

“If only the walls could speak…” we often say…but would we know how to listen?

Life continues to circulate among us.  Our sisters are bearers of history, our history.  Let us listen to that history and let us rejoice together.

Happy feast to all our Sisters and lay people

who, with creative fidelity have helped all who lived in this house

to grow and to build up our future!

1859 - The Founder of the Holy Family, Pierre Bienvenu Noailles, sent three sisters from
Bordeaux to Saint-Mandė to take charge of a school, which was later to become Sėvignė.

For more than 100 years, the community provided a formation that was open to the Church and the world.  It was a formation in literature, science, the arts and especially religion.  The sisters lived their mission as educators in the spirit of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and, with their pupils they experienced three terrible wars. Many generations appreciated their devotion and their work to spread and strengthen the faith in the
Paris region and to help young people to choose life

1969 - sisters withdrew from Sévigné as they were restricted in the choice of subjects that they could offer to their pupils.  So, in order to ensure the setting up of a school with all possible options in the South East of Paris, they handed over the running of the school to the Holy Cross Fathers.  The school was called Saint-Michel and the sisters’ house became the Provincial House of France.

From 2003 onwards, the house was open to an association called “Les Champs de Booz”.  The aim of this association was to help and support women asylum seekers.

In 2006 - structures changed within the Holy Family.  The three provinces of Belgium, France and
Italy formed the Holy Family Network and the house then became home to the Network

2009 - The community takes charge of the administration work of these three countries.  The community is inserted in Our Lady’s parish in Saint-Mandė and the sisters participate in the life of the parish and the district.  They share the joys and sufferings of all those with whom they are in contact.  The community is a prayerful presence in the parish and in the whole district.

See the photo-gallery