Within the different vocations of The Holy Family, all members
live the same spirit and
work towards the same aim.

SPIRIT:

Despite the diversity of their vocations,
all are nourished by the same spirit,
from the same sap;
they find their inspiration
in the contemplation of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
who, through the events of their lives,
sought God Alone in all things.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph
loved, sought and desired
only God Alone in all things." (P.B.N.)

Pierre Bienvenu Noailles loved to contemplate this family as 'the gentle image of the Trinity'.
With Mary and Joseph, Jesus formed a family which lived in situations similar to those lived by people today. It was

• a family on the move, which had the experience of displacement imposed by political, family and social events.
  
  
• a family rooted in a people, whose laws and customs it observed.
  
  
• a family where relationships were transfigured by the presence of God, but where the members lived their particular mission.
  
  
• a family which lived a simple life in an ordinary village.
  
  
• a family which was the home of universal love.
  
  
• a family "poor in the eyes of the world, but rich in the treasures of heaven." P.B.N.

Fr Noailles saw in the First Christian communities a continuation of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, since they too lived only for God, the God revealed by Jesus. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the early Christians tried to live according to the teaching and example of Jesus. They wanted to share what they had, to do away with all social or racial barriers.

The Association of the Holy Family is still striving to continue the work and spread the spirit of the First Christian communities.

Open to all who are drawn by its spirit and its life, the Holy Family is a place
of sharing,
of communion,
of mutual support
and source of apostolic vitality for all its members.

• The Family of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles includes
  
  
  • Lay Associates (married or single) and Priest Associates.
    
    
• It offers the possibility of consecration to God by the practice of the three vows of Obedience, Chastity and Poverty
  
  
  • to those who feel called to a life of celibacy in the midst of the
    world (the Secular Institute)
    
    
  • to those called to Religious life in community in order to continue
    the mission of Christ together (the Apostolic Sisters)
    
    
  • to those who feel called to a life of solitude and prayer
    (the Contemplative Sisters)

Pierre Bienvenu Noailles urges all the members to try to reproduce in their lives certain characteristics of the Holy Family -

the obedience, mercy and gentleness of Jesus
the humility, modesty and purity of Mary
the simplicity, responsibility and fidelity of Joseph.

These characteristics are those of men and women who want to live according to the Gospel and who feel called to express in a special way the family dimension of the Church.

AIM:

The aim of the Association is
to spread and strengthen the faith everywhere,
to revive the witness of the First Christians
who had but one heart and one mind.

Let us listen to Fr Noailles himself as he describes the aim of The Holy Family:

"In the early Church,
Christians had but one heart and one mind,
and whatever the inequality of their conditions
or the diversity of their works,
in solitude or in the world,
they considered themselves as forming
but one and the same family."

The spirit of God Alone inspired his whole work as it did the Holy Family of Nazareth who lived it so faithfully over two thousand years ago.

The spirit of God Alone is lived through the contemplation of Jesus, Mary and Joseph - especially in the way God was the centre of their lives.

It is a call which is directed towards the glory of God - the source of love and joy- and towards the salvation of souls, because this is according to God's plan of love.

• The search for the will of God, which supposes
  a spirit of discernment,
  purity of heart,
  a spirit of faith,
  the absoluteness of God in our life
  
  
• Detachment from self and attachment to the Lord
  This is the Paschal Mystery in our lives - the radical living of the Gospel. This requires living in an attitude of
  humility,
  poverty,
  detachment,
  purity of heart.
  
  
• Availability for the mission, i.e. zeal for the Kingdom
  total dependence on God,
  the search for the Kingdom of God and his justice in all the circumstances of our lives,
  unlimited confidence in God who continues to save us in history.
  
  
• Love for the Family of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles and promotion of unity
  
  
• Interior peace
  
  
• Joy