The Holy Family of Bordeaux is celebrating 125 years of missionary presence in Canada (1901-2026). This is a year of thanksgiving for the entire spiritual family of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles, who arrived in Canada from France on September 16, 1901.

The Holy Family of Bordeaux is a spiritual family with five vocations: the apostolic and contemplative sisters, the consecrated secular women, the lay associates, the associate priests, and the Holy Family Youth.

This seed, sown over a century ago, has grown over time into something greater, unfolding in diverse environments, in various forms, and in diverse vocations…

A seed sown in its beginnings by eight women animated by a single breath, a single spirit, to gather together in diversity, to welcome people from all walks of life, to extend and strengthen faith in all environments, to live the Gospel in the footsteps of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in joy and simplicity, as in Nazareth.

A family where the elders carry the memory, where newcomers bring their unique perspectives, where those wounded by life are welcomed.

For 125 years, this Holy Family tree has continued to grow. Its growth in Canada has been marked by the storms of political, cultural, and ecclesiastical history, but God's work continues with and despite the tempests.

Thanks to its faith and creativity, the Holy Family in Canada has been able to reinvent itself. Today, as we celebrate our 125th anniversary, we are not only looking back, but also celebrating a living Family, nourished by mission, always open to encountering others in their difference. A Family rooted in the Gospel, sustained by prayer, and always looking toward the future. A spiritual Family that continues to call, to send, and to gather.

During the celebration of these 125 years, the lay associates of the Holy Family of Bordeaux welcome the commitment of 20 couples eager to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, who loved, desired, and sought only the love of God in all things. May the Holy Family of Bordeaux in Canada remain for a long time a place where hearts speak to one another, where differences become richness, where mission is reinvented in the Breath of the Spirit.

Sr. Paulette Lambert sfb