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 Homepage | The person | The family | The friends | Sitemap | Search | Contact  News  Year 2001 Français | English | Español |  PrintROME 2002 : the International Meeting  The national and international leaders and chaplains of the 76 countries where Faith and Light is growing met in Rome from 22 to 29 September last for their international meeting which takes place every four years. 230 persons : parents, friends, of which there were 60 chaplains, belonging to different Christian traditions : Catholic (Roman, Maronite, Catholic Greeks, Catholic Copts, Syriac Catholics) Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran and Methodist. Beside the conferences given by Jean Vanier and Marie-Hélène Mathieu (founders), Viviane le Polain (Belgium), Maureen O’Reilly (United States), Roy Moussalli (Syria), Maria-Cecilia Buckley (United States), Bella Feliciano (Philippines), Prof. Frances Young( Methodist minister –England), and the Fathers Joseph Larsen (International Chaplain, France), Brendan Kelly (Ireland) and Elias Rami (Syria), the days were marked by times of sharing, formation, workshops, liturgical celebrations and fiestas. After our meeting with the Holy Father and at the heart of our visit to Rome, an ecumenical celebration united us all in the church of the catacombs of Saint Domitilla to celebrate the martyrs of yesterday and today.  The third and last mandate of Maureen O’Reilly (United States) International Coordinator for twelve years, came to its end. As her successor, Viviane le Polain (Belgium) was elected for a mandate of four years, renewable twice. Testimony Thank you, Maureen! How to express the happiness of working with Maureen during her three mandates as International Coordinator? Maureen is like a big sister! To start, she really is, since she has nine brothers and sisters, including Bob, who has a disability. Therefore, easily, she has the sense of responsibility, she knows how to lead by her example, her very concrete pedagogical sense. Frequently, in a meeting, Maureen would bring a very common object: a little shell, a small box… to teach us with the most profound explanations about community life or the structures. We have been beneficiaries and witnesses of her exceptional gifts as a coordinator: her humor! A wonderful alliance of calmness and joy, able to break down tensions and to bring back smiles, even laughter, during the most serious discussions. Finally, it has been given to Maureen a well proven humility: the humility of finding support in others when she did not know, of asking forgiveness for her mistakes, of always giving value to persons, no matter what were the priorities and urgencies, the humility of accepting three mandates of four years knowing very well the heaviness of the task, the humility of giving her friendship to each one. I have personally learned very much with her when I was the General Secretary for Faith and Light. Today I thank her for having made it possible for Faith and Light to grow all over the world by her engagement, and for having had the possibility of tasting the friendship of such a big sister! Marie-Vincente Puiseux
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