In Brazil the official opening of the bicentenary year took place on 24th February 2002 in all places where the RSHM are situated and it included the presence of the SHM Extended Family. On that day in Janaúba, Iolanda Costa de Freitas made temporary vows and the bicentenary was highlighted throughout the liturgy.
The theme of the bicentenary inspired the opening of the school year and all activities in the five schools of the Province and in the Social Projects. Bicentenary celebrations took place at the three area assemblies organised to initiate the process for naming a new Provincial.
"The House of the Boy Gailhac" a book for children, as well as a commemorative t-shirt and a bookmark were produced by the Sources Group. A special logo was developed for the Province Calendar, Information Sheet and Address Book. The Sources Group also helped in preparing the triduum for the feast of the Sacred Heart of Mary for RSHM and Extended Family.
The Province hopes to open a third RSHM community in Sao Paulo, giving priority to working with women and young people.
A big pilgrimage to a Shrine dedicated to Mary is being planned for the official closure of the bicentenary on 16th November.

During this bicentenary year, in response to the Provincial and General Chapter mandates, two new ministries with women and children were undertaken in the Eastern American Province.
In September 2001, two sisters were missioned to Guadalupe Family Center, Immokalee, FL, a small-farming community on the west coast of Florida. Guadalupe Family Center is a day-care center for the children of immigrant Hispanic farm workers. Such children often are housed in trailers because their parents do not have ready access to social service and educational resources. Many of the staff at Guadalupe Family Center are the immigrant women themselves. Most have several children, often fathered by several men. They have few skills, are often abused, and the men do not want their women to be educated. The women take classes with one of the sisters on the staff and some have earned high school diplomas and received Florida preschool certification.
In February 2002, on the 125th anniversary of the first USA foundation, in Sag Harbor, NY, the Eastern American Province opened Centro Corazón de María in nearby Hampton Bays and missioned three sisters to minister there full time. According to the most recent census report, there are an estimated 2000 immigrants residing in the immediate area. Many of these are women and children. Programs at the new center will develop as immigrants make their needs known.
The Province sponsors several ministries that serve mainly immigrant populations, and include programs geared specifically to women and children: the RSHM LIFE Center in New York, the Centro Astalli and Casa di Gorgia, a shelter for women and children on the outskirts of Rome. They also minister to women and children through their schools and retreat house.
The Province celebration of the bicentenary of Gailhac's birth and of the 125th anniversary of the arrival of the RSHM in the United States will take place on 26th October 2002.

The general theme of bicentenary events in the Northern European Province is Pilgrimage:

• The communities in the North of England will have a mass in Carlisle in October 2002, to be celebrated by Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue of Lancaster. All past pupils from the North and friends of the RSHM will be invited.
• Seafield community are planning a pilgrimage through the original areas of Bootle, Liverpool for RSHM and friends.
• Lisburn community (Northern Ireland) are planning a pilgrimage in the steps of our Founder through Belfast and Lisburn for RSHM and friends. They are also planning a pilgrimage to Kildare and another to Downpatrick.
• Tallaght, Dublin, community are planning a pilgrimage to Glendalough.

Following Gailhac's inspiration and the call of the General Council, some existing works that have the focus of the 2001 General Chapter will be strengthened by having more sisters, in the hope of building up and giving quality to the mission there.
In order to make known our RSHM spirituality, two works were published: the booklet "No caminho de Deus não há descanso"(In God's Journey there is no Time for Resting) produced by the Jean Gailhac Spirituality Centre (JGSC) and "Uma vida para todos"(A Life for All) written by Sr. Margarida Maria Gonçalves.
Different groups in the Province have taken initiatives, especially in the area of formation:

• The JGSC Group organised a formation event for all the sisters of the Province, directed by Sr. Marjorie Keenan.
  
• The Schools Group organised a conference, "To Educate so that all may have Life" for all those who work in the three schools.
• The Youth and Vocations Awareness Group planned a missionary experience in Gurué, for pre-novices and other young people who are in tune with the spirit of our Institute, to mark the bicentenary and the jubilee of the RSHM in Mozambique.

On 27th October 2002, in Fatima there will be a very significant Province celebration with the theme "The person and life of Jean Gailhac". This celebration, organised by the Coordinating Group of the SHM Extended Family, is for all RSHM, ex-RSHM, past students, collaborators in our different ministries and friends who are in tune with our spirit and wish to share this festive day with us.

The Province's Emmaus Committee drew up a study guide to deepen and articulate our spirituality. It is a four-year process, involving individual and community reflection and incorporating RSHM documents.
A Symposium will take place in February 2003 to reflect on the Institute's commitment to women and children in need. The General Council and representatives of other provinces, including the members of the JPIC Network will be present. The first meeting of the JPIC Network will take place in Los Angeles after the Symposium.
A third aspect of the bicentenary year is the sharing of resources with those in need. The Province is preparing to make a significant gift to A PLACE CALLED HOME (a neighborhood center for young people where Sr. Patricia Connor works) to help establish a learning center, which will hopefully be called The Gailhac Learning Centre.
The RSHM website (EAP and WAP) has been updated with a weekly reflection taken from Father Gailhac and/or other figures in our history. A study guide for Vol. 2 A Journey in Faith and Time and a children's book on the life of Gailhac (translated into English) will be completed.

The Region of Mozambique is living the bicentenary of the birth of our Founder in the spirit of jubilee, celebrating 50 years of existence as a Region.
The celebration opened for all the Sisters of the Region during the assembly in January 2002. The sisters began the process of deepening our spirituality with a retreat directed by Mary Milligan and Maria Teresa Nogueira on our sources. They are giving this continuity through study and reflection on the letters of Gailhac.
The sisters will deepen their knowledge of the history of the Institute through study of the books by Rosa do Carmo and Kathleen Connell and the history of Mother Inez and the first community in Mozambique.
In November there will be a liturgical celebration in the different areas (North, South and Centre) for the Sisters and those who work with them, including past pupils.
The Region will open a new community in the interior of the diocese of Chimoio, in the Inhazonia mission where the sisters will work with youth, with the people, and in the mission's health centre, which is far from the city and where there are few resources.
The Region will initiate the process of reopening the Hostel in Quelimane, which will cater for needy children. This involves the collaboration of the RSHM College (Our Lady of the Rosary) Porto, showing the gift of internationality that Gailhac left us and witnessing that we are a community beyond borders.

In communities the sisters are reading and studying the history of the Institute, in some cases individually and some together.
At the regional assembly in August all communities will present projects for women and children undertaken in their locality in recent times, and suggestions for consolidation, expansion or new developments with a view to possible adoption by the Region.