Four Days to Celebrate two Hundred Years

From November 12 to 15, Béziers was a hive of activities around the heritage of Father Gailhac.

Tuesday November 12, at 6 pm., four lecturers retraced different aspects of life in Béziers, bringing alive Our Founder through their exciting and impassioned speeches.

The first message of the evening was that of Mr. Halazard. He captivated the audience, transporting us back nearly two hundred years, describing the sufferings of many of the women and young girls of those days. We looked at the streets of Béziers and the corridors of the Hôtel-Dieu, with Jean Gailhac, zealous as he was and ready to build "Shelters" in all the cities of the world and houses for children in distress.

Then came the speech of an historian of the church of that time, Mr. Fournier. He showed us the clashes and misfortunes of the young priest caught between the needs of his heart and the ministerial common sense of an ordinary man. Only Jean Gailhac was not an ordinary man, he was a giant of charity. He had a big heart, yet his heart was unable to respond to all the miseries of Béziers.

The third 'melody' of the evening brought us back to a world nearer to us, our world, our society, the world of the laity in the twenty first century, the world of the 'Maison d'Enfants Jean GAILHAC' in Béziers. Madame Madeleine AIMES gave a modern look to this priest in a cassock, who becomes a man in jeans, close to the children, to the lay people, to the people who share his values, without sharing necessarily his religious faith. The warmth of Mrs. Aimes' words gave us hope that this lay branch will for a long time continue to resist the storms.

The fourth and last melody came from Africa with a Sister of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Sr. Virginia Mullane. For her, the seed thrown into the earth by Jean Gailhac always bore fruit, abundant fruit with no other reason than to feed the socially deprived, the women and the children. The Shelter, the orphanage, the foundations abroad, and everything that the Sisters undertake today in Africa and elsewhere, all these express the heart of Jean Gailhac, who continues to provide abundant life.

Eucharistic Day

November 13: the day of the family. All the RSHM of Béziers and all the EGC members met at the Mother House, around an earthly table of good dishes and the joy of conversation. In the evening, the Eucharistic table gathered the enlarged family, friends, former pupils, and our collaborators. Three hours later, every one found it difficult to leave, as each one felt at home, felt part of the family.

The Child and the Family

On November 14, the Association Jean Gailhac organized an evening debate in the house of associations, in the center of the city, on the theme of the family. There were four lecturers as well as Sr Bernadette McNamara who was answering on behalf of Father Gailhac.
It was very encouraging to see the interest that our 'Maison d'Enfants' continues to have in Béziers; the place was full, and every one listened very attentively.

The Unveiling of our Roots

The following day, November 15, we met at the 'Maison Jean Gailhac' for a surprise: the unveiling of a set of fourteen pictures describing the roots and the development of our Founder's work with children in difficulty. It is the work of many people; no picture looks like the other; each one is a unique composition and realization. The only common point is the fact that all the artists belong to the "Maison", by one title or another.
The unveiling was organized with a musical background and accompanied by dialogue: Fourteen Stations of the Way of the Cross and Joy, a path of life that continues to spread out before our eyes.

After two hundred years, Jean Gailhac still works full-time.