Emmaus-Nicopolis
Catholic Community of Beatitudes
History
The Beatitudes Community was founded in France in 1973, by Ephraim Croissant and his wife Jo and another couple. Archbishop Robert Coffy of Albi granted the Community its first ecclesial recognition. Today, the Community reports to the Pontifical Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Following the Second Vatican Council's call for a powerful awakening of the People of God, particularly the laity, the Community’s members seek to answer God's call by consecrating their lives to God and committing themselves in a community life, both contemplative and apostolic.
"In the heart of the Church, my Mother, I will be Love". -St. Therese of Lisieux
Name
"Beatitudes" is a part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke:
"When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you". (Mt 5: 1-12, New American Standard Bible).
The Beatitudes: Our Path to Holiness!
The Beatitudes depict the face of Jesus Christ and portray his charity. They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the glory of his Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are the paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations; they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured however dimly, for Christ's disciples. The Beatitudes have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary and all the saints. - Catechism of the Catholic Church 1717
A New Pentecost
The Community was born in the wake of the Charismatic Renewal. The outpouring of Holy Spirit brought forth new Communities, new missionary zeal, love and joy for the proclamation of the Good News. The Community of the Beatitudes has emerged from this movement of the Holy Spirit.
The experience of the Holy Spirit, alive and at work today, showed us that He is the almighty Third Person of the Trinity, and at the same time, our intimate friend. In his presence, through his work and promptings, the Scriptures come alive, the Church is revealed as the Bride of Christ and daughter of the Father. The acquisition of the Holy Spirit becomes the goal of our life, in the words of our patron saint, St. Seraphim of Sarov.
Vocation and spirituality
Life in the Spirit
The Community desires to welcome the Holy Spirit anew every day. Docile and abandoned to the movements of the Spirit, who breathes where and when He wills, we walk forward, ready for the coming of the Kingdom. Each member seeks to fulfil this call to life in the Spirit by an intense life of union to God, according to his or her own state of life. Through our daily Lectio Divina, the contemplative and prayerful reading of the Word of God, we let ourselves be shaped and renewed by the mystery of Revelation.
Consecration to the Virgin Mary
"The Community belongs to the Blessed Virgin": this affirmation of Marthe Robin (French mystic 1902-1981) encourages us to unveil the mystery of Mary. The Virgin Mary reveals in her person the mystery of humanity already transfigured and she intercedes for us, that we might discover what we were made for: a loving relationship with our Maker. She is our model of the intimate union of the creature with the Creator. Each morning, we end our prayer turning to the icon of the Virgin and renewing our consecration, according to the devotion of St. Louis Grignion de Montfort.
Sacramental Life
The celebration of the liturgy unites us to the praise of Heaven. The Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation strengthen our journey toward holiness and accompany us in our life of faith, hope and charity. Following the testimony of the first Christians who "devoted themselves assiduously to the teaching of the apostles, faithful to fraternal communion, to the breaking of bread and to prayers" (Acts 2:42), the Community gives particular importance to the liturgy. Through the liturgy, we participate in the eternity and infinity of God, as an open door to the sacred in time and space, anticipating the Kingdom to come.
Our spiritual teacher, saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Our patron saints:
St. Joseph
St. Jean-Marie Batiste Vianney
St. Seraphim of Sarov
The Practice of Praise and Charisms
By Baptism, Christ has fashioned each of us into a new creation, a being made to praise the Father's glory. That is why, in the impulse given to us by the faith received from the Church and in communion with the members of the Body of Christ in Heaven and on earth, we find our joy in praising God for who He is and for all that He does.
The Mystery of Israel
Paul speaks of the mystery of Israel as fundamentally connected to the mystery of the Church. We pray for the Jewish People every week that they may grow in their love of the Lord and remain faithful to the Covenant (cf. the intercessions in the Presanctified Liturgy of Good Friday). As Christians, we cannot consider Judaism as a foreign religion. Dialogue and friendship with the children of Israel are part of the life of Jesus' disciples. - Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium 247-248
Christian Unity
We join Christ's prayer for the unity of his disciples as we intercede for Christian Unity. Our fervent prayer, especially on Thursday night, for all Christians to come to full Communion, is rooted in Christ's words before his Passion: "I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one ( ... ) that they may be brought to perfection as one." (Jn 17:22-23)
Communion of the States of Life
A Spirit of Communion
The model of Trinitarian life inspires our call to communion of life: just as the three Divine Persons live in perfect communion without either confusing or losing the character proper to each one, in the same way our communion is oriented towards a dynamic unity, allowing each person to blossom in his or her own vocation. Moreover, the communion of the states of life reflects and reveals the deep nature of the Church, a mystery of communion. - General Statutes of the Community, 8
Prayer service in the chapel of the Community
Celebration of Shabbat
Celebration of the Easter Vigil at the Byzantine basilica of Emmaus
Fraternal Love
The first exercise in Christian charity, to which all members of the Community of the Beatitudes commit themselves, consists in mutual help. Therefore, they feel responsible for fostering an authentic fraternal life together, as one of the most precious gifts the Lord gives them, thus wishing to testify to the truth of Psalm 133: "How good it is, how pleasant, where the people dwell as one!" - General Statues of the Community, 19
Consecrated Sisters, Brothers and Priests
The consecrated members of the Community commit to a special intimacy with Christ in prayer, to guard their heart from every affection, and to faithful vigilance over the senses, so that nothing may interfere with this communion of love with the Spouse, and to a greater availability of the heart to others in order to love each person with Christ's own love (cf. can. 599). - General Statues of the Community, 13
By professing the three vows, the consecrated brothers and sisters embrace more closely the form of life that was that of Christ in this world. They demonstrate the vocation of every Christian to be a "bride of Christ".
Lay Members
The members of the Lay Branch recognize in the vocation of the Community a form of life that gives them the possibility of seeking the perfection of the Gospel. By belonging to the Community, they express the dedication of their life to the Lord by living according to the spirit of the evangelical counsels and that of the Beatitudes. - Statutes of the Lay Branch of the Community, 4
Married couples in the Community witness to the beauty and mission of their sacrament as a radical self-giving. - General Norms of the Community, 8
Celibate lay members in the community bear witness to the beauty of Christian life and they offer their availability for the needs of the Beatitudes. Some of them profess a vow to celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom. - General Norms of the Community, 9
A walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus is led by the Community every Easter Monday
Israeli folk dances are a tradition of the Community
Guiding a group of pilgrims at the archaeological site of Emmaus
Houses of the Community around the World
The Community of Beatitudes is present on all five continents in about fifty houses or homes. Thus, today there are 11 sites in Africa, 3 in America, 2 in Asia, 2 in the Middle East, 34 in Europe, including 16 in France. In all these places, members of the community, consecrated and laity, seek to live the Beatitudes by deploying missions of evangelization and compassion in the service of the church.
The Community in Israel
The Community has been present in Israel since 1975. Our vocation is to pray for the full Redemption of Israel and to work for the mutual understanding and reconciliation between Jews and Christians. Since 1993 we have welcomed pilgrims and visitors to the Holy Place of Emmaus and taken care of the archaeological site.
The beauty of the site and its distance from the cities creates a peaceful haven of quiet and solitude, and the possibility of living a powerful experience of God with others.
Visitors & volunteers are welcome.
Please, contact us:
Community of the Beatitudes, Emmaus-Nicopolis, Latrun junction, near Canada Park, Israel
phone: +972 (8) 925 69 40
fax: +972 (8) 924 65 69
mobile: +972 52 356 20 71
e-mail: emmaus@beatitudes.org
The international web site of the Community: