The Community of the Beatitudes..

The CATHOLIC COMMUNITY of the BEATITUDES,

founded in France in 1973 by Ephraim, his wife Jo, and another couple Jean-Marc and Mireille, is one of the new communities expressing new forms of "consecrated" life.

The Community is - according to Canon Law - a Private Association of the Faithful, established in the archdiocese of Albi (France) in 1985. Its members seek to answer God’s call by consecrating their lives to God and committing themselves in a community life, both contemplative and apostolic.

CHARISM : The community - as people of God - gathers in a spirit of chastity people of all states of life: married couples, brothers and sisters, celibates, deacons and priests living according to the principles of the first Christian community. The brothers and sisters of the Community of the Beatitudes make commitments of prayer, obedience and poverty.

SPIRITUALITY AND APOSTOLATE : All members strive to live the Beatitudes in a spirit of contemplative prayer and solicitude for the poor, donating themselves with joy and enthusiasm in their apostolate in the service of the Roman Catholic Church: parishes, youth, families or media.

GROWTH : 1500 members : 250 couples ; 400 consecrated sisters and brothers (of whom 100 are seminarians); 75 priests and the remainder in celibates. 86 houses in the five continents include 37 in France, 24 in the rest of Europe, 11 in Africa, 4 in the Americas, 7 in Asia and Oceania, and 3 in the Middle East.

From:  http://www.the-beatitudes.org/-English