Dearest Sisters, dear lay friends,
We are delighted to be with you all for the inauguration of our new Website today, 11th April, the date on which we commemorate the Foundation of the Congregation, which took place on the 11th April 1799 in Besançon. We wish to entrust the development of this new Website to her, to Saint Jeanne-Antide, so that it may become an instrument of Evangelisation and engagement with contemporary society, especially in favour of the poor.
Science and technology have profoundly transformed people’s way of life over the last two decades. In today’s world, the Internet and digital technologies are no longer tools to be used occasionally; rather, they constitute a “vital environment” that shapes the way we perceive ourselves, others, and God. The digital sphere is now an integral part of daily experience; therefore, the fundamental question is no longer whether or not to use social media, but how to inhabit it in a manner consistent with one’s specific vocation. The culture of our time is digital; therefore, we too, as a Congregation, taking to heart the words of Pope Francis, wish to weave “a network not of cables but of people, so as to reach the peripheries of human existence.”
For this reason, a portal has been created as a “window of the Congregation” open to the world. One might also describe it as a ‘door’ through which visitors may feel welcomed; an essential means of information and communion; a space for sharing; and a source of insight into the charism of Charity lived by St. Jeanne Antide, which continues today through her daughters and lay collaborators.
We have sought to create a Website capable of expressing the international character of the Congregation, highlighting the charism of “service to the poor”, through varied, accurate, and up to-date information; a Website that is easy to navigate, in order to foster and strengthen interaction among the various members of the “Thouret Family”.
We are all aware that effective and engaging communication is not the task of a single individual or office. It is a shared responsibility of all members, each of whom can contribute by communicating the mission they live. Let us therefore all feel involved and committed to collaboration. The advantages and resources offered by new technologies are undeniable, including in relation to the proclamation of the Gospel. Our commitment will be not to compromised on the quality of our interpersonal relationships, but to uphold empathy and responsibility in caring for one another. As Pope Leo XIV emphasises in his Address to Digital Missionaries, ‘our mission, your mission, is to nurture a culture of Christian Humanism, and doing so together. This is the beauty of the “web” for all of us’.
I conclude by expressing my heartfelt thanks for the dedication of the members of the Office for Communication, who have overseen the realisation of this project alongside the General Government. Thanks to the Lamorfalab Creative Studio and to the various collaborators from the other international Offices and Laboratories.
May the launch of the new website strengthen in all of us the call to spread the love of Christ, justice and peace for every creature, particularly for the poor, with audacity and creativity.
The new website will be available for browsing starting on May 4, 2026.
