Comme chaque année, l'opération « Bol de riz » a permis de sensibiliser les jeunes au monde de la pauvreté, de la misère, de la souffrance et donc de la solidarité. L'objectif de cette opération n'est pas seulement de récolter de l'argent pour aider les plus démunis dans leur combat pour la survie ou le développement, mais de nous faire prendre pleinement conscience que nous sommes dans un monde où les êtres humains, ceux que nous appelons facilement nos frères, sont dans de telles difficultés que nous ne voudrions pas être à leur place et que notre solidarité, nous voulons la vivre aussi dans nos privations. Ne pas manger à sa faim ou aussi varié que d'habitude, c'est pour nous une façon de participer à cette souffrance de ceux qui n'ont jamais de quoi manger à leur faim ou qui se trouvent , comme en Haïti suite au séisme, sans nourriture pendant plusieurs jours voire une semaine entière. Bien évidemment pour vivre un tel partager il faut accepter l'esprit du « bol de riz » c'est à dire ne pas se précipiter à l'épicerie locale ou au foyer l'après midi parce qu'un petit creux se fait sentir en notre estomac. Le choix du vendredi saint pour cette opération a permis aussi aux élèves qui se reconnaissent chrétiens de vivre encore plus intensément ce geste de partage avec l'humanité souffrante. Nos économies correspondant à 1300 élèves (1500 euros) sont allées à trois organismes : Le réseau solidarité des frères de Saint Gabriel (Œuvres auprès des jeunes de Brésil, Burkina Faso, Inde, Rwanda, Madagascar, Sénégal) - Haïti (famille montfortaine suite au séisme) - Secours Catholique et banque alimentaire de St Laurent sur Sèvre. La remise des chèques a eu lieu devant les élèves délégués des classes et a donné l'occasion aux organismes concernés par les dons de dire leur action dans le monde et ainsi d'ouvrir les jeunes à des réalités dont les entendent parler mais qui ne les touchent pas parce que trop éloignées d'eux mêmes et noyées dans un flot d'autres nouvelles que les médias diffusent pour des raisons d'audimat et de rentabilité.

10 Frenchmen: four brothers (Br. Yvan PASSEBON - Provincial of the brothers in France, Br. Jean FRIANT - former General Superior, Br. Antoine de Madagascar and Br. Claude MARSAUD) and 10 Laymen (Mr. Patrick RABILLER - Director of Saint Gabriel-Saint Michel and his wife Marie Paule RABILLER, Mr. Pascal SOUIRIS - Director of BRIACE AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL and his wife Claire Marie, Mr. Ronan CARIOU - Director of Saint Gabriel de PONT l'ABBE and Mr. Georges COSTARGENT - President of the La Hillière association (EPHAD Housing Establishment for Dependant Elderly Persons run by the Saint Gabriel brothers at THOUARE SUR LOIRE), went to India during the winter holidays from 15th to 25th February 2010.
The aim was to go out and see the Brothers of Saint Gabriel and their work in a very different country from our own. There are over 550 Brothers of Saint Gabriel in India, all of them Indian. Between 1900 and 1905, the brothers had to leave French soil and go to other countries. And this is what led them to spread throughout India's vast territory and elsewhere. Since then, the brothers set out in this country, as indeed everywhere else, to devote themselves to their mission as evangelists and educators of the young by creating schools, colleges, lycées, technical establishments, institutions for the "sensory disabled", schools in villages and shanty towns, ...
In the course of our 10-day visit, we saw an impressive array of very diverse works, all inspired by the brothers' traditional educative vocation. In a country where religion is omnipresent, the spiritual transpiration is patently clear and the pupils or adults, irespective of religion, share all the founding values of education. The message, spirituality, the human experience of Saint Louis Marie de Montfort are visible everywhere and conveyed to visitors in the form of words, as well as images, sketches, dance tableaux, song.... The devotion to Montfort is so great that the brothers are called the Monfort brothers of St. Gabriel.
It is difficult to express everything that we experienced over our 10-day stay, but if I could just share a small amount with you it would be to say that we saw extroardinary dynamism, joy of life, radiating influence, pride, constant commitment. The incredible welcome we were given was an expression of the esteem the Indians feel towards those who have come to bring them the Montfort message.
We found a great many flourishing, caring establishments, open onto the world and its developments, hospitable managers, founders, entrepreneurs.... So many wonderful discoveries that are worthy of more in-depth testimonials.
The group of 10 are soon to meet up again to report on their visit to "our brothers" dispensing a Gabrielite education. It is also important to mention that we met with members of two other Monfort congregations who are likewise present in India, but having arrived more recently, and who are nonetheless helping to deliver the whole message in a complementary way.

The situation in Belgium is similar to that in France, although more acutely the case, in that the brothers have not dispensed their work in educational establishments for many years. However, since the heads of layperson-run establishments, such as Brenne le Comte, Buckouet, etc., were not part of the Gabrielite network, they were assisted in their task by the brothers, albeit it locally. The Gabrielite trusteeship of France felt the need to invite them to an open meeting in Spain, Belgium and Italy to raise their awareness of common realities that had hitherto gone unnoticed. Following a meeting in Finistère, therefore, the heads of establishments decided to go to St. Laurent sur Sèvre, to go back to their origins for a better appraisal of the situation and to familiarise themselves with the wealth of riches offered by the network.

Thus the three directors, three curriculum managers or assistant director and student administrator came to share our two days with us. Their view onto the world, their contacts with the pupils, their questions and remarks were inspiring and we know that this will not be their last visit.

The earthquake that hit HAITI affected us all, especially since a former director of studies from Saint Gabriel was in Port au Prince at the time the disaster struck. In just 45 seconds an entire city was destroyed leaving more than 200,000 people dead.
Brother Michel BERNARD could not return to France without speaking about what he had experienced and seen. He had loved the country so much, he had chosen to make it his own for many years, helping the older children in their higher studies and projects in life, including, of course religious or sacerdotal life.
He spoke before all our pupils from the 1st to the sixth years, taking each level individually (1st, 2nd, Higher Education, Professional Industrial Lycée, Professional Lycée in Beauty and Hairdressing, 3rd, 4th, 5th, upper and lower 6th forms) for ten 1-hour sessions that were all too brief but nonetheless intensive. Needless to say, the subject matter, the photos, the sheer passion of the speaker and the depth of his message left pupils overwhelmed by the force of the event. It is one thing to see TV images of the news showing us events in an often dispassionate manner and quite another to have the chance to meet with an eye-witness. The images he brought, although less dramatic, spoke volumes in that they referred to lives, relations and people who became anything but anonymous: Stanley, the sisters, the young seminarists are all familiar to us now since Brother Michel's visit.
Two operations for Haiti are to extend Brother Michel's visit: On Patron Saint's Day, 25th March 2010, the afternoon will be given over to Haiti. Each pupil will bring to the games and events the sum of two Euros to help rebuild the country, and on the holy Friday, the "RICE BOWL" operation will also naturally include Haiti as one of its destination countries. The initiative should enable us to donate more than two thousand Euros to be added to the money already raised and other donations collected through the network. Saint Gabriel - Saint Michel is also committed to Haïti through its Montfort brothers, sisters and Fathers present in the tiny country and who are trying to improve the situation of a people often beleagured by hurricanes as well as the usual abject poverty.