Dear Friends,

Welcome to our first issue of the Newsletter for 1999. We have completely redesigned the site in the hope that not only will it be more attractive to look at but also easier to read and manipulate. As time passes we are receiving more and more material (most of it well worth publishing!) and some of you have expressed concerns about the size of the site. I believe many are worried about the amount of time they need to spend on the "Net" in order to read everything - it is possible to save all or any of the files to your own computer and read them at your leisure without being "online". If you need instructions on how to do this, or have any other technical questions, please email my daughter Antonia, our Webmaster, and she will attempt to help you.

Recently the Japanese association sent us a copy of a book written by Her Majesty Empress Michiko, a Sacre-Coeur alumna herself. This book contains the text of the Keynote Address given by the Empress to the Congress of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). This organisation works to make books available to young people everywhere, especially those least able to gain access to reading material, in the belief that books enlarge experience and can teach so much about life and how to live it, and in this way can be truly instruments of peace. The book, called "BUILDING BRIDGES - Reminiscences of Childhood Readings", is poignant and beautifully written. Copies can be sent anywhere in the world and I urge you to obtain one. Details on how to do this are included at the end of this article.

Reading this book also made me think that this is what we are trying to achieve through this Web Site - to build bridges. This is already happening in so many ways; I have evidence of this on an almost daily basis.

There is of course the dimension of friendship, which is precious to us all, but beyond this I think we are also gaining a better understanding of our aims and our potential as a world association. When we were working on the initial drafts of the Study Plan for our next World Congress in 2002, our small core committee had some moments of anxiety, when we would wonder whether we really had the potential to achieve anything "real" - that is, those of us who, while we might capably manage families and careers, have no real power - politically, economically or socially. For me, these anxieties are fast disappearing. There ARE concrete and achievable ways we can not only wish the world to be a better place, but make it one.

I think much of the material in this issue makes this clear. The message from Mrs Sadako Ogata, one of our Emeritus Members and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, explains how we, as individuals and members of civil societies, have a duty and also the potential to help displaced victims of war, violence and persecution everywhere. I am also proud to publish the Editorial by my dear friend and colleague Dominique Archambeaud - a piece of writing both charming and profound - on the widest implications of the construction of the new united Europe. This ambitious geo-political project has repercussions not just for that continent but for all of us.

The documents from the OMAEC World Conference are also of great interest, especially the Keynote Address on the issues and challenges of globalisation which I present in two versions - a short precis and the full text for those who wish to read it. This made me reflect on one of the great ironies of the world we live in today - as institutions get bigger (political and financial), the conflicts become smaller. Nations and groups of nations are less likely to practise violence on each other today than groups of people for whatever reason - ethnic, tribal or religious. A few days ago I picked up the newspaper and read with horror that new biological weapons are being developed which exploit miniscule differences in the genetic makeup of certain ethnic groups so that these weapons will attack only those groups and leave everyone else unscathed. What a tragedy that time, money and human resources are being spent on projects such as this!

It is for this reason that I think every effort we make towards greater tolerance and understanding, no matter how small, is a large act of courage and commitment; a stance against the attitudes which exist in this world which can justify and propagate hatred on the scale of a single human gene. The moving spirit behind the organisation of the Bicentenary Celebrations of the foundation of the Society of the Sacred Heart (news of which appears also in this issue) should remind us of the grand educational and social project of St. Madeleine Sophie: from the ashes of the French Revolution, she worked in the interests of creating a different kind of society. This is as vital today as it was 200 years ago.

I would like to thank all the people who give me intellectual, emotional and practical support - there are too many of you to mention. Thank you to all our enthusiastic contributors. Thanks also for all the cards, emails and messages which arrive constantly in a variety of languages! And of course, thanks once again to my splendid editorial team, who are truly a team in the best sense of the word. My daughter Antonia gives up large parts of her school holidays to work on our design and technical issues. Cristina Elias de Tejada, a miracle of efficiency as always, turns over translations at lightning speed on top of her demanding job and has recently expanded my team to include her sister (now living in Caracas, Venezuela) to translate documents from French to Spanish! Thanks to Martha Piaggio in Uruguay who is a regular source of encouragement and cheerfully did the Spanish translations for the Christmas issue. And thanks to Dominique Archambeaud, whose literary skills are an inspiration, and whose friendship and humour are a constant joy.

I look forward to receiving many more of your contributions and communications throughout 1999.

With my love and best wishes,

Josephine Barcelon

Orders for "BUILDING BRIDGES" may be sent to SUEMORI BOOKS Co. LTD by FAX: 81-3-3465-2965. Payment by credit card only (VISA, MASTER or DC), stating your credit card number and date of expiry. Price: 2,500 Japanese Yen which includes airmail of the book to your address. Please print your address clearly and include your telephone and fax numbers.