From Strasbourg, labelled, at this time of Advent, "Capital of Christmas", I send you my warm greetings  and this newsletter built on one of the themes -  " meeting the needs  of marginalized elderly people"  - of the Congress on the Pastoral Care of Elders,  to which some of you will participate in  Rome,  from 28 to 31 January 2020.

A newsletter  as a Christmas present...

... to share our concerns  or sorrows;  LAI  members cannot ignore the sometimes  difficult  and precarious  situation of the elderly  they live with...  And if Christmas, family celebration,  can reunite children, parents and grandparents, let us not forget that,  for some, Christmas will be lived in  the solitude that some articles describe.

... to share our hopes:  other articles reveal the  initiatives taken by members of our movements  to be present with these isolated people, to  help, to listen, to comfort, to make people smile, to bring a little  joy...

Difficulties of life and poverty, and sometimes, beyond these, peace and happiness:  is this not the spirit of the Feast of the Nativity? Mary and Joseph have not found a place at the inn, Jesus is born in great destitution,  but later, He will give the world a message of love for all and  that  transforms  hearts.

Merry Christmas in peace and light brought by the child of the manger.

Monique Bodhuin