Pierre and Martine

In February 1972, the Emmanuel Community founder Pierre Goursat (58 year old, hotel manager, art critic and secretary of the Catholic Cinema Office) and the Emmanuel Community co-founder, Martine Laffitte (young medical intern) hear, during a weekend retreat, the testimony of a couple, Xavier (member of the Science Academy) and Brigitte Le Pichon, who just came from the United States where she met the Catholic Renewal.

Pierre Goursat and Martine Laffitte immediately asked to receive
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Pierre Goursat and Martine Laffitte from then on felt that they were called to pray and to work together to announce the Gospel. They humbly abandoned themselves to God's unexpected works : 5 people were added in the prayer group during the Pentecost of 1972, 500 during the Pentecost of 1973.

In the midst of these prayer groups, in a constant spirit of profound unity, grew and multiplied the number of men and women who began to commit themselves to a more demanding life of prayer, service and evangelization; and to come together daily to deepen their call.

It was afterwards that Pierre Goursat and Martine Laffitte-Catta, would meet a Dominican, Father Albert-Marie de Monléon, (currently the Bishop of Meaux, France). He would give his help to the growing community. Day after day, the later would deepen its graces of praise and joy, would develop its charism in the liturgy and would grow in love and truth in a charity applied in everyday life, while keeping a real flexibility of life, intentionally desired by the founder to be able to be "in the world but not of the world" (Jn 17, 14-18).

The Emmanuel Community was recognized by the Holy See on December 8, 1992, as a "universal association of the faithful" and in 1998 its statutes were officially approved by the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

The Emmanuel Community participates in the accomplishment of the mission of the Church in the modern world by committing itself to be in the world a prayerful presence (through Eucharistic adoration), to work for the poor (by numerous works of compassion towards the isolated, the sick or marginalized), to announce the Love and the Mercy of God for all people (by the evangelization of couples and families, of the young, of persons committed to the working world or the political life). 

History of the Emmanuel Community in the USA

As a student Rosemary Ross Leblond went to Paris, France in the fall of 1977.  She attended the prayer meeting held in the crypte of Saint Sulpice and was left with a memory of a vibrate, youthful and very Catholic group.

In 1980 Rosemary returned to Paris as newlyweds having married Denis Leblond, a native of Paris, who had spent one year in Connecticut.  They attended prayer at Saint Sulpice and then at Saint Francois Xavier (both groups organized by the Emmanuel Community) after having attended a Love and Truth Seminar for couples.

In 1982 the Leblonds emigrated to Austin, Texas as novices in the Fraternity of Jesus and thus was the initial presence of the Emmanuel Community in the States.  They were ambassadors for the Community by interfacing with other new communities and maintaining contact with the Community in France.

In 1992, now in Walnut Creek, California, they organized a Love and Truth Seminar for couples and over 45 couples attended.  A nucleus of members gathered regularly for prayer and excellent contact was maintained with the Church hierarchy.

Simultaneously things were happening in New York City through the diligent work of Laurent Mortreuil who was a permanent resident there.

Ben and Veronique Rabourdin moved to Cleveland, Ohio and assumed the coordination of the US community until 1999 when the Leblonds moved to Pennsylvania after spending six years in France.  The growth of the Community was astounding and awesome in that there were members living in various states but the bulk of the brothers and sisters lived in the New York City area by this time.