“By giving people beauty, their hearts are touched and they rejoice.” (testimony of Isabelle Collin-Dufresnes)

«All you need is love», the Beatles told us. A long time before this song, 2000 years ago, the Christ already taught us : «Love one another, that is the greatest com­mand­ment.»

Being a visual artist, I have faith in Christ. I believe in each of His words as they are related to us. In the new tes­ta­ment espe­cially, I like to quote these words: «bring them to me and I will heal them, for I have Compassion upon you.» In my art­work , my medium is light. Why light ? Because Christ told us: «I am the way and the light that illu­mi­nates each man who comes to this world.»

Being a visual artist, I also believe in beauty. For it comes from God. Whatever is edi­fying comes from God. By giving people beauty, their hearts are touched and they rejoice. I would like my work to be based on the prism of light, to be a balm. I am cer­tainly not an artist for myself but for the others.

The scrip­tures show us that even our ability to pray is depen­dent upon our Compassion for the others: «if you turn away from the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted and do not impart your goods and what you have to those who stand in need….behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing.» The act of Compassion is self­less.

When I first met Father Thierry de Roucy, I thought his orga­ni­za­tion was a cover up for the CIA, the KGB or the IRS. For me, it could not be true. In a sense, it was too good to be true. But I have seen their work and I know that their strength to act comes from their love for the Savior.

An Act of Compassion con­sists in sharing the Gospel, because Compassion is the path to Happiness. I had the oppor­tu­nity to per­son­ally expe­ri­ence Heart’s Home in action. As I was in need, facing dif­fi­cul­ties I phoned my friends to find someone that would accom­pany me to the doctor. My New Yorker friends how­ever have careers, they are busy, thay have a full schedule, and they also have chil­dren. Then I called Sr Albane, and she was avail­able, ready to take time for me. She had Compassion for me and she came along with me. It is heaven on earth to know people like Sr Albane and the other mem­bers of Heart’s Home com­mu­nity. What a remark­able example they set every day! This is, even­tu­ally, the true reli­gion «to share one another’s burden.»

Thank you for granting me the priv­i­lege to par­tic­i­pate in the cel­e­bra­tion of Compassion. Because Compassion= Love= Charity= the pure love of Christ.

Isabelle Collin Dufresne is a multi-tal­ented artist. She is one of the most sig­nif­i­cant fig­ures of the avant-gardism in Europe and United States. After having started her career under the guid­ance of the master of Surrealism, Salvador Dali, she met in 1963 the king of pop art, Andy Warhol. She got deeply involved in the American cul­tural Revolution that occurred in the six­ties.