Foyers de Charité
The Foyers de Charité is a spiritual community recognized as a private association of believers under papal law in the Roman Catholic Church . Following the example of the early Christians, men and women live in community and share their goods. The full name of the Foyer de Charité is Foyer de Lumière, de Charité et d'Amour (“Courtyard of Light, Mercy and Love”).
History of origin
The foundation stone for the creation of the Foyers de Charité was laid in France at the first meeting between the venerable Servant of God Marthe Robin and Father Georges Finet on February 10, 1936 in Châteauneuf-de-Galaure ( Département Drôme ) near Valence in southeastern France. The foundation of the Foyers de Charité was based on an inspiration that Marthe Robin communicated to Father Finet. She announced a “new Pentecost of love” to Father Finet, to which so-called Foyers de Lumière, de Charité et d'Amour should make an important contribution.
On September 7, 1936, the first five-day retreat began under the direction of Father Finet in the private Catholic school of Châteauneuf de Galaure. Two participants, Hélène Fagot and Marie-Ange Dumas, became the first members of the Foyers de Charité . They took on responsibility for the school and the reception of the participants in further retreats that were organized together with Fr. Finet and Marthe Robin. In the years that followed, more and more members of the community joined. The retreat was so popular that the premises in the school were no longer sufficient and a building next to the school had to be built. In May 1939, work began on the construction of a large foyer, financed by donations, which went into operation in 1947 . The French philosopher Jean Guitton wrote a portrait of Marthe Robin .
Spread
Before the completion of the construction work on the large foyer in Châteauneuf, a second foyer was founded in 1943 by P. Béton in La Léchère-les-Bains, in the Savoie department in the French Alps. In the same year another foyer was built in La Gavotte, near Marseille and in 1957 in the Château Peltzer in Spa . In 1961, when there were already twelve foyers in Europe, Father Marcel left France to set up the first foyer in Togo . Further foundings follow in Africa, America and Asia . Marthe Robin actively participated from her room. In 1981, the year of her death, there were already 52 Foyers de Charité worldwide. In 2011 there were 75 foyers worldwide with around 1000 members ( priests and lay people) , one of them in Austria in the pilgrimage site of Sonntagberg in Lower Austria. The foyer in Ottrott in Alsace at the foot of the Odilienberg near Strasbourg is partly in German.
organization
One of the cornerstones in the Foyers de Charité is living together as a community. This consists of the "Père", a priest, and lay members. No foyer can be formed without a priest. He is the spiritual companion of the members and is particularly responsible for the spiritual direction of the retreat. In the responsibility of proclaiming the good news, the priest is supported by the foyer members. A new foyer can only be established with the express consent of the diocesan bishop , who is responsible for the head of the foyer. The Foyers de Charité try to actively participate in the spiritual life in the respective diocese.
spirituality
The first task of the Foyers de Charité is to put the Gospel into practice. In the foyer you try to be rooted in God . Important pillars are personal as well as common prayer and the celebration of the Eucharist . The Virgin Mary has a special place in the foyer community . The relationship to Mary is expressed in the consecration to Jesus by Mary according to the spirituality of St. Ludwig Maria Grignion of Montfort .
The community regularly offers five-day retreats in silence. Two types of retreat are designed to bring the word of God closer to participants from all nations and social classes . In the so-called fundamental exercises, the cornerstones of faith and the gospel are conveyed. In the deepening retreats, the participants deal with specific faith topics. The retreats are characterized by intense times of prayer, the celebration of the Holy Mass and Eucharistic adoration . At the end, the consecration to Jesus by Mary is performed in the manner of St. Ludwig Maria Grignion von Monfort.
literature
- Matthias Haslauer: "Mary's beautiful mission is to lead everyone to Jesus who comes to her" - Mary's role in the life of Marthe Robin and the Foyers de Charité . Diploma thesis, Vienna 2003
- Raymond Peyret: Marthe Robin 1902-1981 . The cross and joy . 2nd edition, Christiana, Stein am Rhein 1988, ISBN 3-7171-0863-8
- Eva Sigert: Suffering is love: The spirituality of Marthe Robin . Diploma thesis, Vienna 1987