Don Camillo Community
The Communauté Don Camillo is a Protestant community in La Tène in the canton of Neuchâtel (Switzerland). Montmirail has been used as an alternative name . The community emerged in 1977 from a Christian youth work in Riehen near Basel. It is a community of families and some individuals of different ages. The three daily times of prayer in the chapel are unifying . The community belongs to the Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Neuchâtel .
The community runs a guest and a farm. It maintains close relationships with the city monastery Segen in Berlin , which members build and operate. A couple from the community live in Basel. Another location will be opened in Bern in summer 2013. The community is part of the Evangelical Reformed Church at all locations .
Don Camillo is led by two elected members of the community.
Surname
The name, unusual for a community, was borrowed from a figure by the Italian writer Giovannino Guareschi . The country pastor Don Camillo played a leading role in Guareschi's collection of short stories Don Camillo and Peppone (1948).
History of Montmirail
In 1618 Abraham Tribolet, a French officer, built a small castle and a farm and named the place "Montmirail" (French: "wonderful mountain"). At the beginning of the 18th century, the Moravian Brethren received the country estate as a gift, which was previously owned by the family of Bishop Friedrich von Wattenwyl . She opened a boarding school for girls in 1766. Adapted to the needs of this school, more and more buildings were built over the years. After the boarding school had to be closed due to a lack of female students, the Don Camillo community took over the Montmirail manor in 1988 . Since then, guests have been coming for offers from the community or to hold their own meetings.
Since 1993 it has been possible for Christian-minded community service workers to complete their deployment in Montmirail.
Since the extensive renovation in 1999–2001, which was largely carried out by the members of the community, the guest rooms have been equipped with shower and toilet.
Since 2008, training courses in the fields of agriculture, horse maintenance, kitchen and housekeeping can be completed as part of IV measures.
See also
- Grandchamp Community
- List of communities in German-speaking countries