‘I was sick and you visited me…’ Mt, 25 : Bellevaux – Poverty at the heart of the Gospel.
BELLEVAUX in Besançon: a place that every Sister of Charity in the world has heard of!
BELLEVAUX: a place of poverty and a place of wealth…
In this place, Jeanne-Antide encountered the greatest forms of poverty and fought against them; she met the poor (prisoners, orphans, prostitutes, the destitute, men, women, children…) With her daughters, what did she experience in this place?
Her concern for the dignity of the individual prompted and encouraged her to find the means and do everything possible to ensure that each person was educated, got back on their feet and, through their work, contributed to a more dignified life and to the recovery of the establishment.
Jeanne-Antide saw each person as a child of God and believed in the human and spiritual dignity of each person.
From 1802 to 2012, the Sisters of Charity continued this work, this mission initiated by Jeanne-Antide: 210 years of presence, caring for the sick, education, spiritual assistance, prayer and witness. In 2012, the Province was forced to close the community for lack of ‘human resources’.
August 2024: After the chaplain had been absent for a long time due to illness, the Pastorale Santé of the Diocese of Besançon realised that Bellevaux ‘was suffering spiritually’ (as one of the people in charge put it). It approached the Congregation to ask a Sister of Charity to provide chaplaincy in the establishment.
A new pastoral presence for the Sisters of Charity
And so, in September 2024, I arrived timidly, but sure of the Grace of God, as a delegate of the Diocese and the Province, to take on the chaplaincy mission at BELLEVAUX.
In this photo, I am standing next to the priest who celebrates the Eucharist in Bellevaux every week.
BELLEVAUX today: an EHPAD (Residential establishment for dependent elderly people) – 250 residents, as many staff, and families waiting for spiritual support for their loved ones and perhaps for themselves.
A celebration, Eucharistic or otherwise, takes place every week Celebration of Christian feasts, and personal visits to residents who so wish.
My experience to date is not extensive enough. However, I can already say that old age is a poverty that is sometimes accompanied by loneliness. But I can also say that each person is rich in experience, human and spiritual, rich in diverse beauties and love lived, even if sometimes behind these beauties, we perceive great suffering.
JEANNE-ANTIDE, whose frame and photo still watch over the occupants of the chapel, continues to watch over BELLEVAUX. I personally benefit from this!
However, I ask you to pray for me, that I may respond, according to God’s will, to the mission entrusted to me.
Sr Louisette D.
