L’Escale brings together a number of young people, students and young professionals (this year around thirty), 4 priests, a family, and us 4 Sisters of Charity. There are also lots of groups who drop in: guides, scouts, confirmands, pilgrims…
L’Escale was conceived as a place for young people to anchor themselves, to encourage their human and spiritual growth. It is also intended to be a place where everyone can feel welcome, a place of spiritual renewal and fraternity.
What is our mission at l’Escale?
If you look at the bottom line, our presence doesn’t seem to amount to much. But from the point of view of faith and witness, our mission is important. Our mere presence already raises the question of faith, and of the place of God in the life of a human being, and in this way it is like a proposal of something other than what society offers.
It is first and foremost a praying and welcoming presence. We are aware that our witness of faith and prayer is a discreet help to young people, and our life as consecrated persons is a silent invitation to listen to the Lord’s calls.
As well as accompanying the young people, we are committed, in the same way as they are, to living the high points of l’Escale and taking part in the activities on offer. While assuming the mission of Escale, each of us also has our own mission defined by the Provincial Council, or inspired by the needs of the Church.
We hope that our presence, although discreet and simple, makes the charism of charity visible, and helps young people to strengthen their steps on the path that leads to God and to their brothers and sisters.
Autumn 2024 – A new start for l’Escale
And this year it was very different from all the others, because the number of residents has almost doubled. There are 45 of us in all. The person in charge, Father Pierre Imbert, is delighted to say that the Escale has expanded! And that the tent space needs to be enlarged!
- 4 young people at the Sisters of Charity, Rue des Martelot
- 10 at the Sisters of the Holy Family
- 4 at rue du Chapitre (where the Archbishop’s Vicars General lived).
- The rest at l’Escale
Back to l’Escale!
September 21 was the first community day that brought us all together for the first time; it’s the official back-to-school day. The young people had arrived during the previous 2 weeks and everyone had already settled in.
The day began at 8:30 a.m. with prayer. It was nice to see the amazed looks of the newcomers when they entered the chapel, and the older members handing them their songbooks and helping them find the breviary pages. The new residents looked on in admiration when they saw that the older residents knew how to sing, animate and read at the right time…
At 9am, thanks to a game, everyone got to know each other. They came from a wide variety of countries and backgrounds, including Africa, South Korea, Germany, Italy and different regions of France. They are also in very different sectors.
Then there was a visit to the Community at the Sisters of Charity, rue des Martelots. For some, it was the first time they had entered a convent. Reflections sprang to mind, such as: ‘It’s beautiful’, ‘It’s very big’! ‘It’s not as austere as we thought’, while curious looks wandered around the buildings.
Here too, the moving testimony of sister Xingua made a deep impression on them. Some didn’t even know there were Christians in China!
After the Eucharist, an aperitif offered by the 131 community brought sisters and residents together in a joyful and fraternal atmosphere. As we left, we could hear: “The sisters are great!”.
The afternoon passed quickly between games, visits to the other communities, and topo. In the evening, everyone gathered in the chapel at l’Escale to reflect on the day, take stock of what they had received and give thanks. At 9 o’clock, thanks to a game, everyone got to know each other.
