In Vaucluse, Sister Son Tran did a training course at the Professional Medical Centre, as part of her training as a specialised educator. The Centre is a few kilometres from Sancey and has a long history. It is currently a very important resource for local families:

‘It all began with the call of the Lord, for some years now I have had a desire as deep as a whisper; I prayed, I tried to bring this question to light.

I finally found a spark that shines and illuminates my path: training to be able to accompany and support the most fragile, needy people. Sent by my provincial superior and my congregation, I undertook training as a specialised educator which allowed me to work at the Professional Medical Centre of Vaucluse, during my 20-week internship as part of this training.

A bit of history

The Professional Medical Centre was created in Vaucluse, within the walls of an ancient monastery dating back to the year 520, founded by the monks of Saint Maurice d’Agaune (Switzerland). Over time, it was transformed from a monastery to a prison, during the Revolution, and then into various professional workshops: carpentry, clock-making…

In 1922, the Priorate was restored by Father Guyot, parish priest of the nearby village of Belleherbe; in 1923, the arrival of the Sisters of Charity transformed the monastery into a General Teaching College and a School of Agricultural Home Economics, to prepare country girls for their future mission as ‘mothers of the family’.

It later became a housewifery school, which finally gave way to the Professional Medical Centre in 1954. A first lay management was established in 1987. In 2003, the sisters withdrew definitively from the structure after having sown the seeds of the Gospel on this land for 80 years.

I am very grateful for the work that our sisters began a long time ago, but this mission continues, in a different form. The Vaucluse Professional Medical Centre is currently a medical and social facility. It remains in contact with the Sisters of Charity and our shelter in Sancey, being an important partner in the training of young people in the fields of catering, laundry and room maintenance, and gardening.

The Professional Medical Centre in Vaucluse today

I had the opportunity to do my professional practice in this centre that takes in 46 young people aged between 12 and 20, divided into four living units:

  • Young people with a slight intellectual disability with associated disorders or a moderate intellectual disability.
  • Young people with psychological disorders.

The objective is therefore to personalise the support given to each young person, taking into account their skills, health needs and professional aspirations, and to help them fulfil their potential. To this end, the Professional Medical Centre offers individualised support centred on: education, pedagogy, professionalism and therapy. It offers a welcome that takes place in a boarding school environment, open from Monday to Friday.

Since 2015, it has been managed by the Franche-Comté Social Hygiene Association, whose aim ‘is to listen to and help people in difficulty’ and is committed to three main missions: disability, public health and social action and integration.

My mission in this historic place

During this experience, I was part of a group of 12 young people, aged between 16 and 22. I supported them in their daily activities, in their personalised project and in their professional project. I tried to promote their self-esteem and the development of their social skills.

I was very happy to be there for them, to be able to provide support and help to meet their needs and expectations, even if at times I felt completely incapable. It was very exciting and also very unsettling to share and live this unique experience. Each young person is a reflection of divine creation, aspiring to a fulfilling existence. Each young person is truly unique, irreplaceable, inaccessible and has their own story, more or less painful. This experience is for me like an invitation to go out and meet others, our neighbours, to bring the good news to the poor and share God’s love.

‘The Other is a mirror in which the true face of each ‘I’“ is reflected, according to Emmanuel Lévinas. ‘The encounter takes place from the moment when the recognition of otherness is realised, that is to say the recognition by each person of the uniqueness of the Other, the different’ according to Dominique Depenne, Doctor of Sociology. And this Other is also ‘the one towards whom the ego has a responsibility’

‘Let us go out to meet the Lord, let us go out to meet Him who calls us’.

I conclude by saying that this professional practice has been beneficial in every way. This choice will open up a human adventure in my work with the people I will meet. The mission of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Jeanne Antide Thouret is a wonderful one.

Sister Son Tran

of the Besançon community, rue des Martelots