4th -5th of April (the days before Le Puy)
The morning we left Paris, it was clear blue skies and brisk air (the weather has and continues to be very kind to us). From what was three jam-packed days of sight seeing and initiation of our spiritual quest, we knew we were now heading to the rock...Marcellin country!! The confusion of the metro (mastered by some) was to be completely juxtaposed against the TGV (the very, very, very fast train to Lyon...300 kph). What took us two hours ...(all in relative silence mind you)...would probably have taken Marcellin Champagnat, weeks. How technology has changed the world we live in...in the past 200 years.
We were greeted by an awaiting bus and what transpired, was a one hour trip from Lyons to L'Hermitage. In France, there has always been a constant surprise around the corner, whether that had been the Eiffel Tower, the Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral...and what was magnificent in regards to the Hermitage... it was the fact that it is a peaceful majestic building that lies in the middle of a valley at the end of a secluded, quiet, still road where a creek meanders through the middle of the property. Please look at the photos attached...words are only one way of expressing the majestic beauty which is the Hermitage...and for many of us, it was like coming home.
Our tour of the Hermitage started with Brother Neville who took us to the statue of Marcellin which in itself is not deemed with many features...very non-descript...but he asked us to stare at the statue...and we were asked to be centred in the moment...and from there we walked through to the chapel and we were introduced to Marcellin's house of prayer: the chapel built in his name. We were then lead through his story depicted in the lead light windows and we were again called to be centred in standing around the reliquee (the remains of Marcellin Champagnat). For us as a pilgrimage group, it was the beginning of our immersion into his life, his passion and his mission. From this experience it was striking to understand that what had started 200 years ago, has grown and it remains...and it is still so relevant...and it is the heartbeat for both religious and lay Marists today.
Before dinner (which by the way is a four course meal every night: soup, entree size meal, cheese...everyone needs cholesterol checks when we get back...and fruit) we were then taken on a tour through the display which details glimpses of Marcellin's life, the Marist order, as well as the development of the building of the Hermitage. It was simple...but meaningful and informative and very much prepared us for the next part of the tour: the Chapter room and Marcellin's bedroom. The Chapter room is now adorned with alfresco paintings, symbolic in their design and message but was originally the room in which the founding Marist Brothers would meet and deliberate and plan...and this room was significant to us as a pilgrimage group but it was walking into Marcellin's bedroom (the place of his life with the Marist Brothers and death) that was especially significant and meaningful. Here was a man that had created a vision...the physical creation of this was the building of the Hermitage itself, but more importantly was that he had formed a group of young men to educate the young. We came to understand that even on his death bed, he still engendered the intellectual power and respect of the Brothers and from this they were inspired to be a driving force and to live and bear witness to his story.
The end of the day had us remembering that we had sat in silence as a group in his bedroom, in silence...through the open window we had listened to the water flow over the rocks...we had been present with Marcellin Champagnat.
Brian Fenaughty and Tracey Dorian
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