The Statutes of the "Foyers de Charité" :
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The Statutes of the "Foyers de Charité" : |
II - Life in the "Foyers de Charité"
Our life in the Foyers de Charité is rooted in the Mystery of Christ and of the Church, such as Marthe lived it herself. Our vocation in each of our Foyers is to live from this mysterey.
To express this novelty of the Foyers de Charité, we can start from the definition proposed by Father Georges Finet in November 1971 after years of experience and reflection :
"Foyers de Charité are communities of baptised people, men and women, who, following the example of the first Christians, share their material, intellectual and spiritual goods, live their commitment in the same Spirit, to realize the family of God on earth with Mary as Mother, under the guidance of a priest, the father, in an incessant effort of mutual charity, and who, by their life of prayer and work in the world, bear witness to Light, Charity and Love, according to the great message of Christ, King, Prophet and Priest".
Gathering
men and women, clerics and lay people from different races and
cultures, the Foyer communities are open to all nations and to
all social classes. While remaining respectful of their differences,
they herald unity restored in Christ. This restored unity is a
sign of hope to the world.
2/ Lay people and priests in the unique Ministry of Christ
The Foyers de Charité are within the Church an association of faithful in which baptized people live together the fullness of their vocations of lay people and priests at the service of evangelization:
"Though they differ essentially and not only in degree, the common priesthod of the faithful and the ministerial or hierarchical priesthood are none the less ordered one to another ; each in its own proper way shares in the one priesthood of Christ" (LG 10, § 2).(see also PO 22 and 23 § 1).
Following the example set by Marthe Robin and father Georges Finet since 1936 we try to experience this novelty : priests and lay people working together in what we call the family of the Foyer ».
This novelty is rooted in the complemetarity between the laity and priests which was asked for by Council Vatican II :
"(...) nevertheless, a true equality between all with regard to the dignity and to the activity which is common to all the faithfull in the building up of the Body of Christ. The distinction which the Lord has made between the sacred ministers and the rest of the People of God involves union, for the pastors and the other faithful are joined together by a close relationship : the pastors of the Church - following the example of the Lord - should minister to each other and to the rest of the faithful ; the latter should eagerly collaborate with the pastors and teachers. And so amid variety all will bear witness to the wonderful unity in the Body of Christ" (LG 32, §3).
Father Georges Finet encouraged us referring to the large diversity of Foyer members who "without any noviciate time live the community life, though arriving with different characters, temperaments and at all ages...". He also added, in order to better underline that unity is a gift of God : We strongly feel how much we are supported at all times by the grace of God ... Let us then endeavour to give our vocation its true dimensions. Let us face the Lord with docility, ready to do what He expects from us » (father Finet).
From the very start Marthe Robin had stated in father Georges Finet's presence that the Foyers de Charité would have to educate missionary lay people, mainly through the fundamental catechesis of the retreats. Addressing Foyer members, he (father Finet) referred to our vocation by saying :
"I wish to remind you of the great vocation to which you have been called, as Saint Paul said to the Ephesians: live as per your baptism, in all kindness, humility and patience, this life of Light, Charity and Love. It is a very great vocation in God's plan" (father Finet) .
This vocation belongs to the mission which has been entrusted to the people of God as a whole :
"From the fact of their union with Christ the head flows the laymen's right and duty to be apostles. (...) If they are consecrated a kingly priesthood and a holy nation, it is in order that they may in all their actions offer spiritual sacrifices and bear witness to Christ all the world over" (AA 3, § 1).
One of the main characteristics in our vocation is that we have to bear witness to our unity ; in doing so we take part to the preaching of the Word of God, and our offering supports the retreatants.
"It is
certainly a great grace to be welcomed in a Foyer de Charité,
(...) but at the same time it is a great responsibility"
(father Finet).
Originated from a lay woman following her priesthood of baptized, supported, encouraged and accompanied by her, the Foyers were founded by a priest Marthe named "father". No Foyer can be considered without a priest who is its father, living on a regular basis within the community. This is one of the characteristics of the Foyers de Charité.
"Even though the priests of the new law by reason of the sacrament of Order fulfill the preeminent and essential function of father and teacher among the People of God and on their behalf, still they are disciples of the Lord along with all the faithful and have been made partakers of his kingdom by God, who has calles them by his grace. Priests, in common with all who have been reborn in the font of baptism, are brothers among brothers as members of the same Body of Christ which all are commanded to build up." (PO 9, § 1).
Vatican II quotes saint Augustine who realized how true it was : When I am frightened by what I am to you, then I am consoled by what I am with you. To you I am the bishop, with you I am a Christian. The first is an office, the second a grace" (LG 32, last §).
The Foyer fathers have been called and have the mission to live a ministry of spiritual fatherhood with the Foyer family and with all those who are received there.
"This spiritual but real paternity has a universal dimension which takes shape particularly towards the community he is committed with" (Directoire for the ministry and the life of priests No. 58).
By their ministry - especially the preaching of retreats, welcoming all and listening - the Foyer fathers partake in the universal mission of the Church.
"The spiritual gift which priests have received in ordination does not prepare them merely for a limited and circumscribed mission, but for the fullest, in fact the universal mission of salvation "to the end of the earth" (Ac. 1, 8)" (PO 10, § 1).
"Let us not restrict the Foyer capacities to a father and his community. Our Foyers extend in the entire world through all those who come to us" (father Finet).
Like the Good Shepherd, the Foyer fathers are called to be permanent witnesses to the divine mercy : "the primary vocation of the fathers, is mercifulness" (father Finet).
As ministers
of communion, they "have been placed in the midst of the
laity so that they may lead them all to the unity of charity,
"loving one another with brotherly affection ; outdoing one
another in sharing honor" (Rom. 12:10). Theirs is the task,
then, of bringing about agreement among divergent outlooks in
such a way that nobody may feel a stranger in the Christian community.
They are to be at once the defenders of the common good, for which
they are responsible in the bishop's name" (PO 9, §
4).
The Foyers de Charité set out to impart the good news of the Gospel to all. Every Foyer must be radiant and attractive. Each one must feel welcome there just as he is. Mission belongs radically to the Holy Spirit who animates the Foyers and finds an incessant renewal in the calls of the Church and the needs of the world.
4/ Mary our Mother : marian life in the Foyers
Mary is our Mother. She is Mother of the whole Church. It is to the "disciple" that Jesus speaks from the Cross saying to him : "Behold your Mother" (John 19,27). Each of us is called, like the disciple Jesus loved, to receive her as his mother.
This Marian presence the Chuch feeds on is something we try to live in a very special way in all the Foyers :
In each Foyer, which is a family, Mary is the Mother : Mother of each of the members whom she gives birth to and makes grow in Christ each day, Mother of the Community which she draws together around her Son, and in the midst of which she remains to call on the Spirit of Pentecost.
The Foyers de Charité do their best to know her and make her known, to love her and make her loved. The Foyers fathers have a very special link with Mary. "(...) Priests should always venerate and love her, with a filial devotion and worship, as the Mother of the supreme and eternal Priest, as Queen of Apostles, and as protectress of their ministry" (PO 18, § 2).
The Foyer fathers will gladly draw their inspiration from this piece of advice by father Georges Finet :"As priests of the Foyers deé, we convey our ministry to the Holy Virgin and entrust it with Her, as we renew our consecration every day. And since I told you about the laity ministry's for all of us it is a must to live our consecration to Jesus by Mary. This is very important, as much for the members of our Foyers as it is for the priests, the fathers of the Foyers. It is not enough to repeat it: we must live our consecration and live it deeply" (father Finet).
This filial relation to the Blessed Virgin is lived in the Foyers according to the spirituality of saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort. It is expressed in the consecration to Jesus through Mary, which is the very form of our commitment and of our donation. We renew it each day. In this consecration we give her all we have and all our being, we abandon our entire life to her, so that she may gather us together in Christ.
It's our whole life which little by little is transformed by this maternal presence of Mary. She teaches us the delicacy of reception in all its forms, the joy found in the most humble services, the way of listening to others, deep and discreet compassion, readiness for the Word of God, energy in work, filial obedience, loving acceptance of the Cross.
She leads us to Jesus and makes Him grow within us ; according to the word of saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort :
"It is
through the very Blessed Virgin that Jesus Christ came into the
world and it is also through Her that He is to reign in the world
(...) "When the Holy Spirit sees Mary in a soul, He leaps
in it, makes his dwelling in it and abundantly gives Himself to
this soul " (TTD no1 and 36).
"Il y a une sorte d'audace d'oser s'appeler : le Foyer de Charité" (père Finet).
"Il faut que vous viviez dans l'unité, mais pas n'importe laquelle, celle qui unit le Fils et le Père et qui est réalisée par le Saint-Esprit" (père Finet).
a - Rooted in the Trinitarian mystery
The first source of all our communities springs from the very life of God, of the Father and the Son in the Spirit. And in this Trinitarian life, each community and each Foyer member can find life, unity, vigour and renewal for himself.
Our mission in the Church takes part in Christ's mission which springs from the Love of the Father for all his creation : "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (John 3,16) . And Jesus tells us : "As the Father sent me, I also send you" (John 20, 21). So it is the Holy Spirit who gives birth today to the "Foyers de Lumière, de Charité et d'Amour" (Light, Charity and Love) in the heart of the Virgin Mary, to announce the Good News of Salvation to all.
So, as Vatican
Council II says : "The universal Church is seen to be a people
brought into unity from the unity of the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit" (LG 4, §2).
The first family of God on Earth was the family of Nazareth, that of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It remains our model. We like to live our daily work, prayer, silence, offering, fraternal relations, peace of heart, welcome, openness to all with Mary and Joseph, close to Jesus and for Him, with a great simplicity of life, which allows us to be close to all and open to all. At the school of Nazareth life, may God enable us to discover each day the inexhaustible richnesses of the hidden life according to the words of the apostle : "Your life is hidden with Christ in God", like that of Martha at the Plain.
Jesus always lived in community ; he left the family community of Nazareth to found the apostolic community which was for him a new family. From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus gathered his disciples around Him. Some women too, left everything to follow him and join the disciples who accompanied the Lord (cf Lc. 8,1-3).
We belong to this family that the Spirit of Pentecost gathers now in the Church. The Foyers de Charité want to live this Pentecostal grace of the first apostolic community (cf. Acts of the Apostles).
"This
points out the necessity to do what the first christians did :
show Jesus through our community face" (father Finet).
d - Community born of the Cross of Jesus for a new Pentecost of Love
The Church was born of the mystery of the New Covenant, accomplished on the Cross by the death and resurrection of Jesus. "One of the soldiers struck his side with a lance, and immediately blood ad water flowed out" (Jn 19, 34). It is from the side of Jesus pierced by the lance that the Church was born ; from the waters of Baptism and the Eucharistic cup, the slain Lamb has become the Saviour of the world.
In the heart of the Church, the Foyers de Charité were born on the Cross. For many years, Marthe was united to the Passion of Jesus, together with Mary, her mother. With the apostle Paul she could say : "I am crucified with Christ" (Ga.2, 19) in order "to know Him and the power of his resurrection and the communion with his sufferings" (Ph. 3, 10). This is how she gave her life for the Work of the Foyers de Charité and for the regeneration of the whole world.
* Community of Pentecost
After the Resurrection of Jesus "Leaving the hill which is called the Mount of Olives, they went back to Jerusalem...On their return they went to the upstairs room where, united, they remained assiduously in prayer, with a few women, amongst whom was Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and with the brothers of Jesus" (Acts1, 12-14). It is upon them that the Spirit which makes the Church will descend.
The Foyers
de Charité live on this Pentecostal grace. They are gathered
together in fraternal joy to be witnesses of Jesus Christ and
of the apostles of the Gospel hoping for a New Pentecost of Love
», a phrase Marthe liked to use in accordance with the constant
teaching of father Finet.
2/ The Foyers de Charité are in the world to take part to the regeneration of the whole world
a - Finality : Foyers de Lumière, de Charité et d'Amour (Light, Charity and Love)
"Between the Love we want and the Light, there is a link which is Charity, that is the theologal service of the neighbour. Our aim is Love, but to go towards Love, we need the Light of Christ and the practice of Charity" (father Finet).
* Foyers are first of all "Foyers de Lumière"
In the retreats, Christ is revealed as the Light of the world : a light which is taught and lived by the whole community in order to bear witness all together.
The task is huge and the needs are urgent. Many people have not heard of the Good News of Jesus Christ yet. A great number among the youth and the adults in all the countries have got no aim in their lives or even do not see why they live at all, because they are lacking Christ's Light.
* "Foyers de Charité"
May they radiate(...) by the incessant practice of Charity » (father Finet).
It is the community itself which is a witness of Christ. The diversity of the members, and their unity in faith and in love, must be a testimony of the presence of the Risen Christ who brings us together. We must announce the Gospel using the means of the Gospel.
* "Foyers d'Amour"
In the Foyers
de Charité, the real face of God who is Love is revealed
in the preaching and in the way the members live giving themselves
to each and to everyone in a total gift to God"
The privileged means of this announcement of the Word is the retreat : silent retreat of five full days where all receive the teaching of the Word of God in a climate of prayer. These retreats are marked by important times of Eucharistic celebration, adoration, and Marian prayer. They conclude by the Consecration to Jesus through Mary, according to saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort.
Two sorts of retreats are proposed : fundamental retreats, which provide a synthesis of faith and Christian life, and other retreats we call "in depth retreats".
The Word is preached by the father of the Foyer and by those he invites to bring their teaching and their testimony, especially by the priests who live in the same Foyer and usually take part in its mission.
The community participates actively in the retreat, and carries in its life, by the gratuity of service and prayer, the fruitfulness of the Word which transmits light and grace. Thus, community and retreatants form a large family united around Christ.
The teaching given does not aim at separating the Word from life. It renews faith by bringing into light the Person of Christ our Saviour. It reveals the face of the Father and his infinite mercy for the world. In this light it renews the fraternal love between all. It throws light on God's Plan of love for men, which calls on each one of them to become his children, and brings hope to all the history of the world by the Paschal Mystery of the death and Resurrection of the Lord. The retreat, lived in the radiation of the Spirit and of Mary, is accomplished in the personal meeting with Christ.
The Foyers welcome and receive without distinction of nation, race or social situation all those who, able-bodied or handicapped, believers or unbelievers, come to seek the light of Christ and receive the teaching of the Church. All together, men and women, young people and adults, lay people, religious and priests form the People of God, a Christian assembly united in prayer, listening to the Word of God in search of the light shed by the Holy Spirit.
The retreat is a place of awakening of all the forms of vocations which the Church needs. It encourages every one to feel responsible in the world he is living in.
* The other forms of apostolic radiation
The silent retreats of five full days are the usual setting for the transmission of the Word of God and the meeting with Christ in the Foyers. However, other forms of meeting may be proposed : recollections for young people, for catechists, or other goups according to the needs. These recollections can be for some a step towards a retreat, or a time to get a new spiritual breath for past retreatants.
According to the local needs and competence of the members, Foyers may develop a more specialized branch of activity.
Amongst these branches of Foyer activities the development of schools is privileged. The schools are linked with the very origin of the Foyer and are part of its radiation. Under different forms, they can be the place of assembly and activity of a new community. School is not only a social work, but a centre of apostolate : it is a work of evangelisation. In the world of teaching and of Christian education are awakened and formed, with the help of the parents, the diversity of vocations which will make the Church of tomorrow grow, in particular the vocations of lay people ready to become witnesses of Christ and to commit themselves to the transformation of the world.
Since the Foyers started, the prayer of children has always been a source of grace.
A member who
works outside the community for reasons of professional or apostolic
service, is always sent by the Foyer ; he lives with the community.
His mission is carried in the prayer of the community, shared
in his encounters, in the same concern for Evangelisation. This
mission of certain members outside must never become scattering,
either by the marginalization of some, or by the breaking up of
a Foyer no longer able to have a regular life of prayer and community
meetings.
The Foyers de Charité have been officially recognised within the Catholic Church by the Pontifical Council for the laity as a private international Association of believers.
"In the Church, there are associations distinct from consecrated life institutions and apostolic life communities, in which faithful christians, clerics or lay people, or else clerics and lay people together, tend by a common goal to favour a more perfect life, to promote public worship or the christian doctrine, or to exercise other apostolate activities such as evangelization tasks, works of piety or charity, and the animation of temporal order through the christian spirit" (Canon 298, § 1).
Listening to the Holy Spirit, and with their particular vocation, the Foyers de Charité are bound by the laws of the Church ; and their teaching will see to keep always a flawless fidelity with regard to the directions given by the Popes and the universal Magisterium, as well as to the pastoral directions of the diocese.
The father of the Foyer belongs to the diocesan presbyterium. As much as possible, he participates in the diocesan life, in its meetings and its searches. Between the Bishop and the father of the Foyer there are bonds as defined by Council Vatican II:
"By reason of this sharing in the priesthood and mission of the bishop the priests should see in him a true father and obey him with all respect. The bishop, on his side, should treat the priests, his helpers, as his sons and friends" (LG 28, § 2).
No Foyer can be founded at the request of the father of the centre-Foyer without the explicit consent of the local Bishop (cf. Canon 305, § 2). The father of the Foyer, like the other priests, receives his authority from the bishop.
Through his pastoral solicitude, the bishop watches over the Foyer de Charité established in his diocese, so that it stands by its specific vocation (cf. Canon 305, § 2) ; he welcomes the mission of the Foyer and its vital link with the centre-Foyer.
The father
and the community of the Foyer set their heart on maintaining
fraternal relationships with the diocese ( cf LG 27, last §).
b - Closely linked to the universal mission of the Church
LThe Spirit animates the Church so that the Good News of salvation may be announced to all to the very end of the world "So that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name" (Jn 20, 32).
It is this same Spirit which animates the Foyers de Charité. From the origin their aim has been universal. With all the Church they were sent: for the Glory of the Father, for the extension of His Reign in all the Church and for the regeneration of the who1e world.
This universal openness of the Foyers is a characteristic feature of their dynamism in the mission of the Church. The love of God invites us to a perpetual search of new expressions to answer the huge needs of our humanity.
This universalism of mission calls for the differences. It is not a unique model of Foyer of Charity which could be implanted throughout the world and in all human settings. As the local Church itself, each Foyer will have its physiognomy according to country and culture. As Vatican Council II writes about Young Churches :
"They borrow from the customs, traditions, wisdow, teaching, arts and sciences of their peoples everything which could be used to praise the glory of the Creator, manifest the grace of the Savior, or contribute to the right ordering of Christian life" (AG 22 §1)
Christ is the Saviour of the world : this great perspective of the regeneration of the world in Christ remains the axis of our move. We cannot found a more human world, without changing its life, its relations and its structures in the radiation of the Gospel.
To attract
men to Christ, that they may let themselves be transformed in
Him, is the greatest service we can render our brothers in order
to open a more human future to the whole world.
The Foyers de Charité» are communities with men and women of all races and nations, gathered together in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit ; they are new communities whose mission is to announce Jesus Christ to the world and to reveal the infinite love of the Father by the way they live and by what they say.
Each day, we try to "build the Foyer". In the Acts of the Apostles we see the Holy Spirit give birth to the Church of Christ in living communities which appear as our models :
"They
persevered in the teaching of the Apostles and in fraternal communion,
in the breaking of bread and in prayer. Everyone became filled
with awe : the Apostles accomplished many signs and prodigies.
All those who had become believers were united, and shared everything.
They sold their properties and their belongings to share the price
amongst them, according to the needs of each. Unanimous, they
went assiduously each day to the Temple ; at home they broke the
bread and took their meals joyfully and with simplicity of heart.
They praised God and received a favourable reception from the
entire people. And each day the Lord joined to the community those
who had found salvation" (Ac. 2, 42-47).
a - Life consecrated to Jesus through Mary
All the members of the Foyers de Charité» desire to live the fullness of the baptismal grace, by a total consecration of their life to Jesus, through Mary, according to St Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort's phrase. This total gift, consented to from the moment of entering the Foyer, will be celebrated in the form of a permanent commitment to the Foyers.
Such a commitment can only be made in the Foyers after quite a long time of experience and discernment. It is the fruit of the free decision of the person committing himself, with the explicit consentment of the father of the Foyer and the assent of the community as a whole. It is a commitment towards the community, to accept the demands and the joys of the life and mission of the Foyers de Charité. It is a reciprocal commitment and so, it is celebrated in the presence of the community of the Foyer.
The member who always makes his commitment in a definite Foyer, can however be sent to live in another Foyer with his assent, if it is opportune or if it corresponds to a missionary need.
Each thus renews his baptismal consecration according to his condition.
- Those who join the Foyer as members and chose to live in a state of virginity, offer themselves forever with their body, heart and spirit to belong entirely to the Lord. They trust his grace, and place themselves under the protection of the Virgin Mary, to live this consecration in an indefectible union with Christ as well as a greater availability to all.
- Those who enter the community of the Foyers as widows or widowers consecrate their widowhood to the Lord.
- Married people may also be admitted into the Foyer communities : they will live their baptismal consecration, their vocation of lay people in the fullness of the grace of the sacrament of marriage.
The presence in the Foyer of a married couple or a family demands serious reflection and a discernment matured in time and prayer on both sides. The husband and wife asking to enter a Foyer could only be admitted if each one agreed to recognize freely in the Foyer their personal vocation and that of their family.
They will always be given special lodging conditions, a certain financial independence and ways of participation in the community life which permit the harmonious blossoming of their married life, their family relations and their responsibility towards their children.
In such a
way each, by his own condition of life, shows to all evidence
of the demands of purity and generosity in Christ.
b - Life of prayer and offering
* Personal Prayer
Saintliness is not possible without intense periods of personal encounter with Our Lord : "The heart to heart with Jesus" as Marthe and father Finet recommended it. A time of meeting, a time of adoration, a time of intercession, listening to the Word of God until it transforms our life.
Each one must organise his life and work so that he may get enough time for personal prayer : "At any cost we must maintain personal prayer" (father Finet).
Those in charge of the community life must do all they can to allow each member to find time for prayer.
* Community Prayer
Community prayer is rooted in personal prayer. The union of the hearts can only be achieved in an atmosphere of prayer : "They gathered frequently to pray as a group" (Ac. 1, 14). "Personal prayer enables us to develop feelings of love ; community prayer enables us to share them" (father Finet).
Prayer is an essential activity in community life, its expression, its renewal, its breathing. This community prayer is nourished by the Word of God, united with the great liturgical prayer of the whole Church in the celebration of its feasts, it is also a sharing of faith, the expression of each, and the reception of one another, communion in reconciliation, adoration and intercession.
Morning and evening prayers bring us together round the Lord to live each day in his presence. There is a place for intense times of adoration of the Holy Sacrament, times of intercession, and days of recollection and the annual retreat.
There is a privileged place for Marian prayer. Every day we renew together our consecration to Jesus by Mary, we meditate the Rosary together and we entrust the Work of the Foyers to saint Joseph.
The Foyers de Charité are places of adoration in the world, so that we are "contemplatives in action".
* Eucharistic Prayer
"They were assiduous in the breaking of Bread" (Ac. 2,42). The Eucharist is at the heart of our life of prayer and the highest expression of our community life.
The offering of each one, in union with the whole Church, meets, through the ministry of the priest, the offering of Christ to the Father, in his Passion for the salvation of the world.
The community is renewed there. The Eucharistic celebration unites us to the retreatants, to our friends, and to all the other Foyers.
"The
Eucharistic liturgy is the summit towards which the activity of
the Church is directed ; it is also the fount from which all her
power flows" (SC I0)
"The Foyer lives from the work of its members" (father Finet). Marthe invited the first Foyer members to follow the recommandations she herself put into practice :
"Never tire of doing things well, of always doing better, in order to do very well and always more perfectly everything you do. Don't leave your work by caprice any more than Our Lord left His cross. It is souls of goodwill who serve him with love, not by caprice or indifference, that He calls to His Work. Your are the servants of Love... let God dispose of you at every instant".
Work is a part of the human condition. It places us in the plan of God who makes us in his image, calling on us to complete his creation, according to his Design of love in the service of mankind.
Work is a form of active participation in the community life. Each according to his strength and his gifts contributes to its life, its development and its radiation. Work is the place for the giving of oneself and the meeting with others, it demands detachment, patience and love. Each work done together is a source of graces.
Much more, work is communion with the mystery of Christ, from Nazareth to the Cross.
The tasks are shared in accordance with the possibilities and the gifts of each, and organized for the well being of the community. Each one fulfils his task faithfully and entirely, without monopolizing it. Work is controlled to favour a balanced life which respects times of relaxation, formation and prayer.
Those who,
because of age or infirmity, can no longer play a full part in
the community work, will continue to participate in it according
to their strength, remembering that prayer and the offering of
our life, in union with Jesus are the deepest ways to contribute
to the fruitfulness of the Foyer.
d - Life of Sharing and fraternal communion
"No-one considered any of his belongings as his property ; on the contrary, they shared everything" (Ac. 4, 32).
Each one brings to the Foyer all he has and all he is. What he has, taking into account the needs of his own family, he gives to the community at the moment of his commitment ; what he earns if he is salaried, and what he receives as a gift he puts at the disposal of the community.
The sharing does not concern only the material belongings. We also undertake to share our intellectual and spiritual goods : our experience, our knowledge and our discoveries. We can share discreetely the graces received.
Community life is very demanding. Being all of very different origins, ages and characters, living and working together, tensions, sometimes oppositions or even clashes cannot be avoided. The community can live and survive only at the price of continual surpassing of oneself. "In an incessant effort of charity". It is a place of daily forgiveness.
"I exhort you then, in the name of the Lord, I who am a prisoner : let your life correspond with the call you have received ; in all humility and gentleness, with patience, bear with one another in love ; apply yourselves to keeping unity of the spirit through the bond of peace" (Ep 4, 1-3).
Fraternal
communion permits spontaneity in meeting, in prayer and in action.
It also permits to have times of relaxation and of feast. Each
one will take his part according to his gifts. According to each
country and each culture, the community expresses its joy and
affection between all. Feasts are times of renewal and punctuate
the Foyer life. We must also bear witness to the joy of the Beatitudes.
e - A family life welcoming to all in simplicity
"One of the main aspects of our vocation is the way we welcome people" (father Finet) : welcome of retreatants, who must all be received into the family of the Foyer ; welcome of friends, neighbours, families, of those who are in sorrow, marked by all forms of human distress, or with responsibilities in public life, following the example Marthe gave us, she whose little room was open to all. When welcoming we must not stray away from our vocation ; that is why it cannot be done without discernment.
Welcoming
and sharing with all calls us to lead a plainer life. This plain
living allows all, even the most deprived, to feel at home with
us.
5/ Vocation and mission of the father of the Foyer
Marthe's prayer prepared and still supports the vocation of each Foyer father. The soul of each Foyer father and Marthe's soul are united in such a way that it underlies his ministry as a priest as well as the whole Foyer life.
Since the origins, the Foyers have been communities of lay people with a priest : that is the innovation of the Work. The father of the Foyer lives on a regular basis with the Foyer family so that they bear witness all together to light, charity and love.
As John-Paul
II said in his general audience on 22-09-93 : "In Vatican
II Council, the Church has wanted to revive among the priests
this consciousness of adherence and participation; so that each
one of them bears in mind that, although being a shepherd, he
keeps on being a christian, who must comply with all the requirements
of his baptism and live as brother of all other baptized ones,
at serving the "unique Body of Christ whose construction
has been entrusted to all" (PO 9). (see also LG 28)
a - The mission of the Foyer father in the community
The Foyer father is not above nor beside the community; he is part of it as a rightful member. He is not just passing through ; he normally lives there. Living in the Foyer community and for it, he carries on a specific mission, which proceeds from his priestly ministry.
* As a priest, the Foyer father carries a mission of teaching and spreading the Word in the community, in the retreats and in the apostolic activities of the Foyer.
"It is the first task of priests as co-workers of the bishops to preach the Gospel of God to all men. In this way they (...).set up and increase the People of God" (PO 4, § 1).
* As a priest, the Foyer father has a priestly mission : in the name of the Lord he transmits to all the grace of the Sacraments, particularly the infinite mercy of God. At the origin and at the peak of each day, he presides over the Eucharist which makes all and everyone grow into a single Body in the Love of the Lord.
"The purpose then for which priests are consecrated by God through the ministry of the bishop is that they should be made sharers in a special way in Christ's priesthood and, by carrying out sacred functions, act as his ministers who through his Spirit continually exercises his priestly function for our benefit in the liturgy (...) in the celebration of all the sacraments, (...) priests are hirarchically united with the bishop in various ways and so make him present in a certain sense in individual assemblies of the faithful" (PO 5, § 1).
* As a priest, the Foyer father gives the sacrament of Penance to those who ask for it (cf. Canon 630), every one being free to apply to another priest for this sacrament.
* As a priest, the Foyer father has a mission of authority which is service :
-Service to the growth of each member remaining respectful of his gifts and capacities,
-Service to the unity and dynamism of the Foyer.
"Priests exercise the function of Christ as Pastor and Head in proportion to their share of authority. In the name of the bishop they gather the family of God (...) it is the priests' part as instructors of the people in the faith to see to it either personnally or through others that each member of the faithful shall be led in the Holy Spirit to the full development of his own vocation in accordance with the Gospel teaching, and to sincere and active charity and the liberty with which Christ has set us free (...) (an that) every man as he has received grace ought to minister it one to another. " (PO 6, § 1 & 2).
"Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, according to God; not for shameful gain but eagerly; not as domineering over, but being examples to the flock" (1 P 5, 2-3).
All (the members) keep up relations of filial trust with the Foyer father, especially through regular meetings with him. He helps them to discern the calls of God, to be faithful to the Foyer's vocation in their private and communal life, and to live their consecration to Jesus by Mary.
In doing so the Foyer father allows the other members to fulfil their own vocation in the Church and for the world. It is the entire community which exerts its prophetic, priestly and royal ministry :
"The
Church's mission is concerned with the salvation of men ; and
men win salvation through the grace of Christ and faith in him.
The apostolate of the Church therefore, and of each of its members,
aims primarily at announcing to the world by word and action the
message of Christ and communicating to it the grace of Christ.
The principal means of bringing this about is the ministry of
the word and of the sacraments. Committed in a special way to
the clergy, it leaves room however for a highly important part
for the laity, the part namely of "helpling on the cause
of truth" (3 Jn. 8). It is in this sphere most of all that
the lay apostolate and the pastoral ministry complete each other"
(AA 6, § 1).
b - Father and members of the Foyer : co-responsible
All the members contribute to the growth and mission of the Foyer : in everything there is sharing of life and responsibilities. We are at each other's service : the responsibility of some takes nothing away from the responsibility of others, but rather allows them to fulfil it better.
"By reason of the knowledge, competence or pre-eminence which they have the laity are empowered - indeed sometimes obliged - to manifest their opinion on those things which pertain to the good of the Church" (...).
"The pastors, indeed, should recognize and promote the dignity and responsability of the laity in the Church. They should willingly use their prudent advice and confidently assign duties to them in the service of the Church, leaving them freedom and scope for acting. Indeed, they should give them the courage to undertake works on their own initiative. They should with paternal love consider attentively in Christ initial moves, suggestions and desires proposed by the laity" (...).
"Many benefits for the Church are to be expected from this familiar relationship between the laity and the pastors. (...). Strengthened by all her members, the Church can thus more effectively fulfil her mission for the life of the world" (LG 37).
The father of the Foyer exercises his various activities in communion with the Foyer family. The more communion progresses in a family atmosphere, the deeper does the spiritual and apostolic life get for all. The union of the father and members of the Foyer for the service of evangelisation continues in a way what the Lord wanted to establish, from the very beginning, between Marthe and the priest who was to work with her.
"Priests should, therefore, occupy their position of leadership as men who do not seek the things that are their own but the things that are Jesus-Christ. They should unite their efforts with those of the lay faithful (...). They should be willing to listen to lay people, give brotherly consideration to their wishes, and recognize their experience and competence in the different fields of human activity. In this way they will be able to recognize along with them the signs of the times" (PO 9, § 2).
"The faithful for their part ought to realize that they have obligations to their priests. They should treat them with filial love as being their fathers and pastors. They should treat them with filial love as being their fathers and pastors. They should also share their priests' anxieties and help them as far as possible by prayer and active work so that they may be better able to overcome difficulties and carry out their duties with greater success" (PO 9, last §).
In communion with the Foyer father, and to ensure the progress and harmony within the family, the responsible lay member fills an essential role that covers all aspects of daily life. It is the grace of God which enables her (or him) to carry out this important and delicate ministry, with full concern to the father's mission and the good of the community.
The establishment of a community Council is necessary for the common good. This Council includes the responsible member, as well as 2 to 5 members according to the size of the community who represent the whole family. This Council meets regularly to help the father to take the important decisions.
The father
of a Foyer may live his ministry in collaboration with other priests
who are members of the same community. They are for him brothers
and friends. They serve the same ministry to teach, advise, absolve,
greet. They bring the precious enrichment of their charismas;
they accept the specific ministry of the Foyer father and live
in a fraternal communion with him.
c - Fraternal ties of the Foyer fathers with the father of the centre-Foyer, and between them
The fathers of the different Foyers are fraternally united together as well as to the father of the centre-Foyer. This fraternity is rooted in the same priestly ministry, the same commitment to serve the Work of the Foyers de Charité, and the same fondness for Marthe Robin's mystery and for the charisma of the founder, father Georges Finet.
The father of the centre-Foyer sees to the communion amongst all and favours the family spirit : he is our principle of unity. He helps the other Foyer fathers in their vocation and their fraternal relationships. He arouses them to the calls of the other Foyers. He decides on the meetings between the Foyers and presides over them.
The Foyer fathers are anxious to support the Work together by praying, acting, helping one another. They have a real desire and a deep need to establish contacts, and to create fraternal bonds between them.
"All priests, who are constituted in the order of priesthood by the sacrament of Order, are bound together by an intimate sacramental brotherhood" (PO 8, § 1).
"Because of the same brotherly bond of priesthood, priests ought to realize that they have an obligation towards those laboring under difficulties. (...) (They should) never cease to show themselves genuine brothers and friends to them" (PO 8, last §).
May the priests
do their best to be signs and sacraments of unity everywhere and
with all.
d - Choice, nomination, commitment and succession of a Foyer father
A Foyer father lives his ministry in reply to a call from God, with the consent of a community, of his Ordinary (Bishop or Superior), and of the centre-Foyer father and the central Council. Each one in his position discerns this call which is therefore lived within the Church.
* The choice of a Foyer father occurs :
-for the founding of a new Foyer de Charité,
-following the death of a Foyer father, on duty till then,
-because of the resignation or the replacement of a Foyer father for motives of age, health - or other grounds - which will be examined by the father of the centre-Foyer and the central Council.
Whatever the initiative of the choice, the proposition must be accepted by the community in which he (the Foyer father) will live his ministry, as well as by the father of the centre-Foyer and the central Council.
He will be asked to spend formation periods at Châteauneuf and in other Foyers.
* The nomination is brought into effect by a common agreement between the father of the centre-Foyer and the Bishop of the diocese.
* The final commitment in the Work of the Foyers de Charité is made after some years of discernment, a real family life in the community, and if possible the arrival of new vocations. This commitment is received by the father of the centre-Foyer.
* The succession
is always considered with full concern towards the existing community,
so that the work started may continue in all fidelity to the grace
of the origins. It takes effect according to the conditions specified
for the choice and the nomination of a Foyer father.
6/ The growth of the Foyers in unity between all of them
The living community is called on to grow : "Day by day the Lord added to their community those who found salvation" (Acts 2, 47).
If a community is fraternal and alive, it is welcoming. It is the radiation of the community which raises vocations in the Foyers, but all vocation is a gift of God ; so vocations must be called for in prayer.
Those who present themselves with the desire of participating in the life of the Foyer are welcomed into the community with a view to progressive discernment of their vocation. This discernment takes time. It consists in periods of time spent at the Foyer, a retreat, spiritual dialogue with the father of the Foyer, as well as fraternal life within the community. The person must have a certain maturity, sufficiently good health and a psychological balance which permit him to feel at home in the community.
When the time has come, the father of the Foyer, after taking the opinion of the community and with the agreement of the Council, decides on his admission into the Foyer.
Right from his entry into the Foyer the new member is entirely admitted to all the life of the community. He takes part in the life of prayer, work, community meetings, welcome, and in the apostolic service. However he spends a longer time to an adapted formation : time of initiation to the life of prayer, to the Eucharistic life, to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, introduction to the Word of God and to the knowledge of the Bible, elements of Christian doctrine on the Mystery of Christ, the Mystery of Salvation lived in the Church, Marian spirituality according to saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, the specific character of the Foyers through the life and writings of Marthe and of father Georges Finet.
Reflection on community life and spiritual dialogue with the father of the Foyer, will be major elements in this spiritual growth.
After his
final commitment, formation will still be given to the member
for the growth of the community in the service of mission.
"May they all be one, Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe" (John 17, 21).
A single Foyer : Just as there is diversity of members in the unity of one body, so there is a great diversity of Foyers. However, all the Foyers form a single large family, living the same mission, under the same Spirit : a single Foyer to the dimension of the world.
Centre of Unity at Châteauneuf : The centre-Foyer at Châteauneuf is the link which unites all the Foyers as well as a place where all can get a new spiritual breath. This is the place where, for fifty years, Marthe, assisted by Father Georges Finet, lived her intimate communion with the Mystery of Jesus in his Passion, source of all graces. The Fathers and lay members come and meet during famlily meetings and general Assemblies at the very place where the grace which unites them gushed forth.
This is a call for the community of Châteauneuf to embrace in immense charity without distinction of race or nation, all the members of this large family, and to welcome them in a community atmosphere which permits them to discover what the Foyers de Charité are.
It is a call for all the Foyers to remain strongly united to the centre-Foyer and to come there to draw from its source the living tradition of the Foyers.
Communion between all the Foyers : There are bonds of mutual aid and friendship between the Foyers, a family spirit enlarged to the dimensions of the world.
These bonds are expressed by material aid, especially in favour of the new Foyers in foundation, by sending members where it is necessary, and by spiritual support in prayer.
"More
than ever we must remain united together and also with Châteauneuf"
(father Finet).
c - Opening to the calls of the Holy Spirit
For us it is not simply a question of remaining faithful to the inspirations of the origins, it is a question of becoming always more so, it is a question of discovering the immensity of God's Plan expressed in these words : Foyers of Light of Charity and of Love.
We must embody in all the aspects of our life - all that we are, all that we live, all that we say - God's infinite tenderness for all his creation and for all his creatures.
In this world transformed by scientific and technical progress and which often loses the very meaning of existence, we must be Christ's Light which reveals the meaning and renews hope.
In this divided world, dominated by fear, ambitions, and hatred, we must show that reconciliation is possible with everyone.
In this world based on injustice, and where a minority gets rich by exploiting the masses who get poorer and poorer, we, as christians, must be and make other Christians become aware of this distress in the world and take an active part in the struggle for more justice and charity.
In this world where money rules, we must establish with the world and with all the men of good will, the reign of Love in order to serve all men especially the most deprived ones. This programme is huge. It's beyond our strength. To undertake this huge programme, we would like to announce the Gospel with the means of the Gospel : the world can only be renewed under the influence of fraternal communities brought to life in Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and in Mary's womb.
The work of salvation can be accomplished in the world by no other way than the way Jesus opened up for us and on which Marthe followed him : the way of the Cross. But the Cross of Christ is a passage towards Resurrection, and his Passion is consummated in Pentecost. Only the power of the Risen Lord can change the world.
Beyond all the trials and tribulations of life, his Love will overcome, and this is the most important thing.