On the evening of Thursday 11 December, in the small chapel of Bonnevaux located by the river, we attended a Mass concelebrated by Mgr Beau (Archbishop of Poitiers), Father Antoine Messavi (parish priest of Lusignan), Father Laurence Freeman and Father Peter Murphy, with the Bonnevaux community, around fifty faithful from Poitiers and the much appreciated presence of the Mayor of Marçay.
Archbishop Beau’s homily focused on the three invitations of John the Baptist: the joy of encountering God, the conversion of our lives, and the diminishing of ourselves to allow Jesus to grow in us.
A buffet followed in the large library and the blue lounge, in a friendly, joyful and warm atmosphere. Archbishop Beau was able to meet many people. A long period of dialogue and free discussion with all those present provided an opportunity for powerful testimonies, particularly from the community, meditators from the Poitiers groups, volunteers and young foreign volunteers currently staying at the abbey, with a wide variety of life experiences and spiritual journeys.
The Mayor of Marçay began the sharing session by recalling Bonnevaux’s mission to be ‘a centre for peace’ and her appreciation for the community’s efforts to be a place open to the community, as on the occasion of the Neighbours’ Day celebration. Several people emphasised this point and the importance of such a place in these tumultuous times. Monseigneur Beau pointed out that meditation and peace are inseparable and that peace cannot come about solely through our will, but through our inner transformation. Father Abel, a worker priest who was also present in the audience, shared how the Christian meditation community is a welcoming space for all those who, in his words, ‘feel pain in the Church’.
Archbishop Beau was particularly struck by the testimony of Yannis, a young man from Switzerland who shared his feeling of experiencing a spiritual rebirth in Bonnevaux, thanks to the welcome he received, the sharing of prayer in community and the offering of bread and wine without condition. The story of his family, with a father who was formerly a Jehovah’s Witness and a Muslim mother, both of whom had broken with religion, was described by Bishop Beau as their cry for freedom that led to Yannis’ birth, his rebirth.
This meeting promises a fruitful continuation of dialogue and collaboration between Bonnevaux and the diocese.
