Houses of welcome
Build communities which are inclusive and welcoming to all
Quiet, simple, and welcoming
Inspired by Mary’s manner of being Church, Marists strive to build communities which are inclusive and welcoming to all. We accompany people who seek meaning in their lives, quietly and gently journeying with them as they face life’s challenges.
“A Marian church lives in Nazareth, in silence and simplicity. She does not live in a castle, her home is like any other home. She goes out to chat with the other villagers. She weeps with them, rejoices with them, but never preaches to them. Above all she listens. She does her shopping, draws water at the well, she is invited when there is a wedding. That’s where she meets the people. Many are delighted to sit and rest awhile in her home. There they breathe in happiness.”
(Extract from: Plea for a Marian Church by François Marc, sm)
Houses of Welcome in Europe:
La Neylière
La Neylière is our Marist guesthouse in the Monts du Lyonnais, south-east of Lyon, France. Our Founder, Fr Colin lived here and is buried in the Oratory.
A community of Marist Fathers has been resident in the house since 1854, when the founder of the congregation, Jean-Claude Colin and his companions came to live in La Neylière. The house, where the founder spent about twenty years towards the end of his life, is a place of tradition, reminding us of the origins of the congregation and enabling it to continue its work. The mission of our community here is primarily to facilitate access to the Marist heritage and tradition.
Other aspects of spiritual and cultural life within the facilities are the Museum of Oceania, the ‘Espace Colin’, the Chapel and the Oratory.
Oceania was the first overseas mission destination for the Marists at the time of their foundation in 1836. The Museum houses precious artifacts collected by the missionaries since that time.
The ‘Espace Colin’ – is a space in which visitors can discover the origins of the Marist project, the story of its founding generation, and how it has developed since then and continues to inspire Marists today. Included in this area as places of prayer and reflection, are the bedroom and office of Fr Jean-Claude Colin.
The chapel of Notre Dame de La Neylière is known for its beautiful stained-glass windows honouring Mary and the Holy Family. The smaller Oratory, where Fr Colin is buried, is decorated in a contemporary style with an Oceanian-style fresco depicting the life of Mary and the Marist mission today.
The guesthouse welcomes people seeking inspiration in their lives providing opportunities for encounters, training and spiritual retreats.
In the heart of the Monts du Lyonnais, it offers visitors a place of rest, peace and meditation, and numerous walking paths in the surrounding countryside. It is open all year round and to everyone: to the Marist family from Europe and around the world, as well as to local residents and groups.
La Neylière also supports social and ecclesial activities in the locality.
Today the Marist community participates in the life of the house, organises activities, celebrates the Eucharist daily and prays together in the morning and evening.
Contact
Notre Dame de la Neylière, 828 Route de la Neylière 69590 Pomeys, France
+33 4 78484033
Cultural and Marist Spirituality Centre in Toulon
Based in the heart of Toulon, the Centre offers a rich programme of workshops, conferences, and events in the areas of spirituality, theology, Bible study, culture and issues of social and ecumenical concern. The pastoral tone and approach guiding the mission is true to the vision synodality as espoused by Pope Francis.
Contact
22 rue Victor Clappier, 83000 Toulon, France
+33 6 44 87 30 70
Sahagún Pilgrim Hostel
Christian Welcome for Pilgrims on the Camino, Sahagún, Spain
Since 2018 we welcome pilgrims in our hostel (albergue) on the Camino, in the Benedictine monastery of Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) in Sahagún which is half-way on the French route. We offer a spiritual welcome and accompaniment to pilgrims on the Way to Santiago de Compostela.
We are open from mid-March to mid-November. Thousands of pilgrims are hosted annually. So, if you feel called to welcome and listen to pilgrims, do not hesitate to contact the team. You will be involved from the very first moment in the preparation of the welcome (cleaning, organizing, preparing material and spiritual resources), in the registration and accommodation of the pilgrims, listening to them and serving them with God’s love and trying to see in each pilgrim Christ himself that needs a shelter.
The Marist Mission at Sahagún
The mission of the Marist community is to offer pilgrims the opportunity to “ponder” their Camino experience and hear God’s word addressed to them about their lives at that moment. We do this by providing them with a Christian welcome in the manner of Mary revealing the maternal face of the Church (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 288). Welcoming each one in a discreet manner permits us to share with them moments of companionship, prayer, communion, reconciliation and liturgy. The ministry at Sahagún stands as a contemporary expression of the missionary tradition in the Society of Mary.
As soon as you enter, you know you are in the right place. This is no hotel, and if you come as a tourist, you leave as a pilgrim. Maybe it´s the light of the tabernacle in the chapel, or the light in people´s faces. Maybe it´s the chance to share a cup of coffee, a meal, a hearty laugh or a story. Maybe it´s listening, or being listened to. There is a Presence, and you feel welcome. The house has been used to welcome pilgrims for more than a century. It is Christ Himself who urges us on: “I was a stranger and you invited me in” (Matthew 25:35).
Not everyone is a pilgrim: many are tourists, doing the Camino for relaxation or physical fitness; others are homeless people, living off charity in the different hostels; others are not even sure why they´re there! But here, all are welcome. Because welcoming a pilgrim is also for us a way to “go to the peripheries”, as Pope Francis has asked us. We too are pilgrims, we too are seekers, leaving our comfort zone to find Christ among the “unchurched”.
This ministry of the province is born of our desire to carry out Mary´s Work in Europe by extending the same welcome Mary would give at Nazareth. It has been a moving experience to meet the thousands of pilgrims who have crossed our threshold. Over a cup of coffee, we share their hunger for God, their sorrows, their joys. We share their faith as they seek for new meaning.
Every evening we celebrate a multilingual Pilgrim Mass, with a Blessing of the Pilgrims followed by a shared supper. These are joyful events, and the diversity of languages and nationalities found on the Camino de Santiago, is more of an opportunity than an obstacle. It’s moving to hear from pilgrims who reached their destination some 260 miles away, and send us a selfie or message like: “I made it!”, “Hello from Compostela!”, and the best of all: “Thank you!”
We welcome volunteers to collaborate in this mission for a period of two weeks or several months, from March to November, so if you think you would like to serve the pilgrims, do not hesitate to get in touch. As we say in Spain: “nuestra casa es tu casa” (our home is your home)!
Contact
Padres Maristas, Calle Doña Constanza 9, 24320 Sahagún, Spain
+34 987 780 851
Maristua, Strømmen
In Maristua (our Marist community house), Strømmen on the outskirts of Oslo (Norway) people are welcomed for individual retreats and accompaniment. We can also offer day retreats for small groups.