On the final day of our wonderful, five day pilgrimage a large number of people, including other members of the Marist family, joined us to hear an excellent presentation given by Kevin Duffy in which he shared his reflections on La Neylière and Fr Jean Claude Colin. He focused particularly on the significance of “this house of prayer” and how Fr Colin lived and worked in it following his retirement as Superior General in 1854 until his death on 15th November, 1875.
He also spoke of the current threefold mission of La Neylière: to facilitate access to the Marist heritage; to provide opportunities for encounters, formation and spirituality; and, to serve the wider, local community. Following his presentation, the group was divided into four and invited to spend time reflecting on significant quotes of Fr Colin around the themes of: Simplicity, the importance of Consultation in decision making, Prayer, and Building a New Church.
We then moved to the Oratory for the blessing of anew portrait of Fr Colin which is placed beside his tomb. There was a wonderful spirit of conviviliaty as we enjoyed a delightful lunch and shared a meal. The pilgrimage ended with an uplifting celebration of the Eucharist in the afternoon, led by Monsignor Le Gal, auxillary bishop of Lyon. He gave an insightful homily on Fr Colin and Marist spirituality.
The day ended with sad farewells as the pilgrims and friends who had been blessed by the experience and shared so much, along with those who had gathered to celebrate this special occasion, left La Neylière enriched and deeply grateful for the special contribution Fr Jean Claude Colin has made to their lives and to the world. We are deeply grateful also to Jean-Marie Bloqueau and Sr Teri O'Brien, SM, for their hard work in making such wonderful experience possible.
Ray Chapman, SM
