Two international formation gatherings: driven by a desire to grow together, determined to strengthen our life in community, facing the inevitable challenges—and discovering that they become opportunities to overcome our deepest fears.
Versailles — Southern Europe Zone Meeting
It is always difficult to "describe" a Faith and Light gathering, especially an international one, where deep bonds form despite the distances and languages that separate us.
From July 4 to 7, we gathered—34 coordinators from Southern Europe, representing Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and Yugoslavia—around Marie-Hélène Mathieu and Mariangela Bertolini, our zone coordinator. Five spiritual assistants joined us as well.
The Deaconesses of Reuilly welcomed us to their home in Versailles: a place of beauty and warmth, the nuns' welcoming smiles and thoughtful discretion. Each day, they invited us to join them in prayer. It was fitting to be gathered in this Protestant community at a time when ecumenism has become a living reality in so many countries where Faith and Light is growing.
Mariangela spoke to us with intensity and emotion about her experience, her life, taking as her theme: "The weakness and strength of Faith and Light." "At the heart of our communities is the smallest among us—above all, Jesus himself." "The handicapped person is the sign of this." "The very person who seemed a burden to the family can become a light, a sign of peace…"
Marie-Hélène answered the coordinators' questions. It is always important to share experiences and difficulties, to learn how Faith and Light comes to life in other continents.
Valeria Levi della Vida told us about the "national team"—the coordinating team for the entire country.
We were also moved by Jean Evariste's testimony on "The Father of a Handicapped Boy in Faith and Light," full of gentleness and shaped by his own experience: "Suffering can unleash flight, rebellion—but it can also unleash love…"
Together, we took an important step: the election of a vice-coordinator to assist Mariangela. Everything proceeded according to our constitution, in prayer. It was Jean Evariste himself who was chosen. We pray that the Lord will grant Jean and his wife Francoise—coordinators of Belgium—all the grace they need for this new service.
The daily Eucharist was an intense moment. Each of us carried with us all the communities in our care, all the families, friends, and young people—wounded or whole—the entire Faith and Light family.
The vigils, too, deserve mention. The first brought each of us to introduce ourselves, followed by a surprise (prepared by the devoted Faith and Light team of Versailles): Marie-Hélène's birthday, celebrated together with all those born in July—four of us in all.
Later, before we said goodnight, we gathered in a simple, often silent prayer around candles and flowers. Saturday evening, our Mediterranean friends invited us to work together in small groups on a large puzzle: "Love one another." Afterward came the gift exchange between countries.
Sunday morning, Jean Vanier's arrival strengthened us in our calling as coordinators. "To have responsibility is a gift, but also a cross. Yet the wisdom we need is within us. Here are some signs of that wisdom: love those for whom you are responsible, 'present' them to God, spend much time listening; learn to accept difference; learn to resolve conflict. Human relationships can only be built on forgiveness. In Faith and Light, the handicapped person becomes an evangelist."
The "sending forth," to close our gathering, united us in the chapel around Mariangela and Marcel Gaudillière.
Together one last time, we asked the Lord for the courage and humility to carry our responsibilities and to pass on the gift of Faith and Light—difficult, sometimes shocking though it may be—to all those who await it: in the Church, in parish communities, in families…
-M.F. Heyndrickx, Coordinator of the Northeast France Province, 1985
Tigery — International Formation Session
More than 30 people from 17 countries gathered for a formation session held July 6-16 in Tigery, near Paris.
We spent ten demanding days together, yet from the very first day we were bound by deep friendship.
Our theme was: "I have chosen you to bear fruit."
Each day followed the four rhythms of our community: reflection, sharing, prayer, and celebration.
Each morning we grew in the Spirit through the words of Father Wilson, our international spiritual assistant; Father Marcel Gaudillière, spiritual counselor for France; Mariangela Bertolini, coordinator for Southern European countries; Jean Vanier and Marie-Hélène, our two founders; and Roland Tamraz, coordinator for the Middle East.
We discussed many themes together and in small groups:
— The vocation of Faith and Light, its history and mission in the Church, and the responsibility this places on coordinators.
— Suffering and how parents approach it.
We also did practical exercises we called "technique workshops," where we practiced mime, singing, and manual work. We had group projects too: preparing a team-animation meeting, presenting Faith and Light, evaluating a meeting or celebration.
The vigils held some of our most important moments. Testimonies, songs, dances, the story of Faith and Light's birth, mime, prayer—and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament—all became occasions to "celebrate" our covenant with the smallest in our communities.
Our pilgrimage to Chartres was another powerful moment, helping us enter into the spirit of the Year of Pilgrimage.
I must admit I arrived with some fear. I didn't know what to expect, worried I wouldn't be able to handle such a demanding commitment. But the family atmosphere changed my mind.
All my fears melted away as I found myself, little by little, more involved and more engaged.
What touched me most was the connection with the people there. We came from many different countries, yet we shared one great desire: to strengthen our communities. Perhaps that is why a family spirit emerged so quickly among us—as if we had known each other for years.
It was deeply helpful and enriching to hear how Faith and Light lives in such different contexts, to learn that problems which seem enormous in our community are quite ordinary compared to the struggles some groups must overcome—like those in Lebanon and Syria.
All of this has given me great strength to continue serving in Faith and Light.
-Alessandra Botta, Fatima Community, Milan, 1985