A small private apartment in central Moscow. A living room four or five meters across, no furniture. Fifty people crammed inside, more in the hallway. And yet there is profound silence. A clear voice speaks in French, with simultaneous translation.
Jean Vanier is leading his first retreat in the Soviet Union.
We break into small reflection groups: two in the living room, one in a bedroom, one in the kitchen, one in the bathroom. The rest step outside to talk on the streets. Before us stands Lenin's immense mausoleum. With my Russian friends, we reflect on the question: "How has Jesus changed my life? How does he give me his freedom?"
* * *
This was March 1989. In this vast country where parents with an intellectually disabled child have almost nothing—only the option of an institution—communities like Faith and Light represent another hope entirely. One mother told me that before this retreat, no one had ever told her that her son had value. Many friends discover the face of Christ through the person with a handicap. It is also a path toward unity for our divided churches.* * *
In 1989, Faith and Light emerged from the catacombs in two countries. In Hungary, seven communities now gather, usually once a week. They organize camps during vacations. Here too, deeply committed young people see Faith and Light as a way of life. They are blessed to have Father Joseph as their spiritual guide—a man who spent twelve years in prison.* * *
In Czechoslovakia, a small community exists in Bratislava. It is primarily family-centered. Some young people in Prague, after attending Faith and Light camps and making pilgrimages to Poland, organized an ecumenical retreat with Jean Vanier. Poland was the first Eastern country where Faith and Light took root, twelve years ago. Teresa, a mother from Wrocław, went to France to find texts to prepare her daughter for her first communion. She met Marie Hélène Mathieu. Today there are nearly a hundred communities. Each organizes one or two vacation camps a year. People with handicaps visit friends who keep "open houses." With my wife and our three children, we open our door to Piotr, Bogdan, and Jacek. They come every week for lunch or to share news.* * *
The terrible suffering of hearts in this part of Europe called the "Eastern Countries" has awakened a great thirst for the Lord's Good News and a call to community life. Today we must rebuild our countries with the smallest and weakest in mind. - Marcin Przeciszewski, 1990