"Everything is connected, and the authentic protection of our own life and of our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice and fidelity to others." Art. 70 of the encyclical Laudato Si', Pope Francis.
Our initiatives to live integral ecology
On this site, Fondacio seeks to live this ecological coherence where social justice, personal and spiritual development, and the relationship between Man and nature are thought of together. Training, projects, spiritual life and partnerships are deployed to allow everyone to taste and deepen their relationship with themselves, with others, with nature and with God.
LIVING BROTHERLY TIES
"All creatures are connected, and as beings we all need each other." Laudato Si', art -42, Pope Francis.
A long tradition of hospitality for this house: even before Fondacio arrived on this site in 1999, the auxiliary sisters were already welcoming various groups, family celebrations and marginalized people.
We continue in this same dynamic the reception of groups from various backgrounds, whether professional, associative, family or social. The choice to establish an accommodation center (CHRS) in the very heart of the house, in its center is a concrete sign that we can surround, cherish, give a place of choice to those who have been shaken for a moment in their life path, sometimes rejected.
Beyond the support from a qualified team of professionals, a whole network of fraternity is offered through regular meetings to build links with others: activity Thursdays, fraternal Sundays and also times of respite, vacations, and rejuvenation are offered.
Fraternal life is one of the most beautiful gifts we have received. Fondacio runs more than 25 sharing groups in the Paris region that meet once a month. These sharing groups are places for rereading. They allow us to receive our life as a gift, to catalyze our energies for the future.
Connecting with others is also played out in team engagement in many projects. There is so much joy in giving of oneself together to build a more humane and fairer world!
It is also through meetings around the coffee machine or during a meal that new projects are born! A real fraternity is experienced between employees, volunteers and those involved in Fondacio. Some people passing through thank us for the warm welcome, the contagious peace received!
GETTING CLOSER TO NATURE
"The inhabitants of this planet are not made to live deprived of physical contact with nature." Laudato Si', art 44, Pope Francis
For years, in partnership with the neighboring parish, a team of volunteers (Gardening and Spirituality) comes once a month to recharge their batteries and take care of the park.
On the site, a chicken coop promotes waste management while promoting the joy of life.
In partnership with the association "Colibris de Versailles", our neighbors in the neighborhood can come and deposit their compost in our park or garden a plot of land. A way to share simple joys, to cultivate the wonder of nature! We thus support several objectives pursued by the Colibris: concretely implementing waste reduction solutions, promoting biodiversity in a friendly and mutually supportive spirit.
Young people from a local IME (Medical-Educational Institute) and their educators have the joy of gardening in our park.
The project to transform part of the site into a market gardening area and thus provide our catering service with vegetables from the garden while working on the integration of migrants is underway.
Between respect for nature and social justice, we are also concerned about the consumer choices to be made to build a more humane and fairer world. L'Ermitage hosts on its site the storage facilities of the association "le Comptoir du Potager". Through this partnership, we wish to promote and support consumption methods that are more respectful of producers and our planet. We share the values defended by this association: a way of life and thought where the notion of sustainability prevails over that of productivity, where attachment to the land, conviviality and solidarity are shared values. A weekly distribution is ensured at L'Ermitage. Thanks to a solidarity contribution from the customers of Le Comptoir du Potager, our social structures benefit each week from a solidarity basket of seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Commercial partnerships have also been set up to recover unsold items and thus allow the public to benefit from our solidarity activities.
CONNECT WITH YOURSELF
"The immense technological progress has not been accompanied by a development of the human being in responsibilities, in values, in conscience." Laudato Si', art. 105, Pope Francis.
The framework itself invites inner peace and the entire pedagogy of Fondacio, anchored in the Christian tradition, invites everyone to an inner life favoring the emergence of our own vocation, the deployment of the best of ourselves, to give ourselves to the world.
To do this, we favor spaces and times of prayer open to all. Each meeting begins by taking the inner weather of each person. In order to promote this inner life, Fondacio has developed a whole team of people trained in listening. Spiritual companions will be attentive to each person to embrace all the dimensions of our lives, in the light of God. "These times when I am listened to are an undeniable support that brings clarity and strength into my life." Several therapists also receive in our walls, for individual or couple interviews.
TASTE THE PRESENCE OF GOD
“In every creature dwells his life-giving Spirit who calls us into a relationship with him.”
Laudato Si', art -88, Pope Francis.
We believe that the treasure God has shared with us is relationship: relationship with Him, with ourselves, with others, with all of creation. We deploy several ways to connect with God:
- spaces for silence, because “ silence is the cradle of God” (Maurice Zundel).
- spaces for community prayer, open to all: our faith and our spiritual life are strengthened by this community life.
- spaces to explore and experience the Bible (in workshops, during the day, on courses) as well as spiritual retreats.
It is also spiritual accompaniment to learn to see that God does not come to meet us anywhere other than in the reality of our lives.
No responses yet