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| Maison du Missionnaire, Vichy |
The Vincentians of the Province of Toulouse sponsor their Maison du Missionnaire (Missionary House) as a comfortable and welcoming house of studies for confrères, seminarians, and other men and women religious who are studying French. Founded in the early 1920's by Père Henri Watthé, C.M. for ailing missionaries (he himself had ministered for years in China), the Maison du Missionnaire has a long and interesting history and even its own Wikipedia article.
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| Père Aimé Goliet and Père Blaìse Lalarivony |
Happily the superior, Père Aimé Goliet Bernard and the resident missionary, Père Jean-Eudes Blaíse Lalarivony are remarkably welcoming and compassionate Vincentians – and love to talk! And to make the house even more true to its name P. Goliet was a missionary for two decades in Madagascar and P. Blaíse is a missionary here, native to Madagascar. In addition, most everyone I’ve met here at the house are “travelers” outside their home culture as well.
First impressions of places are always memorable even if they turn out to be inaccurate. But it appears to me that Vichy really is a small town; some describe it as a “ville,” founded upon its thermal springs and healing waters industry (and the spas and hotels servicing them) as well as few universities that seem more directed at professional careers. Le CAVILAM, where I’m to study, specializes in la langue françsaise but it also offers teaching degrees through a larger university. I went exploring this morning, testing the 15 minute walking route to the school where I’ll be spending a good deal of time, and it only took me 35 minutes (after characteristically getting repeatedly lost, even with the map!). On the way I found the streets in the shopping district to be eerily empty from mid-morning until noon. Perhaps it’s that we’re out of the tourist season, I thought, but by late afternoon (5:30 or so) I returned and could barely make my way through the dense crowds: young and extended families gathering at cafés and kiosks, groups of teens and pre-teens besieging the multiple street-level malls and departments stores, old-timers (like myself) just strolling. Marvelous. And no one seemed to be in a rush -- something else they say about Vichy -- here (unlike in le Cité, Paris) drivers rarely honk their horns and seem genuinely willing to wait for pedestrians.
Weather is generally moist, they tell me – perhaps this is because much of the town is built adjoining Rive and Lac L’Allier -- mornings here are often bleak and foggy. Like other places in France this size, Vichy is a nice place to settle, especially if you’re a member of the growing French senior population. The town is just as famous for its pampered pets. I was warned repeatedly (in Paris) about being careful where I step while walking the streets here, to practice what we called in the seminary “modesty of the eyes” i.e. a good look out for la merde de chien.
Vichy continues to be known throughout the Republique as the Thermal City -- I'm looking forward to trying out some of the spring waters, so often recommended. However, even today, just the mention of “Vichy” (especially in other parts of France) is bound to produce averted or downcast glances, sometimes even anger or sadness expressed at a past government that many considered run by traitors and puppets. Although nominally a neutral regime, its officials were unquestionably collaborateurs with the German forces during World War II.
In a nutshell, from July 1940 until August 1944 the État Français (“French State”) collaborated with the Axis powers after France’s military defeat was recognized by the previous government, the “Third Republic.” That Republic’s prime minister had been Marshal Pétain, actually a hero of World War I; he now created a new regime, the Vichy Regime. Even though the Vichy government was the officially recognized French government during those war years (yes, even by the Allied governments, like the USA), many described Petain’s regime as reactionary, rather paternalistic, and even fascistic in its cooperation with Germany’s racist policies. Vichy was the administrative center of this French regime until the early 40’s. Thereafter the German Wehrmacht strictly administered the entire southern region like the rest of France. It does seem that Petain’s government for a time had allowed French citizens (especially those residing in the so-called Free Zone) to continue living their lives relatively untouched by the occupation. Except politically, spiritually, culturally, and in every other way that counted. In any case the exiled General Charles de Gaulle never stopped challenging the legitimacy of Vichy France and Petain’s government throughout the war and, as events began to favor Allied forces, the Vichy regime gradually lost any remaining support of its citizens. After the war, of course, its leaders were imprisoned or executed.
All in all, it remains a painful memory for the French; a deep wound still awaiting healing.
DPB
