Since
arriving in France last week I’ve been welcomed by our gracious Vincentian
confreres living in Villepinte. This
busy house serves as an alternative residence for our missioners who arrive
from outside of France to study theology or do research, since it is a
convenient 40 minute commute to the center of Paris. Life is simple here at our rented apartment
on Avenue Verdun, with three – soon to be four – other confreres.
The pastor
and team moderator is Fr. Guillaume (from Cameroun) who sets the pastoral tone
and is also busy as a provincial consultor and local superior. Long-time housemate, Fr. Mathew (from the
South Indian Province) is completing post graduate studies in spirituality),
spends a good deal of his time and effort preparing meals for the rest of us
and keeping supplies in order. Fr.
Gabriel (also from Cameroun), is another student and parish team member, and
very soon the house will welcome Fr. Pierre (from Vietnam) who is beginning his
language studies in preparation for advance theological studies.
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| Sharing a delightful evening of Vespers and Eucharist with Villepinte Christians, February 15. |
At Villepinte, our community prayer as Vincentian missioners is shared with parishioners. For the most part, we celebrate weekday vespers and Eucharist during the evenings at
three parish sites or along with neighbors at our tiny chapel (seating maybe a
dozen or so). Public prayer takes place alternatively at one of the three
public prayer sites, St. Vincent de Paul church, Notre Dame church, and the
Notre Dame Parish House, where the picture above was taken last night. Attending weeknight vespers and mass are
anywhere from a dozen to fifty people while the Sunday mass at each of the two
parishes are often full. People here are
largely working class and immigrant, many born in African
countries where French is one of the languages spoken. Our neighborhood, where the confreres are
fairly well known and welcome, is known for its rich mix of immigrant cultures and religions
as well, including Muslims.
Villepinte is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It
is located 18.3 km (11.4 mi) from the center of Paris. Population: 35,639. Within about 20 minutes walking distance in
one of the two parishes served by our men (St. Vincent de Paul) and about 40
minutes is the other (Our Lady of Lourdes)
So that you don’t feel obliged to google it, a
commune, is the lowest, or base level
of administrative division (self-governing) in France since being created at
the beginning of the French Revolution (1789-1790). Just to clear things up (or not!) both a village (up to 2000
inhabitants) and the ville (more than 2,000 in habitants) are communes.
Before the commune, the most basic
division of French territory was the parish (paroisse), essentially the church
surrounded by the houses around it (village) and the cultivated land around the
village.
