TRUSTEESHIP DAY IN ANGLET (FRANCE)

"Let us dare to meet each other in the footsteps of Blessed Louis-Edouard Cestac"... 

On 20 October 2023, 260 people (school directors, representative of the OGEC, teachers, educational supervisors, school pastoral workers and other service staff from the school network of the Servants of Mary) assembled at Notre Dame du Refuge, the mother house of the Congregation. 

They came from the Sainte Foy school in Toulouse, the Sainte Marie school in Biarritz, the agricultural college in Nay Baudreix and the Stella Maris school complex in Anglet (primary, secondary and higher education).

The meeting, which was prepared by the schools' supervisory board, school heads and members of the educational communities, had three main objectives:

1. To encourage the members of the various educational institutions to get to know each other;

2. To allow them to draw inspiration from Father Cestac, a man of faith who allowed himself to be inspired and led by the Virgin Mary to create works that met the needs of the poor of his time, in particular little girls from the countryside for whom no education was organized at the time, and young women who were victims of prostitution in the city of Bayonne. The visit to the site of Notre-Dame du Refuge seemed particularly appropriate, as the heritage that our founder created in response to the needs of his time and of the emerging work is still very much alive today, thanks to the collaboration of many lay professionals within the Mission Père Cestac association, which manages social and health works (crèche, multi-purpose centers, a social children's home, a family welcome service, a home for young migrants, a home for adults with disabilities and the EPPAD home for retired sisters and lay men and women) in Anglet. In addition, there is a pole of agricultural activity. This activity was initiated by Father Cestac in the early days of the work, in order to provide a living and reintegrate the young women taken in through agricultural work. The first step was to fix the sand by planting pine trees;

3. To present to educational communities the key points of a training course organized by ISFEC Bordeaux entitled: "charism and professional gestures", a proposal for accompaniment based on lived experience, illuminated by the reading and deepening of biblical texts, particularly the great stories from the beginning of the book of Genesis. This approach can guide those interested in exercising their profession with reference to biblical anthropology.

Matthieu Pommiers, Director of ISFEC Bordeaux, was present to introduce the approach.

After a warm welcome and the setting up of visiting and reflection groups, we gathered in the chapel. Sister Isabelle, the Superior General of the Congregation, welcomed us by explaining the life of the educational community and the process underway in relation to some of the points developed by Pope Francis in the "Global Pact for Education". A brief but precise description of the chapel's décor highlighted the importance of the reference to Mary, Queen and Mother, in Father Cestac's spirituality.

Then the participants, accompanied by their guide, began their tour of the site, which some did not hesitate to describe as a "real village". They arrived at the Lycée Stella Maris, where a time for group discussion and reflection enabled them to express their impressions of the visit (somewhat hampered by the rain and wind), to make links between their daily practice and the charism and spirit received from Father Cestac, which they bring to life, relaying the professional commitment and witness of the Servants of Mary.

After a buffet lunch at the school, Matthieu Pommiers presented a summary of the group work in the chapel.

It was enlightened and enriched by a talk given by André-Pierre Gautier, a Brother of the Christian Schools. In his speech, he pointed out the similarities between the treasure of his spiritual tradition, that of John Baptist de la Salle and that of Father Cestac, two men of faith, educators and pedagogues who were moved by the misery of certain young people of their time, boys or girls, whose dignity was not taken into consideration, and who put all their creativity at the service of their social integration. This means passing on knowledge, know-how and interpersonal skills, but first and foremost it also means being present and attentive to young people, and instilling the confidence that will enable them to overcome failures, grow in self-esteem and persevere in their efforts despite the difficulties along the way. In this way, young people will be able to fulfil their potential and open themselves up to the universality of love, so that they in turn can help to build a more just and fraternal world.

Mathieu Pommiers then reminded participants of the possibility of signing up for a training course spread over time on the theme of "Charism and professional gestures".

A time of celebration brought the meeting to a close, with everyone invited to a light snack before leaving. This was another opportunity to share, and to see that the day's experience was a source of joy, that it strengthened the feeling of belonging to a spiritual tradition, to a network, that it gave rise to hope and enthusiasm for continuing to live one's profession by bearing witness to the values that give meaning and beauty to life.