Les Communautés Religieuses

Last weekend, le lendemain after the crêpe party, L and J came up to the mountain to continue training for the Paris marathon. They, E, and I all went on a 16 km jaunt in the forest to see a WWII monument commemorating the resistance fighters killed by the Nazis. Lorraine was conquered by The Third Reich and the people suffered under its control. A pillar rises between two crosses of Lorraine and its inscription reads “Remember passer-by all of the men who gave their lives for your liberty.” A sign close by asked visitors to remember that this was the last site the men had seen before passing on to the next life.
Upon our return to the lycée, J and I talked a bit about the different roles of religion in US and France. For many Americans, going to church is a social as well as spiritual event. Places of worship give people a sense of community and support their devotees through hard times (i.e. preparing meals for family members of the sick, funeral luncheons) and joyous (i.e. well-wishes for weddings and baptisms). By contrast, French churches emphasize quiet reflection on the past, the afterlife, and how one lives one’s life. Parishioners may socialize outside of services but I have yet to see a flyer for a pancake feed, carnival, or silent auction. Furthermore, since the state undertakes charitable works with tax money, private giving to organizations such as Secours Catholique (Catholic Charities) isn’t as widespread here.
My choir is the result of one prêtre’s attempts to develop a stronger faith community in his parish. Not everyone in the choir goes to church or believes in God, but by singing at Masses, we are helping those who do to contemplate their lives. We still get some strange looks from people who would probably prefer Gregorian chants, but we’ve also gotten more interest from youth and other people about what role we can play in the evolving parish identity.