As Christian Life Community (CLC) members, ten of us set off from the town of Eu in Upper Normandy (representing two local communities) on a pilgrimage for the Jubilee of Families, Grandparents, and the Elderly 2025 in Rome during the Ascension weekend. Vincent, Jérôme, Arnaud, Pascale, Corinne, Valérie, Anne, Anne-Sophie, Isabelle, and Caroline — we were ten companions aged between 55 and 65, following in the footsteps of Saint Ignatius.
We experienced meaningful moments of shared life (by renting an apartment for all ten of us) and visits to Ignatian sites:
- Santa Maria Maggiore
- Il Gesù
- St. Paul Outside the Walls
- St. Ignatius
- St. Andrew at the Quirinal
Thanks to the connection made by our companion Jérôme with Cecilia, whom he had met during the French Community Assembly, we were lucky to be welcomed by Elena, Executive Secretary of the World ExCo, and Cecilia, a member of the ExCo board, at the offices of the World CLC, located near the Curia of the Society of Jesus. We were received with kindness and simplicity. They explained to us how the international structures of CLC function, and how they relate to the Church, the Jesuit Congregation, and even the United Nations.
Their explanations were illustrated through the use of their website, showing how it connects with regional sites across Africa, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. They also manage social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram. The areas of action include youth, formation, NGOs, family, spirituality, and poverty. Thanks to different means of communication, they are able to share and support initiatives happening around the world (with in-person and online meetings held twice a month — one member is based in Vancouver, the other in Hong Kong).
We were deeply moved by this encounter: the kindness, openness, and simplicity we experienced enriched our pilgrimage in the footsteps of Ignatius even further.
CLC is a public association of the Faith, recognized by the Church and the Vatican.
