20 years of the Simon de Cyrène association, a volunteer testifies

Solidarity and fraternal life are the common threads of his journey. It was therefore natural that this 31-year-old from Franche-Comté, who trained in psychology and the medico-social field, would one day discover a structure like Simon of Cyrene.

A life assistant since 2017 in one of the 25 houses in the network in Saint-Apollinaire, near Dijon (Côte-d'Or), she took responsibility in 2022. She manages a team of three employees as well as a young person in civic service, who ensures that activities run smoothly. The house accommodates six adults with a motor or cerebral motor disability, present at birth or occurring after a stroke or road accident. As a life assistant – a role similar to a care assistant -, Catherine was responsible for several years for getting residents up, washing the toilets, eating meals, but also for keeping the house and leading the break times. conviviality: exchanges, parties, support for outside activities… Although the house is open to everyone, Christian or not, it establishes a link between one's faith and one's professional commitment.

An arduous mission

“I have meditated a lot on the first two commandments of Jesus: “You shall love your God”, and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. » She also says she is perfectly lucid about the difficulties of her mission. “First, there is the disability. We tend to overvalue the joy of helping each other, of supporting each other, but it is first and foremost a cross that we did not choose and against which we rebel. It's not all rosy. » And then, she is aware that community life is hampered by disputes, “moments of bitterness”. Catherine is now wondering about the best way to put her artistic talents as a painter and designer to the service of the household, why not in the form of art therapy. And she remains amazed by the meeting of the members of the association at Easter this year. “There were 650 of us in Lourdes. We managed to make a link between Bernadette's message and that of Simon of Cyrene: “She looked at me like a person looks at a person”. »