Meetings around coffee, pop praise songs… in an Ardèche church, a revitalized vision of faith

Behind the large bay windows of the café on the Place de l’église in Guilherand-Granges (Ardèche), Magali Nodin hastens to turn on the numerous hanging lights. With a flick of her arm, she readjusts the position of the chairs, checking out of the corner of her eye that there are still balls in the table football… The smell of ground coffee invades the room, everything is ready for the opening, scheduled for 3 p.m. Despite the ease of her gestures, the forty-year-old is not a completely ordinary manager: Magali is the pastoral coordinator of the Sainte-Thérèse church. And, against all expectations, running this café, open thanks to volunteers three half-days a week, is an integral part of its missions.

Inaugurated in June, Le Frat’ responds to the parish’s desire to open its doors to people far from the faith. The pastoral team, under the leadership of former priest Ludovic Basset-Chercot, imagined a step-by-step journey to encounter God. Beyond the coffee, the mass was renewed with pop praise songs. Four times a year, “Sundays in the parish” offer a time of prayer accessible to those who do not know the Eucharistic ritual. A way of “anchoring the Church in our time”, underlines the current priest, Father Marc Bonningues, and of opening a door to faith, in a world where religious practice is becoming rarer.

As soon as the establishment opens, customers arrive in clusters. Three friends aged 77 to 90 discuss the reopening ceremony of Notre-Dame de Paris over steaming cups. “Did you know that the altar was made very close to us, in Dieulefit (Drôme)? » proudly says Claude, who watched everything on television. “I hardly leave the house anymore, even mass, I watch it live. So, this space is blessed bread,” explains the woman who lives in the building just opposite, on the other side of the square. “We need an open house like this. In the surrounding area, there is no equivalent,” adds Maryse.

At the request of residents

The Sainte-Thérèse church is part of the Saint-Pierre de Crussol parish which brings together twelve bell towers. This territory of 30,000 souls is described as “rurban”: a neologism designating a rural space nested in urban areas. The Frat’ responds to a carefully studied need. From London to Dinard via Lyon, Magali and committed parishioners traveled to draw inspiration from original projects already at work. A “sidewalk microphone” day was also conducted in the parking lot of a large store.

Unanimously, the café stood out: the residents wanted a place to meet, to meet, and which welcomes without judgment or distinction. “We wanted to move from a maintenance pastoral to a Good News pastoral by setting up a process of spiritual growth with several steps,” explains Magali. Reception in the establishment – ​​the construction of which was integrated into all the work on the parish house financed by the diocese of Viviers, the Church’s funds, the parish and donations – thus constitutes the first step of this journey towards God. Each couple, family or person who is preparing for a sacrament is also invited to participate in “Sundays in the parish”. Four times a year, this time of prayer, praise and testimony of faith renews the welcome within the church.

Rejuvenation at the altar

On this December weekend, after Sunday mass, the parish is celebrating: colorful bows are placed on the benches; behind the altar, large golden letters make up the word “Jesus” and two neon lights in the shape of a cross are placed at the bottom of the steps. The worship pop group resonates its first chords.

The atmosphere is relaxed. Around ten children sing and dance on the carpet placed in front of the first benches. Eyes raised towards the projection screen on which the words scroll, the assembly of a hundred people sings in chorus. On leaving, an aperitif is shared, in the café as it should be! Chloé and Loïc, in their thirties, are following baptism preparation for their children aged 2 years and 7 months. They are delighted with the initiative: “We only go to church for major holidays but here, the format is great, it gives a fresh look. We will definitely come back. »