January 19 and 20, 2011
On Wednesday, I traveled from Paris to Marseille on the TGV which stands for tres grands vitesse. (It really means "very fast train") The same trip that once required me to drive 7 hours by car, took 3 hours and 15 minutes by train. I was met at the St. Charles station in Marseille by Francoise and Jean-Francois Garde, friends of Paul and Janet Mathieu. M. et Mme. Garde offered gracious hospitality in their home. They live in the town of Auriol. Their home is a modern house but furnished in the classic Provençal tradition – colorful fabrics, art work, and antiques. They have a beautiful collection of watercolors from the Atlantic west coast – their favorite vacation spot. (It always sounds strange to me to think of the Atlantic to the west). Mme. also has a collection of nativity scenes, including a traditional Provencal scene. She seems very proud of them and did not put them away so I could see them. The traditional crèche of Provence has not only the familiar Holy Family, shepherds, 3 wise men, angels, and assorted animals. It also includes a host of townspeople in traditional garb, carrying the produce or products of their trade. And so there are men, women, and children carrying baskets of fruits and vegetables, breads, furniture, tools, fish, livestock, and every other sort of occupation. She has one set consisting of miniature figures which she allows her grandchildren to play with to arrange and re-arrange as they wish.
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| M. Jean-Francois et Mme. Francoise Garde |
This morning, we left for the Commune de Plan D’Aups, the community where La Sainte-Baume is located. We drove up into the mountains which were covered in low clouds and fog. Every so often there would be a break and the summits were revealed in famous light of southern France. There are breathtaking views of the rocky cliffs and peaks which surround the area. We stopped at one of their favorite places to hike. It’s an easy trail but very scenic. As we walked I could smell spices. I noticed that it was rosemary growing everywhere – clumps of it covering the ground. And alongside it, thyme, all growing wild. I could only think of how much a few sprigs costs in a market at home. Here it was growing by the ton – and some of it already in bloom – in the middle of January. A major fortune if it could be transported home.
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| Chapelle de St-Jacques Apotre |
We continued to the first little village. The towns in France are called communes. They are a collection of small villages organized in a kind of cooperative. It’s almost like Freetown with its two villages, East Freetown and Assonet. Except that in France, the villages which were once independent, are unified into the commune with each village represented independently in the communal government. We stopped at the village of Plan D'Aups. The Garde’s wanted me to see the 11th Century Chapel that is still in use as a parish church. It is a small chapel seating maybe 100 people. It is built in the Roman style – a single nave with a barrel vault and semi-circular apse for the sanctuary. This chapel has a unique feature - a hole in the roof of the apse. The hole is set in a position that on noon of June 21st, the summer solstice, the sun shines down directly on the altar.
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| The traditional calvaire with the Virgin Mary, the Apostle John, and Marry Magdelene at the feet of Jesus. |
At the rear of the apse is a calvaire, a traditional Calvary grouping – Jesus on the cross, Mary his mother, the apostle John, and the other Mary. This one dates back to the 13th century. It is rather primitive in its design, but extremely well preserved. On the wall on the side of the nave are two gilded statues, one of St. James, the other a Madonna. I lit a candle at the statue of St. James because this chapel was a stop on the ancient pilgrim’s route to St. James Campostello in Spain. I remembered everyone at St. John Neumann here.
As we were leaving, we had the chance to speak to the pastor of the commune. He said he was envious of me because he assumes we have large numbers active in our parish. He has a friend who is a pastor in Dallas, Texas and recalls the large numbers at Mass when he visited there. The commune has 5000 inhabitants, mostly Catholic. He has 20 children in religious education and maybe 30 people at Mass on Sunday. After he learned of our numbers, he said, ”Pendant votre retraite, rendez grace a Dieu”. (While on your retreat, give thanks to God)
I certainly will.
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| Retreat Center from the base of the cliff |
We had lunch in the salle de pelerins, the pilgrim’s hall. Apparently I will not be taking my meals with the Dominican community. As M. and Mme. Garde were leaving after lunch, they offered to come for me during my stay here. There are Cistercian Abbeys nearby that they go to and thought I’d be interested in visiting with them. I was happy to accept the invitation.
There is also a retreat taking place for the priests of the Diocese of Toulon. I have little contact with them except at Liturgy of the Hours and at Mass. One elderly priest approached me to introduce himself. He said there was a rumor of an American priest staying here. He was curious if I am he. We had a pleasant chat but I’ve had no conversation with any other Toulon priests.
At first I was a little disappointed that I would not be dining with the community, but that has changed. As of this writing, I have had 4 meals here. At each one I dined with pilgrims en-route to Campostello, other retreatants, and people spending just a day at the grotto of Mary Magdalene. Last night I dined with two priests from the Diocese of Ferrara in Italy. They both spoke French so it was not a silent dinner. Today, I had lunch with a small group of people who were visiting for just the day. The husband of the woman seated beside me is a church organist, so we had something in common. She asked for my contact information and asked me if I would be interested in touring and playing some of the historic pipe organs in the area. Of course, I accepted this invitation too.
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| View from my room |
The daily routine is ordered by the Liturgy of the hours. It is certainly a place of peace and tranquility. I’m looking forward to the rest of my time here.
