Congrégation du Saint-Esprit - Chevilly
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In Chevilly-Larue, near Paris, the Spiritan Welcome Center hosts groups and individuals for Christian spiritual retreats in a place marked by over 150 years of missionary history.
Run by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, it offers a peaceful setting conducive to rest, prayer, and discernment.
Retreats organized by the community
Over 150 years of missionary history
The Spiritans have been present in Chevilly-Larue since 1864.
Long known as the mission seminary, the site was an important training center for missionaries, both in theological formation and in learning practical skills for overseas missions.
Today, this place still maintains its vocation of openness to the world and hospitality.
Throughout the year, it welcomes groups and individuals for times of encounter, formation, and Christian spiritual retreat, in a spirit of simplicity, prayer, and fraternity.
The Spiritan community and the Congregation of the Holy Spirit
The local community is part of the tradition of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, a missionary religious congregation founded in 1703 in Paris.
Today it brings together approximately 2,600 religious, priests and brothers, present in about sixty countries across five continents, mostly in Africa.
Consecrated to the Holy Spirit and taking Mary as their model, the Spiritans live in fraternal communities, united by prayer, community life, and mission among populations often distant or vulnerable.
A mission shared with the laity
Throughout its history, the Congregation has seen Spiritan Brothers join the priests to concretely support the mission, particularly through the construction of churches, schools, or clinics and the development of educational and social projects.
Today, this mission is also shared with lay associates, committed while maintaining their state of life.
Together, religious and laity form the Spiritan family, united by the desire to serve and witness to the Gospel.
What to expect during your stay
Type of welcome and spiritual guidance offered
Drawing on their long missionary experience, the Spiritans offer simple and adapted spiritual guidance to meet everyone's expectations.
Guests can benefit, according to their requests, from times of spiritual exchange, missionary testimonies, the sacrament of reconciliation, as well as meetings with a priest, brother, or religious.
The place welcomes sessions, retreats, formation programs, seminars, forums, and recollections, in a climate favorable to silence, prayer, and discernment, thanks to the presence of chapels and oratories.
Practical details of welcome and facilities
Located south of Paris, in a vast wooded park of several acres, the Spiritan Welcome Center of Chevilly-Larue offers a peaceful setting conducive to rest and spiritual retreat in Île-de-France.
It has 112 rooms (140 beds), a self-service dining facility, and numerous equipped meeting rooms that can accommodate from 10 to 180 people.
A large chapel, several oratories, a library of 110,000 volumes open to the public, and remarkable archives complete the ensemble.
Geography and activities
Geographic location and surroundings
Located in Chevilly-Larue, the center sits in the southern suburbs of Paris, near L'Haÿ-les-Roses, Villejuif, Orly Airport, and the Rungis International Market.
Guests can explore the surroundings on foot or by car: the "City Messenger of Peace" route, parks and green spaces, the Rungis market, or the Roseraie du Val-de-Marne (rose garden), designated a Remarkable Garden, offering an ideal setting for walks and relaxation.
Practical information
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