Fraternity of Tiberias - Sisters' House
Discover the house of the Sisters of the Fraternity of Tiberias in Pondrôme, in the Belgian Ardennes: a Christian spiritual retreat location in the heart of nature, combining prayer, manual work, and fraternity.
Retreats organized by the community
A community of Franciscan spirituality in the Belgian Ardennes
At the gates of the Belgian Ardennes, the Sisters of the Fraternity of Tiberias welcome visitors to their home: a carefully restored old farmhouse in the heart of the Pondrôme countryside.
The Fraternity of Tiberias is a religious community of Franciscan spirituality, founded in 1979 in Lavaux-Sainte-Anne through the inspiration of Marc Piret-Gérard, "a new flower in the great bouquet of the Church," in his own words.
Inspired by Saint Francis of Assisi, the Fraternity brings together men and women desiring to live in simplicity, prayer, and the joy of the Gospel.
Sixteen years after its foundation, a young woman joined the brothers: the women's branch of the Fraternity was born. In 2011, the two communities decided to live on separate sites: the sisters then settled in Pondrôme, 7 km from Lavaux-Sainte-Anne.
Today, ten sisters live there in a restored old farmhouse. The main wing houses their living space and workshops, while a second wing is reserved for welcoming retreatants.
Consecrated in 2022, the chapel is the heart of the house. Built of wood and local stone, it expresses the simple and natural beauty dear to Franciscan spirituality.
Behind the buildings, the sisters cultivate a large vegetable garden and a flower garden, while meadows and country roads invite peaceful walks through rolling countryside.
The life of the Sisters of the Fraternity of Tiberias
The house of the Sisters of Tiberias currently has ten religious sisters.
Their day is structured around prayer, manual work, hospitality, and evangelization missions, with particular attention to young people and families.
They strive to maintain a simple and joyful fraternal life, seeking to be a small parable of universal fraternity. Every day at noon, they share the meal with guests in a family spirit.
Retreatants are invited, if they wish, to participate in manual work: gardening, cooking, preserving, outdoor maintenance, or preparing firewood.
Every evening, the community entrusts its mission to the Lord in this prayer:
Lord, it is with complete confidence
That we ask you to bless
The great field of the Church to be harvested
And the small field of our Fraternity.
Send us the brothers and sisters
We need to build up
This house, your community.
If such is your will,
Make this small fraternity a universal family
Of joyful brothers and sisters, docile to the Holy Spirit,
Devoted to prayer, instructed in faith,
Happy to live together forever and to be united
To respond to the calls of our time and our Church,
To proclaim Jesus, to witness to Him in unity and prayer,
And through the humble work of our hands.
What to expect during your stay
Experience a spiritual retreat at the house of the Sisters of Tiberias
The sisters' house is a place of hospitality and spiritual retreat open to all, particularly young people, students, and families, but also individuals, couples, or groups of young people.
When the house is not occupied by themed weekends or spiritual camps, it gladly welcomes individual guests wishing to experience a time of prayer, silence, or renewal.
Retreatants can:
- participate in the community's liturgical prayer: Lauds, midday prayer, Compline, daily Eucharist and adoration,
- take times of silence and personal meditation (Bible reading, prayer, walks in nature),
- experience fraternal encounters with the sisters and other guests,
- reconnect with nature through shared times of manual work.
Accommodation and living environment
The guest house includes about twenty rooms, including four double rooms and several dormitories.
Six rooms are arranged in a mezzanine above the chapel, allowing some to concretely experience "dwelling in the house of the Lord" (Ps 26).
Guests have access to:
- the chapel, open 24/7,
- bathrooms on each floor (toilets, showers, sinks),
- a small library,
- a dining room and welcoming common spaces.
Meals are simple and shared in fraternity.
The peaceful and prayerful atmosphere encourages spiritual renewal and return to the essential.
Geography and activities
Discover Pondrôme and the Belgian Ardennes
Located at the border between the provinces of Namur and Luxembourg, the house of the Sisters of Tiberias is in French-speaking Belgium, just steps from the forests of the Ardennes.
Surrounded by meadows and picturesque villages, it offers an ideal setting for walks on foot or by bike, between nature and silence.
Nearby:
- Beauraing (6 km): sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary, accessible on foot, by bike, or by car,
- Dinant (30 min): city along the Meuse River, famous for its collegiate church and citadel,
- Givet (30 min): charming French town at the gates of Belgium,
- Chevetogne (25 km): monastery housing a magnificent Byzantine church, a place of dialogue between Christian traditions.
Practical information
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