Missionary Family of Our Lady - Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier
In Ardèche, not far from Puy-en-Velay, the sisters and brothers of the Missionary Family of Our Lady welcome you for a time of rest in their magnificent home!
Located in the Monts d'Ardèche Regional Nature Park, 12 miles from Aubenas, along the Bourges river, the community is established in the small village of Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier, near the parish church.
You can find renewal within the community and enjoy the magnificent setting of their home and the rich nature nearby, at the foot of the Ardèche plateau, where the climate is neither too cold in winter nor too hot in summer!
Retreats organized by the community
The home of Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier, the family's motherhouse!
The motherhouse of the Missionary Family of Our Lady, in the heart of Ardèche, is the founding place of the community in 1946. From atop its rock, Our Lady of the Snows awaits you there!
On February 11, 1946, Father Lucien-Marie Dorne, the founder, was appointed pastor of the parish. On Sunday, December 15, 1946, Bishop Alfred Couderc, Bishop of Viviers, came to bless the statue of Our Lady of the Snows overlooking the village, and gave permission for the foundation.
On May 30, 1947, Mother Marie-Agusta and the first sisters arrived. Since then, the spiritual center of Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier, the community's formation house, has grown with the welcoming of pilgrims and guests.
"Our Lady of the Snows, O Immaculate Virgin, lead climber, help us to ascend!" This song rises as the religious of the Missionary Family of Our Lady climb the hill where the statue of the Virgin erected by the community's founder stands.
The community's day is structured around Mass and the divine offices, according to the following schedule:
- 6:30 a.m.: silent meditation
- 7:00 a.m.: Lauds
- 8:00 a.m.: silent study
- 9:00 a.m.: Mass and work/studies/services
- 12:00 p.m.: meal
- 1:15 p.m.: quarter hour of silent prayer
- 1:30 p.m.: midday office and work/studies/services
- 6:00 p.m.: rosary, Vespers, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
- 7:00 p.m.: meal then Compline
- Great silence of the night: from Compline until Lauds.
The great Missionary Family of Our Lady, or the Domini family!
The Missionary Family of Our Lady is a religious family serving the Church. It was founded in 1946 by Father Lucien Marie Dorne and Mother Marie Augusta in Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier in Ardèche, and is composed of brothers and sisters, led by a Father and Mother Superior.
Roped together to Our Lady of the Snows, their lead climber, the members profess the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, following the great tradition of religious life. Responding to the call of the Gospel, they have left everything to follow Jesus Christ and to imitate him. Among other things, their daily tasks consist of devoting their time:
- to formation to transmit the faith of the Church and the teachings of the popes
- to liturgy, times of prayer and participation in offices or pilgrimages
- to age-appropriate support for advancing in the spirituality of the rope: helping to climb the mountain of holiness through concrete means
- to activities offered to families, youth, adolescents, children... to everyone!
What to expect during your stay
The family welcomes you to Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier
The community offers you discernment retreats to review your past and reflect on your future, make an important decision, take stock at a pivotal stage of your life, pray and find renewal, be formed in the school of the Bible, the Catechism, the great spiritual masters and the teachings of recent popes!
Each retreat develops a theme to allow gradually for a more complete synthesis on faith and spiritual life.
Each day, the theme is presented in the form of Exercises, the presentation of each Exercise is followed by a time of personal meditation and priests are available for meetings and confessions. Mass, the summit of the day, the offices and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament with the brothers and sisters of the community structure the retreat.
Each retreat offers a spiritual "journey" toward personal conversion, growth in charity, and new insights into each person's particular vocation.
The community can also welcome groups to build a customized time of renewal as well as scouts (possibility of talks, work with the brothers or sisters, hikes, challenges, etc.)!
Taking a retreat within the community
Guests are welcomed into the family, sharing with them the joy of meals, the contemplation of prayer, the richness of the teachings.
Accommodation is provided in various buildings with all types of rooms, halls and refectories.
Small houses restored by the brothers and sisters can also be made available to families to enjoy Masses and offices with the community during vacation time.
The accommodation capacity is 123 beds. Enough to come with your family, friends, cousins...
And if you would like to discover another place whose life is animated by the Missionary Family of Our Lady, visit Sens by clicking right here!
Geography and activities
Ardèche, its regional nature park with countless walks
The location, in the heart of the Monts d'Ardèche Regional Nature Park, offers multiple hiking possibilities... away from the tourist crowds of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and southern Ardèche. Walks will allow you to discover with wonder:
- the Ray Pic waterfall above Burzet, location of an outdoor Way of the Cross
- the Ventadour castle
- the sources of the Loire at Mont Gerbier des Joncs
- the Ardèche Gorges at Vallon-Pont-d'Arc
- the Chauvet Cave (decorated Paleolithic cave)
- the city of Aubenas with its castle and ramparts
Some will appreciate the thermal spas at Neyrac-les-bains or Vals-les-bains.
.webp)
Practical information
Discover more locations
