“We want to keep the tabernacle lamp burning”, explains Anne-Claire Long, from the Oykos communication division. This lamp is that of the Carmel of Avignon. The latter is in fact about to be bought by Oykos, a real estate company which has given itself the mission of transmitting Church property by finding a new use for it. Originally, a handful of lay people, close to the Mission Congress, wishing to breathe new life into all these high spiritual places which, in France, will be sold in the years to come.
In 2022, nearly 60% of nuns are over 85 years old… Within ten years, nearly three hundred Church places could become vacant according to the property company (i.e. about thirty per year): abbeys, monasteries, property of dioceses… Places threatened by pure and simple abandonment or by a sale to the highest bidder leading to projects foreign to their original vocation.
The Carmel of Avignon therefore acts as a test. By embarking on Oykos – “house” in Greek – these lay people did not expect to find themselves so quickly on the job. Setting up a real estate company, finding large amounts of financing, this is never easy. “But Providence decided otherwise”, comments with a smile Anne-Claire Long. It is not enough for them to have won the call for projects for the acquisition of the Carmel of Avignon, it is now necessary to finance the project! The property must indeed raise a sum of 2.4 million euros from small and large investors by… Christmas (1). The deadlines are very short, but the Carmelites now need to turn the page. Oykos therefore has less time than expected to raise a colossal sum. But the game is worth the candle.
Difficult choices for these communities
The property company plans to create a “Family House” with around forty student accommodation, around ten senior accommodation and a solidarity café opening onto the garden. In summer, the garden will live to the rhythm of the famous theater festival by offering performance venues and a restaurant area. The chapel will remain open throughout the year, and mass will be celebrated there regularly. The potential new life of the Carmel of Avignon is quite a symbol. “Two profound realities intersectexplains Anne-Claire Long.
The first is the economic and societal upheaval that we are experiencing in France and the desire – among many Christians – to live differently, more in accordance with the Laudato si spirit. » She is also ready, after discernment, to make the leap to Avignon next summer with all her family.
“The other reality is the fact that many religious places are gradually dying out”continues the one who is a marketing consultant in everyday life. “These communities are faced with diffi cult choices: either let property deteriorate for lack of maintenance, or often sell it to the highest bidder. We are offering a third way to keep these places alive. At the time of the signing of the compromise, the superior of the Carmel returned to herself for a long moment, then raised her eyes and said to us: “I take the liberty of borrowing these words from Little Thérèse: ‘Only the love counts.’ ”»
“The Carmel is an ideal place”
On the spot, many Christians support the project like Maud Lauriot-Prévost, former head of the Diocesan Pastoral Service: “The Carmel is a magnificent place in the heart of the city. We prayed for centuries in this place, it is one of the last reservoirs of prayer in the City of the Popes. We can’t let it go! It would be wonderful if it could accommodate meaningful activities. » She specifies that the Vaucluse is one of the poorest territories in France and that the Church is expected to position itself on issues such as precariousness or the mission.
An opinion shared by Maud Bagaria, diocesan delegate of Secours Catholique du Vaucluse: “This project coincides with the values of Secours Catholique. There are enormous needs in Avignon, especially among the student population. We had been looking for a place to open a social café for a long time. It is obvious that Carmel is an ideal place for this. We must invest and its spirituality carries us. » Chick?
(1) To participate in the fundraising campaign: www.credofunding.fr/fr/oykos.