Anne-Sophie and Nicolas share their unique experience within the Chemin Neuf community, an adventure that transformed their daily lives and refocused their hearts around Christ.
Through necessary pauses and spiritual discoveries, they reveal the fruits of a journey in community, lived with faith and hope.
We are Anne-Sophie and Nicolas, married for 23 years and parents to four children aged 22 to 10.
We have been journeying with the Chemin Neuf community for over 20 years. After attending a CANA week, spending several years in fraternity, and engaging in various commitments within our parish, we decided to take a family and professional pause from our busy lives shaped by work and family responsibilities. We wanted to refocus our daily lives and future projects around the Lord while exploring life in community.
The decision to embark on Cycle A at the Cartuja Aula Dei felt natural, given the program’s offerings: teachings, services, various offices, and local schooling for our two youngest children, aged 15 and 10.
Today, after this time of what we call a “giant retreat,” we believe we can identify four significant fruits, which align with four key actions:
- Wait: Be mindful of the concept of “time” in our lives. Take the time to slow down, prioritize what truly matters to us, and remain watchful.
- Hope: “God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1). There is every reason to hope with eyes wide open if we draw from the source that is God’s love (hope for the world, for our couple, for unity, …).
- Desire: Faith, like love, requires a will on our part. It means choosing, freely and intentionally, to follow Christ and to concretely place Him at the center of our lives.
- Live with Joy: If I commit to these first three actions, then I can live out the full and lasting joy that Saint Ignatius speaks of and to which the Lord calls us.
And the good news in all of this is that, as the Gospel of Cana reminds us, “the best wine is for now.”
