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On 20th April we opened up for the 2017 pilgrim season. We still have plans to make the new shelter and the garden more welcoming and joyful. But for the time being some spring flowers are bringing life and colour.

On 18 January 2017 some of our volunteers got together over lunch in London to meet each other and reflect on our experiences. Here we are from left to right: Margaret, Barbara, Tim, Kate, Stephen and Carol – Steve took the photo! (As usual click on the picture to enlarge it.)

This Emmaüs project was inspired by a small memorial, somewhere now long forgotten, on the Camino in France, to a man who used to sit by the side of the road and talk to passing pilgrims. Recently Mary and Alfred Cutts have sent us a picture of the memorial to Pépé, as it seems he was called, and a short article about him which they wrote for the September 2009 Bulletin of the Confraternity of Saint James. Here’s the picture – as usual click on it to enlarge. And you can download Mary and Alfred’s article here.

We’ve been struggling to find a word to describe the new wooden structure in the garden – shed, cabin, chalet, hut etc ??? At the moment ‘shelter’ feels best and corresponds neatly with abri in French. If you have other suggestions they would be welcome….

In any event the basic structure of the shelter/abri is now complete and can be seen here. It will be fitted out before the start of the next pilgrim season in April. (Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

Jo and Stephen stayed from the 13th to 24th of September – in fact our last volunteers for this season. Jo writes about their stay:

We arrived in Arthez on September 13^th  after a good journey from Liverpool via Bordeaux. It was great to meet with Peter, Carol, Barbara and Steve and so have news of what had gone on in previous days, and plenty of conversation over supper. In fact that turned out to be the night of the big storm. And although we tried to batten things down and bring stuff inside the house, the gazebo never recovered, and the diary and prayer sheets took several days to dry out.

Stephen celebrated Mass in the house the following morning. We continued in the house for Mass for the next day or two before returning to the tent.  Carol joined us until she went home, and one of the neighbours came three times while we were there. We opened the tent each day but brought the icon, books, coffee and kettle into the house each evening being worried about the damage any further rain might do. During the second half of our stay the weather really improved and we had some beautiful, sunny, warm and even hot weather.

It is very worthwhile to be able to sit at the bottom of the path to welcome any pilgrims that pass.  It seems that mornings are the favourite time to walk. Some even begin when it is still dark. The special thing this year was having figs to offer. We were able to gather so many each day from the tree in the garden and they were gratefully received by so many of the pilgrims. We left them in a box by the chairs when we were not sitting there and they were often taken!  Many conversations began with the figs and continued with gratitude for the generosity of the owner of the house who allowed pilgrims to stop, rest the sore feet, eat figs, sit down, have a coffee, visit the toilet and then have a deeper conversation.

It seemed to me that more pilgrims knew of this Emmaus Centre than last year. Several arrived with the leaflet they had picked up in one of the Churches.  There were the usual mixture of ages and nationalities with perhaps more English speakers than last year – Canadians, Australians, and New Zealanders – as well as the Germans, Dutch and French who speak pretty good English too. Stephen and I managed some French, and the usual mixture of languages and gestures.  A group of six Canadians stopped. They were part of a larger group of eighteen who were walking a raising money for charities back home who were supporting people with cancer. A number of young people are walking wondering about what to do with their lives, and taking the chance to meet people from other countries. That seems a really important motivation for many. They often spend the day walking alone at they own pace, thinking their own thoughts, and then spend the evening with others talking and getting to know each other. Sometimes these friendships develop. One older lady had befriended a younger one. They had been together for a month, walking at their own speed during the day and meeting up in the evenings.

We met a pilgrim who had been to the camp in Calais and was very concerned about refugees and asylum seekers. She was finding a sense of peace and the goodness of so many people on the Camino.  She reminded me of how lucky we were to be here too.  A young man was walking for “religious” reasons. He was sure God had a purpose for his life which was being gradually revealed to him.  For myself, there are two ways in which being in Arthez on the Camino speaks to me. There is the sense of being available and accepting whoever and whatever God sends. I sit by the road and wonder who will come round the corner next. Then there is the sense of living in the present moment – enjoying the sun, the gentle wind, the birds singing and the stillness…. I look forward to next year.

Today we took down the tent for the last time. For the last two years it has been the basis of our little centre, Emmaüs, for greeting pilgrims on the Camino. Before that it served us well for family holidays going back more than thirty years.  But some of the poles are now bent, the canvas rotting and the rain pours through….

So this,  for us at least, marks the end of an era with many happy memories.  But it is also the end of the pilgrim season. About four hundred pilgrims have passed through Emmaüs this year. If you were one of them, please leave a comment (in English or French), share your experiences, or, especially, tell us how we might do better next year in welcoming passing pilgrims.

In a couple of days time the new wooden chalet should be delivered. (Look out for photos here!) Once it is up it will need to be fitted out over the winter to make it ready for a new opening in late April 2017!

Barbara writes:

September 14, the morning after the storm, we were busy sorting out the tent. It had survived the torrential rain with only a bent pole and a little damage to the fabric but many of the contents, including our precious visitors’ book, were water logged. We cleaned and dried what we could, leaving the book to dry in the sun.

 

 

 

And then it was time to sit and read, ready to welcome pilgrims.

Michel stopped by and came in for coffee and a chat. He worked in banking and like many was walking the Camino in stages. He enjoyed the opportunity to leave behind the things which cluttered his life, walking only with necessities.

As he left I invited him to write in the drying-out visitors’ book. He was grateful for the welcome and my smile and conversation. It turned out that he had just had a very unwelcoming experience in Arthez. But he wrote that our conversation had restored his faith in humanity. I was grateful to meet him – as all of those who pass by. And it’s fair to say that in general the people of Arthez are very welcoming of pilgrims.

We had a huge storm two evenings ago (13 September). The tent was damaged: some poles were bent; some canvas ripped, pegs pulled away from the canvas and everything inside soaked with rain. But, when the storm subsided an hour later, the tent was still standing and usable. Happily it will be taken down for the last time at the end of this month and the new wooden shelter will be built ready for next season.

Unfortunately we were too busy holding the tent down to take any photos!

Marie from the Czech Republic and Alex from (Flemish) Belgium, stopped for a couple of hours yesterday afternon. She had started in her home town and had now been walking for about four months. He had started at Le Puy.  Both were planning to walk all the way to Santiago. They were excited to see their photo on the blog so here it is! (As usual, click on the photo to see it in more detail.)

As the weather has finally begun to cool a little we are seeing more pilgrims passing the door. Interestingly several recently have chosen to stop and talk for quite a while – like Ursula and Jürgen here from Germany. They have recently bought a house on the Camino on Lake Constance in Germany and plan to offer hospitality to passing pilgrims.

 

 

 

 

In the meantime the concrete foundation slab for the new pilgrim shelter has been finished. We hope that the wooden building will go up at the end of this month.