2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the Ecumenical Community of L'Etincelle. Initially an association affiliated with the Protestant Church, it was joined by the Catholic Church in 2017, when the State of Vaud entrusted the spiritual support of people with mental disabilities to the two Churches as part of their joint missions. L'Etincelle offers its 80 or so members opportunities to live their faith at their own pace, with various activities such as moments of prayer and sharing, masses and services in partner parishes, and excursions called Great Saturdays, which combine cultural visits and religious celebrations.
The people who organise these activities support the community members are volunteers, five of whom make up the Community Council: Erica Cséfalvay and Thérèse Aubert-Petermann, Catholic and Protestant chaplains respectively, Gérard Jaton, president, Christianne Cornu Cavin, secretary, and Mariko Clément, treasurer. What drives their desire to work alongside people with mental disabilities is, first and foremost, the conviction that they have the same right as anyone else to access religious practice. But what inspires them even more is the ability these people have to remind those around them that the most important thing is simply to be, here and now, in sharing, authenticity, and trust.
EN and FR subtitles available