This year\u2019s project aims to turn the former convent into a spiritual retreat center.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Renovating Buildings, Restoring Souls<\/b> <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a great way to bring together several aspects,\u201d Father Raffray explained to the Register, \u201cbeing useful while offering young people, who are often very isolated in their daily lives, the chance to meet other Catholic youth, to encounter priests, to ask questions, to discover the traditional Mass (TLM), all while helping to preserve heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, 28 young men and women \u2014 whom Father Raffray connected with through social media, particularly his large Instagram platform<\/a>, followed by both believers and nonbelievers in France \u2014 took part in the initiative July 13-20.<\/p>\n Though most were Catholic, this year\u2019s group included atheists, baptized but nonpracticing, and newly baptized participants. The mix led to rich discussions and shared moments of prayer where many drew inspiration from those with deeper faith.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMany young French people want to discover the Catholic faith and are led to ask questions about it through history, heritage and culture,\u201d Father Raffray said.<\/p>\n Applauding \u201cvarious initiatives that have emerged for the care of our heritage\u201d \u2014 such as SOS Calvaires<\/a> and R\u00e9nouve Une Statue,<\/a> two French organizations aimed at restoring wayside crucifixes and statues across the country \u2014 Father Raffray noted that Christianity, because \u201cit emphasizes that we are both body and soul,\u201d naturally embraces such efforts.\u00a0<\/p>\n Noting how these are particularly popular among young people, Father Raffray explained that their appeal lies in the fact that they offer an \u201cexterior \u2014 sometimes very physically demanding \u2014 manifestation of spiritual convictions,\u201d which, in turn, allows for \u201ca deeper interior transformation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about restoring physical buildings, but ultimately, what interests me is the restoration of souls,\u201d Father Raffray explained. \u201cAnd I truly believe that all these young people, when they finish the camp, feel that they have grown, learned something, and been spiritually restored.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Building the Kingdom of God on Earth<\/b> <\/p>\n Cl\u00e9ment Gomes, 24, from Corbeil-Essonnes, France, took part for the second year in a row, after first connecting with Father Raffray through Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cI understood that there would be renovations, and I thought, \u2018It could be good to give a bit of physical dimension to the spiritual side,\u2019\u201d Gomes explained to the Register, \u201clike a pilgrimage, in the sense that you go through some physical discomfort, almost like penance, to contribute to something greater.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt may sound ridiculous \u2014 we just spent a week renovating a few things \u2014 but actually, it\u2019s huge. We\u2019re adding our stone to the building of God\u2019s ministry on earth and contributing to the kingdom of heaven, here below, through our small works.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite all of the physical work, Gomes, who converted to Catholicism two and a half years ago, said he experienced the entire week as a retreat, making an extra effort to wake up early for Mass and to pray the Rosary, adding, \u201cJesus keep surprising me and I keep rediscovering Christ very day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor a week, we are outside the world. We truly live in community, among fellow Christians, feeling more alive than ever, burning with zeal.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to the fascinating conversations among them, the discovery of the traditional Latin Mass celebrated by Father Raffray every morning was particularly moving. \u201cIt is very spiritually enriching and like training,\u201d Gomes said, \u201cbefore returning to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Maxence No\u00ebl-Foubet, 17, from a city near Lille in northern France, likewise discovered the Latin Mass through Father Raffray. Thanks to social media, the priest helped guide him to a parish that offered the Latin Mass and encouraged him to attend.<\/p>\n For No\u00ebl-Foubet, the week was full of attentive learning from the priests and seminarians of the Institute of the Good Shepherd. \u201cWe could ask them questions at any time,\u201d he told the Register. \u201cThey always knew how to answer us, and they could talk to us for hours, at the table or after Mass, about any topic.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, No\u00ebl-Foubet stressed, \u201cthe camp was centered around the worksite\u201d and the restoration of the convent.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were divided into work groups,\u201d he explained. \u201cSome took care of the interior; my group was in charge of the staircase. Others worked on the trees outside, and so on. We also organized ourselves for meals, dishes and the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it is precisely the union between the spiritual and, at the same time, the duty we have toward our heritage, to preserve what our ancestors built, that speaks to young people more and more, because it\u2019s a return to tradition,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s something concrete,\u201d No\u00ebl-Foubet added. \u201cIt allows us to do, on our own scale, what our ancestors used to do. They built cathedrals; well, and we renovate convents, always with the aim of serving God.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebuilding Faith in Society<\/b> <\/p>\n \u201cTo rebuild faith in souls,\u201d Father Raffray explained, \u201cwe must also rebuild it in society and in our concrete daily lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Explaining how there is a tangible, physical aspect to the spirituality of the Institute of the Good Shepherd, Father Raffray said: \u201cOur charism is the Good Shepherd, the one who lays down his life for his sheep. It is the Eucharist, the sacrifice, the sacrificial offering.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut,\u201d he added, \u201cit is also the One who knows his sheep and whose sheep know him. So there is a tangible aspect to this manifestation of Christ\u2019s love and of our attachment to the kingdom of Christ here on earth.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that in the TLM, \u201cthe sacred is so tangibly expressed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Reflecting on the importance of expressing the faith through external actions among community, Father Raffray said, \u201cSecularization seeks to confine religion to a private, individual choice that must not be expressed outwardly. But the doctrine of Christ the King, the doctrine of Christendom, is exactly the opposite: Someone who is Christian must be so inwardly, yes, but it must also be expressed outwardly, in their attitude, their intentions, their family life, their daily life, their professional life and their social life.\u201d<\/p>\n In fact, Father Raffray argued, \u201cit is a very fundamental idea in the Catholic faith that the Church is built with living stones. We too must build with those living stones.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYoung people want to be useful,\u201d Gomes observed. \u201cThey want to do concrete things. They want their faith to take shape through action; it\u2019s quite simple.\u201d<\/p>\n Reflecting on the entire camp and the many graces received throughout it, Gomes shared one moment that was particularly powerful for him: \u201cOn the last day, Sunday morning, we all went out into the field where the worksite was. An hour before Mass, we set up the wayside crucifix<\/a>, and each person placed their stone at its foot.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s actually a representation of the Church itself,\u201d Gomes emphasized. \u201cWe are the Church, and we make the crucifix stand, each with our own stone.\u201d<\/p>\n Even the atheists and those struggling with faith, Gomes shared, placed their stones, each one with a \u201cseeking heart.\u201d While some may not believe in the existence of a Creator God, Gomes emphasized, \u201cI think this camp \u2014 the fraternity, the love that flowed through it all, all the conversations we were able to have \u2014 has already planted a small seed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat stays with me is people\u2019s conversion,\u201d Gomes added. \u201cPeople came out of the camp radiant, breathing, alive, and you think, \u2018This isn\u2019t normal.\u2019 You work a regular job for a week somewhere else, and by the weekend, you\u2019re wiped out; you just want to sleep. But these guys, they were glowing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Struggling to put the spiritual experience into words, Gomes added: \u201cIt was the realization that it\u2019s not all lost. There are strong Christians out there \u2014 eager to give of themselves to others and to give themselves to God.\u201d<\/p>\n ![\"Institute](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250808090848_655fe5dda7cf4d7506fd2fd470184bff175c41a1107a84152262ba73a7e15369.png\")
The young people carry and reinstall the cross on the grounds.(Photo: Courtesy of the Institute of the Good Shepherd) <\/p>\n![\"Institute](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250808090852_73b5e77c1cecb446650a00e279afd4c23e4f60f9ec65dac9858e68489fa3b251.png\")
The group enjoys fellowship amid their labors. Even the priests assist with the demolition!(Photo: Courtesy of the Institute of the Good Shepherd) <\/p>\n
\n Duty Towards Their Heritage<\/b> <\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250808090852_c2be200594dcd4e359d16ea3c3d10772ec84f32ebe4188b55d051184b0ac135f.png\")
Statues of Mary and St. Joseph are seen in the chapel under renovation.(Photo: Courtesy of the Institute of the Good Shepherd) <\/p>\n
\n \u2018Radiant, Breathing, Alive\u2019 Faith<\/b> <\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/20250808090856_a8c311b59a1f5510a4f71a03c9a27b29b52276d91731c3f170823023dabc5b68.png\")
The work is seen underway.(Photo: Courtesy of the Institute of the Good Shepherd) <\/p>\n