🪶 Letter to our friends

Trosly-Breuil, Monday, 9 June 2025

Dear friends of La Ferme,

I am writing to give you some information about the closure of La Ferme. The spiritual centre and community will close at the end of July 2025, and the charity will be dissolved at the end of December 2025. On 21 May, the National Council of L'Arche in France met to finalise a number of decisions concerning this closure, but also the future of this beautiful place and the paths that are opening up to make best use of the spiritual heritage of La Ferme in other ways. Below you will find the letter in which Pierre Jacquand, national leader of L'Arche in France, presents in detail the decisions taken and the shape of these new paths.

As for us, the members of the community, whether employee or volunteer at the spiritual centre of La Ferme, we are still mourning the loss of a community that has given us, and continues to give us, much life! At the same time, we acknowledge reality and recognise the new signs of life that are emerging such as the ‘Spiritual Life Team’ for L’Arche in France, and the potential of a new and life-giving project at La Ferme (see the letter of Pierre below). These new initiatives are helping us to live this time of transition with hope.

As we reflect on the history of La Ferme, two key words stand out: ‘welcome’ and ‘gratitude.’

Welcome: it is close to our hearts and has given us so much joy! Welcoming those who are fragile, weak, on the margins of our society. Welcoming members of our L'Arche communities around the world for retreats and formations. Welcoming, in person, a wide variety of groups and individuals from the general public. In these last post-Covid years, welcoming so many via video conferencing for our international retreats and seminars. In all of this, welcoming the presence of God in prayer, in worship and the Eucharist, and in every person welcomed over the past 54 years.

Gratitude: this is the second key word... gratitude for the light, but recognition also of the shadows of our history, woven together. Recognition in the three senses of the word: ‘recognition’ of the voices of victims; ‘recognition’ in the sense of gratitude for all those welcomed and touched in this place by the unconditional love of God, and for all the life given and received; ‘recognition’, finally, as we ‘sense’ the paths ahead, glimpsing a posterity rich in potential, as the spiritual fruitfulness of La Ferme unfolds in a different way.

On 21 June at La Ferme, there will be an event to mark our closure. There will be a presentation of a video montage that weaves together the elements of our history through the powerful and inspiring testimonies of eight people. There will also be a Liturgy to give thanks to God for all the life and grace given and received at La Ferme over the past 54 years, despite the shadows. I invite you to join us in thought and prayer on that day. Thank you so much for your support, your friendship and your faithfulness!

With our friendship and prayers,

and everyone at La Ferme.

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➡️ 📄 Read here Tim's letter (PDF)

➡️ 📄 Read here Pierre Jacquand's letter (PDF)

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