Missionary Brothers and Sisters of the Countryside
The Missionary Brothers of the Countryside (Frères Missionnaires des Campagnes) is an Order which was created in 1943 by Father Michel Epagneul.
Our two religious families, which came into being at the same time and in the same area (la Brie, Seine-et-Marne, France) are autonomous.
But we work in the same spirit and collaborate closely with each other to achieve the mission the Church has entrusted to us.
Society changes, but the rural community will always need men and women who love it and dedicate their lives to witness to the Gospel in these places.
A life in community
As disciples of Christ, and for love of him, both Brothers and Sisters live in fraternal communities. We share everything : money, goods, joy and sorrow, work and tasks linked to our mission.
Four or five members generally live in each house, and houses are to be found in eighteen dioceses in France. Office and mass, meditation of the Word of God are the core of our lives : we pray every day, with and on behalf of our rural brothers and sisters, joining our prayer with that of the whole Church.
Religious
Witnesses to the Gospel amongst rural people
With other people, we work to create and inspire faith communities, which are living, prayerful and engaged in mission. We also try to reach out to people who are on the fringe of the Church.
Committed to Christ and to rural communities
With our different backgrounds and experience, old and young, we all desire to live in Communities of Brothers and Sisters who are disciples of Jesus. For love of him, we hold everything in common, money and property, sharing our joys, sorrows, work and missionary responsibility.
Our relationship with God and with our brothers is nourished by daily listening to the Word of God, by study, by personal and corporate prayer. We join ourselves with the prayer of the Church, with and in the name of our brothers, the people of the countryside ; the Office and the Eucharist are at the heart of our lives.
In France and abroad
Until the end of the 1960’s, we had communities only in France. Calls from different places then encouraged us to create houses abroad :
Missionaries
The Lord say to us : "Come... and go ! Share your experience of faith, witness to my love !" This can already be seen in the presence of our communities of Brothers and Sisters. We seek to live out the Gospel with country people, while committing ourselves, with them, to the service of others, both within and beyond the church. With Christians, we want to create and inspire faith communities which are living, prayerful and engaged in mission. We are concerned to find opportunities to meet those who are on the fringe of the Church.
Rural life leaves its mark on people
Amidst the changes which leave their mark on the world, we discover a call to renew our attention to that world, and to seek God there.
As "Brothers" and "Sisters", we seek to become brothers and sisters to all, and especially to those who live in the country.
We have chosen to live in solidarity with rural people : sharing their working lives, and the simple contacts of daily life ; taking part in local activities, while also paying heed to those on the margins of society
- and in Brazil, where a community of Brothers was established in 1989 and another one in 2005.
A sharing group
For some years, in some regions of France but also in Portugal and in Africa, Brothers and Sisters meet regularly with laypeople for weekends of reflection, sharing of ideas, sharing of the Word of God, prayer and friendship.
During the summer, we organise "sharing-holidays" with times of relaxation, study and prayer. The young couples can come with their children there.
We think that every religious Community has a particular " charisma " and this is a gift of the Holy Spirit, but it is given for the whole Church ; thus laypeople in joining with the Brothers or Sisters can share it.
We call this group of Brothers, Sisters and Laypeople : " Friends in Communion " (" Amis en Communion ")
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Charter elaborated by Brothers, Sisters, and laypeople from France
« What do you do with Earth ? What do you do with your brother ? »
« Living on the Earth differently » has become an ethical, individual, and collective need.
1. « And God saw that it was good. » (Gen 1)
Creation is a present ; life is a gift.
Do learn to thank for given and received life.
2. « And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it. » (Gen 2 ?)
You are invited to “sings the marvels of the living God”
Do take some time to breathe ; spare some place in your life for contemplation, praise, gratuity, welcome...
3. « Who hast set thy glory above the heavens. » (Ps 8)
As the cooperator of God the Creator, you are responsible for the control of the Earth and its resources.
Stand together today ; keep in mind the next generations.
4. « Seek peace, and pursue it. » (Ps 34 ?)
Beauty and harmony bring peace.
Maintain this harmony in your relationships, and then your own peace will become contagious.
Look at the places where you live and question yourself. Are they simple, clean and beautiful ? Places of prayers ? Places of community life ? Places of family life ? Places of personal life ?
5. « Therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. » (Dt 30,19)
Creation and mankind are in danger because of too much wastage : water, energy, waste, over wrapping...
Think about the impact of your choices on men from here and there.
Remember to turn off the light, to turn down the heating, use the public means of conveyance, share the cars for your trips...
6. « Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. » (Rom 12)
You are invited to pursue a simple life, a joyful sobriety,
and some kind of frugality...
Think about your consuming habits : check the origin of the products, be interested in the fairest rather than the cheapest, encourage the shops near your home, and choose the season fruits...
7. « I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health. » (3 Jn 1)
We do not always have control on our health, but good food habits can help keeping it good.
Do make some gardening if you can, in order to get fresh and varied products, and be vigilant with your medicines consumption.
8. « Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love. » (Rom 12)
Driving softly is more economical and less risky.
Feel responsible for your life and the others’, and if you have to stop driving, do accept to talk about it.
9. « Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. » (Gen.17)
We are aware that we are not coherent at 100%,
Let’s inform ourselves, let’s be careful, let’s take part in societies and associations...
Let’s accept to evaluate the situation now and then in order to keep motivation !
Created as a mirror image of God who loves the Earth,
Man is supposed to love and to respect creation...
What do you do with Earth ? What do you do with your brother ?
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Blessed be Jesus Christ
Blessed be Jesus Christ : he calls us to follow him.
As man,
he makes men and women who are free, creative, with a variety of vocations and talents, happy to live in the world of today.
As Son,
he becomes our brother and teaches us to receive one another as brothers, members of one family, praising the Father in times of celebration and when we seek forgiveness. We are his witnesses among our brothers, the people of the countryside, happy to be alongside them as, by the breath of the Spirit, we live out our lives of evangelisation, listening to their concerns and their spiritual aspirations, challenged by their hopes and their efforts to organise their lives. We are here as Church, charged with announcing, confidently and boldly the Good News to the poor : to love as he loves us. May brotherly love increase in all the world, and may all be summed up in Christ.
Addresses
Frères Missionnaires des Campagnes
Prieuré St Martin
77610 La Houssaye-en-Brie
Tél. : 01 64 07 56 50
fmc.region@free.fr
Sœurs des Campagnes
Prieuré Notre-Dame de Bethléem
45700 Lombreuil
Tél. : 02 38 96 21 12
sc.lombreuil@wanadoo.fr
The other addresses : see Site in French http://fmc-sc.org 40 Prieurés
