Aurélie Blondel is a member and the vice-president of the Diony's Voice choir, in the northern suburbs of Paris. She shares her musical journey and how she discovered spirituality thanks to this association.

On June 21, 2017, on World Music Day, I took an unusual route to return home. Passing in front of the church, I heard a choir and I was magnetized by their voices and energy. I thought about it all summer, I hesitated, then I finally auditioned in September.

Diony's Voice was created in 2016 in Saint-Denis (north of Paris) by Fr. Louis Lorieux sj. The choir brings together students and young professionals around a repertoire of spirituals, gospel and African songs. It’s an opportunity for many young adults to access a musical culture and especially to meet people, open up to others, and find their voice – and their way – and I found mine there.

I had never heard of the Society of Jesus before. When I joined the choir, I did not know that it involved a few Jesuits and members of the Ignatian family, which could have made me give up on it, as I had kept my distance from religion for years.

But meeting them was a real gift. I was welcomed as I was, with my doubts and reluctance, which gradually gave way to trust.

Choral singing revealed the world to me like a choir, showing me that, united, with our singularities, we can live as one.

Although it is non-confessional, Diony's Voice has been my source of spiritual "awakening", and I am grateful for the people I met, who have gradually become dear friends. It has been the first step on a path of hope that I am now taking, led by the Ignatian spirituality which I am learning to discover step by step.

Pictures: © Damien Tomezzoli