The privileged natural setting of Le Châtelard, in the heart of a 36-hectare wooded park, has been chosen to place the Ignatian spiritual tradition at the service of all those who wish to commit themselves, collectively and personally, to the paths of ecological and social transition by making them resonate with their Christian faith.

Located 10 kilometres from Lyon, the Jesuit Spiritual Centre at Le Châtelard has been an oasis for almost 100 years for anyone wishing to take a spiritual break or make a decision based on the Spiritual Exercises. The spiritual ecocentre aims to accompany those seeking their place in the great challenge of integral ecology, in particular by inviting them to experience God through the contemplation of Creation.

Based on one of the four universal apostolic preferences, "Working with others to safeguard our common home", the Jesuits of the EOF Province are committed to taking this path of integral ecological conversion, relying in particular on the spiritual accompaniment and discernment that are at the heart of their spirituality, following in the footsteps of Saint Ignatius.

Le Châtelard spiritual ecocentre is based on three pillars:

> The site: the aim is to implement the ecological transition of the site. This involves major insulation and adaptation work on the building, in-depth work on a new, more sustainable food project, better integration of the centre and its residents into the park, which welcomes retreatants and walkers, and care for the rich biodiversity already present in the area.

> The human ecosystem: the Spiritual Centre relies on a large and generous team and network: 9 salaried staff, 9 Jesuits and 180 volunteers. The challenge is to build the community that will carry out the mission in the years to come and make the spiritual ecocentre shine by inspiring others to get involved. A collective of residents, made up of Jesuits and lay people, will be called upon to support and share this mission. These multiple faces and the way in which they work together to bring the ecocentre to life will be in line with the synodal approach adopted by the Church in recent years. The various activities of the spiritual ecocentre will pay particular attention to the needs of the most vulnerable.

> The programme: the Spiritual Exercises remain at the heart of the Spiritual Ecocentre's offering, aimed at any Christian who wants to invent a life with the Lord. The centre is developing retreats, sessions and training courses to help people embark on a process of ecological conversion and contemplation of Creation, anchoring themselves deeply in God and taking care of their relationships with themselves, with others and with Creation.

A team at work

The feasibility of this ambitious and meaningful project has been the subject of an in-depth study of all the facets of this transformation. In 2022-2023, this work has mobilised around thirty volunteers around a project team made up of Fr Xavier de Bénazé, Jesuit, Laudato si' Delegate for the EOF Jesuit Province, Alexandre Masson, Jesuit in training, and Jean Le Borgne, Director of the Centre.

The spiritual ecocentre has already begun to take shape at Le Châtelard: the first 6 Christian ecospiritual retreats have been launched. Two ponds have been dug to welcome toads and salamanders. Some worksites have been entrusted to social integration companies.

A few milestones to come :

- 2023/2024: actions to care for biodiversity (planting of hedges, study of fauna and flora), change of food project and development of new Christian eco-spiritual retreat formulas.

- Summer 2024: launch of a 2-month Laudato si' school of life for students and young professionals.

- 2024/2026: comprehensive, high-performance renovation of the building.

- 2025/2026: installation of a residents' collective.

- 2027: in-depth review of the adventure and its fruits.