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Community Pain de Vie 

Sister: Our community belongs to the movement of new communities it was born in 1976 during the birth of the charismatic renewal. And in France there are few communities that were born at the same time. At half past seven in the morning we have our first religious service. At half past eight there is Mass. The parents don't go for service they take care of the children and their families and when the children have gone to school they just come to Mass and we gather for Mass together. At half past nine works starts.

Here we live in the countryside so we have activities that go along with it. We have a garden we a bake our own bread and we sell it also. We have honey making and we also make a few objects that we sell. We also have of course to take care of children and cook and so on. 

Later on you're going to join us in this activities. And everybody living in this house joins in this activities and works with us. At quarter past 12 we have meal together. The children have their own room to eat. Adults eat together in the dining room. And after a time when we do the washing up and song together we start working together at half past two. And to half past six for single people. And the mothers have the children back from school about six o'clock and they ever different flat of their own and during the evening they are what their children and their families. At 7:00 the single people eat together in the families have their own meal together.

At half past eight we all gather together the adults and we have a little meeting to plan for the work for the next day. And then we have last service at about 9:00 together. And then we go to sleep. 

Our way of life is organized so that everybody can live their own vocation inside their community. We have new people coming in everyday for a time and we welcome them.

Sister:  We have some communities in France but also in other countries in the world. We have 12 houses in France. We also have about 50 houses in the world in the countries like in Africa or South America we also have some in Canada. Do you have any questions?

Male: Do you have a code of conduct? And what happens if you have the judiciary system setup in some the breaks the rules?

Interpreter: Well the matters of the community - there is a rule of life and some of us take vows so they commit themselves to respect this rule. And for those who come for our time in our community they also have to respects several rules of the community. And if someone does not respect his own commitment well we have to deal with it and find a solution.

Male 2: During WWII what was this place used as?

Interpreter: There were German soldiers here it was the headquarters of the German armory. There were tanks here in the corridor and he left after the war. This is why there are many holes in the corridor here.

Male 2: Then what happened with D-day? The Americans come and then what happened after D-day

Interpreter: I suppose they left. They left quickly after D-day there were a few battles around here but they left very quickly by right here it was liberated the first day after D-Day. 

Male 3: Where do the priests study today? Do they go off to seminary somewhere or do based do their studying here? 

Interpreter: There are diocese, dioceses and Priest and so they go to seminary and the study like any other Priest.

Male 4: Where did the lay people come from nearby?

Interpreter: From everywhere. The members come from everywhere and they come from different backgrounds too. What we have in common is that we feel called by Christ to live a radical life. And to hear this call we can come from everywhere and live anywhere and just answer to this call.

Female: Are the schools base here also?
Interpreter: We prepare the youngest children to go to school and then they go to another school. We call that the Little School. The younger children that were here go to the Little School too. The others are at school today.

Male 5: Do you raise most of your own food?
Interpreter: Food?
Male 5: Yes, to you grow to most of your own food?

Interpreter: We do what we can to do it a maximum. We do our own bread and we grow our own vegetables and the garden. We also receive a lot from Providence. We chose to live a poor life.  In the community the members feel called by God to fulfill the sentence of the gospel saying, "If you want to be perfect go sell what you have income follow me." 

So when we entered the community we come with nothing with us and we want to experience got Providence. So we work of course but with only the money we have what our own work we could not have enough money to survive we could not have enough money to eat. So that we live as we can day by day and we pray each day so that God provides for what we need and we have been doing that for 25 years. We have never been abandoned by God.

Male 6: Have you always been here?

Interpreter: The community was founded in a town in Normandy too. Then we moved into another town and we started here in 1980. We also hope and a homeless shelter in Lisieux where you come from.

Female 2: What order are you from? What order do you belong to?

Interpreter: She belongs to The Bread of Life community. She is a lay woman but consecrated to God and she promised the three vows in the community.

Female 3: Where did you learn to speak such excellent English?

Interpreter: At the University.

Male 8: What do you do here, you personally?

Male 8: Do you volunteer? Do you volunteer out here?

Interpreter: I lived here for 10 years. Now I'm in Paris I just finished studying as a translator. I'm getting married next Saturday.

Female 4: When you were talking about the jobs that everyone does, does everyone keep the same job like there's a honey maker, bread maker or does it switch and everyone learns different traits?

Interpreter: Usually we keep our own job and we put it to the service of the community like masonry. But sometimes according to the needs of the community.

Interpreter: You're going to join different activities and people. In this way maybe you understand better what we live every day. So we're going to go responsible of activity and 5 or 6 between us were follow him through the activity. And if you have time you can try and go to another activity and go around for work and look and go to the chapel and pray if you want. And they also have a room where we sell our craft and things like that. We pass it around here you'll see it. The first group is going to go to the bakery. So once to go to the bakery?