“At the heart of Le Châtelard, the relationship with animals carries a spiritual dimension.”
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The sheep recognize Father Nwowe Wanfeo's voice and spontaneously come to him when he calls them. DR
Father Nwowe Wanfeo, a Cameroonian Jesuit, is notably responsible for relations with the animals housed at the Châtelard eco-spiritual center near Lyon. Encounters with them, he testifies, have profound spiritual repercussions for himself and the retreatants.
What is the meaning of the presence of animals in the Jesuit spiritual eco-center of Châtelard?
Father Nwowe Wanfeo: Our ecocenter has a 36-hectare forest and several ponds with their own fauna (birds, frogs, toads, hedgehogs, etc.), but we also wanted a more visible animal presence. This is how we welcomed sheep, ewes, and a donkey. The sheep were donated to us by the Carmelite Monastery of Peace in Mazille, near Cluny. The Carmelite sheep have become Jesuit sheep! (Laughter.) Their presence makes our ecospiritual retreats even more concrete for the participants.
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