In partnership with the « Secours Catholique »,

two groups of parishes in Quimper

organised a POT

(Parish Open Tables)

to begin Lent.

This get-together took place on Sunday 5th March 2017.

What’s a POT ?

It’s a friendly meal organised by the parish who invites people from all sorts of different horizons : parishioners, neighbours, friends, people from the neighbourhood who live alone, people on the street … with a particular attention to those who live in situations of precarity. The objective is form social relationships.

It’s not a meal where parishioners come together amongst themselves . Instead they do it as a way of meeting people who are different from themselves. It’s a meal where everyone experiences his own poverty and shares a time of friendship. Nor is it a « soup in common » where people come just to eat. It’s a place where each one brings what he or she can, a little of him- or herself to share with others. Each one gives and each one receives.

How does it work ?

During several successive Sundays the parishioners were informed about the POT and asked to contact people who are alone, church goers or not. Sisters Jeanne and Bernadette, whose community is situated in one of these parish groups, took part in this event and themeselves invited Janick, who is partially blind, Claude who lives alone, as well as Martine and Michelle.

The team responsible for organising the POT were agreeably surprised to see the room gradually fill up until finally there were 95 people. The guests shared a meal at tables of 6 to 8 and it was a great occasion for getting to know others and share in a friendly atmosphere. Jeanne was happy to be at a table with those we had invited as well as David and Loïc, (two street people). The latter could have felt « strangers » but the atmosphere was such that tongues were soon loosened.

As in the Gospel, at the end of the meal we shared what remained. David was very happy to leave with some provisions, saying : « I will share that with the others. »

This beautiful experience of conviviality and opening up to the other has encouraged the team who organised the POT to do it again on the 18th June.

The community of 42, rue Le Déan, Quimper