Building the renewal of Catholic education in France

In the United States the renewal of Catholic education has been underway for about thirty years, and there are some great success stories. But in Europe, the picture is more uneven.

Over the past few years, there has been growing excitement about the renewal of Catholic education in France. Important new projects, like those supported by Pierre-Édouard Stérin and the STEMA Foundation, offer real hope. Ambitious initiatives such as the Académie Saint-Louis de Chalès seek to restore the idea of a Catholic education rooted in culture, discipline, and spiritual formation — often looking towards Anglo-Saxon models for inspiration.

This new energy is a blessing. But it is important to remember that this movement did not begin yesterday.
It builds on the quiet, often heroic work of pioneers who, over the past twenty-five years, have kept the flame alive under difficult conditions.

Among these pioneers are four schools that shaped the first wave of renewal in the early 2000s:

• Institut Croix-des-Vents, founded by Benoît Maisonneuve in Sées, Normandy (2001),

• Chavagnes International College, founded in the Vendée (2002),

• Collège Frassati, opened in the Vosges (2007),

• Académie Musicale de Liesse, opened in the Aisne (2014).

Each of these institutions has sought, in different ways, to revive the ideal of a Christian liberal education, with a rhythm of community life, sport, music, prayer, and academic excellence, often inspired by the British model of boarding education.

Sadly, Collège Frassati has recently been forced to close by a decision of the French authorities. This is in the context of a recent intensification of French state interest in the private education sector, and the recent ban on homeschooling.

The disappearance of Frassati is a stark reminder: building and sustaining schools like these in France remains a fragile and difficult task.

Today, as new projects rise, it is vital to honour and support those who have fought for many years, often with limited means and under great pressure, to make Catholic education a living reality.

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The Early Years: Planting Seeds

When we founded Chavagnes in 2001, and the College opened its doors to students in September 2002, there was almost no public awareness in France of the possibility of creating Catholic boarding schools along these lines.

The Institut Croix-des-Vents had opened in a former minor seminary in Normandy that we ourselves had visited as a possible site. The projects of Chavagnes and Sées were born almost simultaneously, each in their own way reflecting the dream of an education where faith, culture, and discipline were not seen as enemies, but as natural allies.

In the years that followed, Patrick Girard, founder of the Collège Frassati, visited Chavagnes around the time he launched his own school. Later, Vianney Chatillon visited Chavagnes before founding the Académie Musicale de Liesse — drawn by our emphasis on music, liturgy, and the formation of the whole person.

It was a small but determined wave.
We worked without great resources, without powerful sponsors, and with very little margin for error.
At Chavagnes, our daily life was built around the rhythm of prayer, study, and communal life — a spirit that still animates the College today.

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Two Decades of Dialogue, Challenges, and Perseverance

Our journey has not been without battles.

In 2005, I received a letter from the local state prosecutor (Procureur de la République) informing me of the immediate closure of the school. There was no warning, no hearing, no investigation — simply a declaration. I responded respectfully, demanding clarification of the legal basis for such an action, and requesting all relevant documents under freedom of information law.  Twenty years later, we are still waiting for a reply.

Shortly after the election of Benedict XVI, an official from the Renseignements Généraux visited the school. (They are like a French version of MI5 or the CIA). He came, he said, merely for a friendly conversation, but it soon became clear that the authorities were monitoring us for signs of “sectarian drift”.

Our conversation touched on the curriculum, finances, and even the form of the liturgy we celebrated.
He seemed reassured when I mentioned my acquaintance with Cardinal Ratzinger, recently become at that time Pope Benedict XVI. In the end, although he claimed not to be investigating a file, he admitted that he would report to the prefect — and that his report would be favourable.

Around 2010, a new challenge arose.
The Rectorat de Nantes (the local office of the Ministry of Education) wrote to inform us that all our teachers would now be required to hold a Master’s degree otherwise they could not continue teaching. In fact most of our teachers did then and do now have Masters or Doctorate degrees … but not from French universities. Knowing this was a misunderstanding (the requirement only applied to new hires in state schools), I wrote back to request clarification. No answer ever came, and the issue quietly disappeared.

In 2013, the local municipality announced plans to build a road directly through our grounds, cutting the school off from the countryside, destroying our park, and surrounding us with traffic.  At a public meeting, when I raised concerns for the safety of the pupils, an elected official retorted that I did not care about their safety.  Thanks to the support of our community and a favourable report from the commissaire enquêteur (a planning inspector), the plan was eventually abandoned — but not without months of stress and uncertainty.

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The URSSAF Affair: Defending the Spirit of Service

Perhaps the most exhausting ordeal came in 2006, with a major URSSAF inspection.
They challenged the presence of volunteers at Chavagnes — young graduates, retirees, friends — who had come to help, often for nothing but board and lodging.

The French legal framework for volunteering is notoriously fragile:
volunteering must be completely spontaneous, without subordination, and has little formal protection.
This reflects a deeper cultural tension:
since the Revolution, the French State has tended to view private initiatives in education and health with suspicion, seeking to maintain full control over these sectors.
Although parliamentary debates have acknowledged these contradictions, real risks for small institutions remain.

At the time, the notion of Service Civique (created in 2010) did not yet exist.
Today, at Chavagnes, we have adapted, welcoming Service Civique volunteers and short-term volunteers under more appropriate legal frameworks — always ensuring compliance with child protection regulations through checks with the Rectorat de Nantes, the local branch of the Ministry of Education.

Back then, however, URSSAF demanded €160,000 in back contributions of social security.
We fought back, and the matter eventually reached the Tribunal de Grande Instance in La Roche-sur-Yon.

The judges showed a spirit of realism and humour.
Without wishing to set a legal precedent, they recognised that Chavagnes was not simply a school, but a “lieu de retraite et d’accueil”, a place animated by profound religious motives.
They acknowledged the sincerity of the volunteers, including my own mother, who had helped without receiving a penny — and who, as our lawyer reminded the court, had also come to rebuild France after the war as a young woman, in the same spirit of generosity.

In the end, I was completely exonerated.
But the experience was traumatic, exhausting, and costly — a reminder of how vulnerable small faith-based institutions can be, even when acting in good faith.

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Adapting to New Challenges: COVID, Lebanon, Ukraine

The years of COVID-19 brought new trials.
Forced to close, like so many others, we reopened to find our enrolment devastated:
from nearly fifty boys before the pandemic to just eleven day boys and nine boarders.

In 2021, following the tragic explosion in the port of Beirut, we reached out to Lebanon.
Thanks to generous supporters, we were able to welcome a dozen Lebanese boys, offering them a haven of stability and education in a time of national crisis.

In 2022, with the outbreak of war in Ukraine, we did the same:
welcoming over forty-three Ukrainian boys, many with their mothers, some housed with families in the village.
The school was full again — but our very generosity attracted further scrutiny.

In May 2022, a massive inspection descended:
the Commission de Sécurité (Health and Safety), the Red Cross, social workers, and the Éducation Nationale.
The boys, newly arrived and still learning French, were interviewed individually with translators, without the presence of a teacher.
At the same time, health workers handed out medical kits — including, absurdly, condoms to boys as young as ten, which we immediately confiscated.

In the end, the social workers’ report was positive.
The boys spoke of the safety and welcome they had found at Chavagnes.
Still, the aftermath included new administrative demands:
a complete diagnostic  report of the site, costly works to bring everything up to ever-evolving legal standards, and new building obligations.

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Lessons Learned

Over these twenty-five years, I have learned many lessons.

It is tempting, when facing repeated challenges, to fall into an “us versus them” mentality — to view every official as an enemy and every inspection as persecution.
But I believe this is a mistake.

Most of the French authorities we have encountered have been well-intentioned.
Their perspective is different, yes — and they often underestimate the stress their interventions cause to small institutions.
But their role is real and necessary.

Equally, on our side, it is essential to guard against a martyr complex.
Bitterness serves no one.
Dialogue, persistence, professionalism, and calm faith have often turned opposition into understanding — and led, ultimately, to a better and stronger school.

We must hold fast to our mission — an education centred on Christ, on prayer, on the love of culture, and the service of truth — but we must also engage patiently with the world around us.

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Today’s Challenge — and an Invitation

Today, Chavagnes faces another crucial moment.
Following the latest inspections, we have been obliged to undertake major building works — the first tranche alone representing €600,000.
Without these works, our future is at risk.
We are racing against time to complete them.

We have adapted, we have persevered, and we are determined to continue serving the boys entrusted to us with love and fidelity.
But we cannot do it alone.

If you believe in the importance of what we are doing — if you believe that education rooted in prayer, culture, and courage matters — please consider helping us.

To make a donation (tax-deductible in France for Income Tax or ISF, or with Gift Aid in the UK), or just to find out more, please contact:
soutien@chavagnes.org

In the UK, you can donate directly to the Catholic Boys Education Trust, a UK registered charity. They transfer funds to us to finance bursaries and scholarships. This helps to free up exisiting funds to be used for the building projects. If you send a donation to CBET, please email cbet@chavagnes.org at the same time, especially so that CBET can send you a Gift Aid declaration if you are a UK tax payer .  (The bank details for CBET are as follows … Bank : Metrobank. Account name; Catholic Boys Educational Trust Sort code : 23 05 80. Account # 45064832).

If you are in a position to make a one-off donation and are not concerned about tax-efficient giving, you can donate TODAY through this link https://jepaieenligne.systempay.fr/COLLEGE_INTER_CHAVAGNES

Together, with prayer and perseverance, we can ensure that the story of Chavagnes continues — a story not of complaint, but of gratitude, hope, and faithful service to the next generation.

UPDATES: August 2025

Professor T Wojcik, Poland. Thanks to the Professor for his kind donation of 500 euros.

Thanks to C Hranek, USA, for her kind gift of $100.

Thanks to Parish of St John the Baptist, Toledo, for a donation of 500 euros.

UPDATES: JULY 2025

Thanks to Mr P,  London, for his kind donation of £200.

Thanks to  Mr and Mrs L from Niort for their kind donation of 1,000 euros.

Thanks to  Mr and Mrs Irving from the UK for their kind donation of £1,000.

Thanks to S. Sleigh from the UK for a kind donation of £200.

Thanks to D. Roberts from the UK for a kind donation of £200.

Thanks to Mr and Mrs Shyrokyi from Lviv, Ukraine, for their kind donation of 1000 euros.

Thanks to Mr and Mrs Shaw from the UK for their kind donation of 1000 euros.

Thanks to former pupil Iwo Wojcik for his kind donation of 500 euros.

Thanks to former pupil Jacques de la Garde for his kind donation of 100 euros.

Thanks to Mr V Dubrule for his generous donation of 3000 euros.

Thanks to Mrs de Brosses for her kind donation of 1500 euros.

Thanks to Faustine for her kind donation of 100 euros

Thanks to Michel for his kind donation of 150 euros.

UPDATES: JUNE 2025

Thanks to Mr and Mrs Ducarroz from rhe Isère for their kind donation of 2,000 euros.

Thank you to Mr and Mrs K from San Francisco for their generous donation of 12,000 euros.

Thank you to Mr and Mrs P from Madrid for the generous donation of 20,000 euros.

A big thankyou to Mr Samuel T. of Laval for his generous gift of 5,000 euros.

Heartfelt gratitude to Mr and Mrs D from the Vendée, for a kind gift of 300 euros.

Thanks to our old friends Mr and Mrs Gibelin, from Paris, for their gift of 500 euros to support the works.

Carlos, from Spain: “I wish you very good luck with these difficult issues and we pray for your school to keep on doing its marvelous mission!” Thanks Carlos for your donation of 500 euros.

Thanks Faustine for sending 200 euros.

Thanks Michel for your donation of 150 euros.

UPDATES: MAY 2025

Special thanks to Mr FX de R for his donation of 500 euros.

Big thankyou to Mr et Mme V in Paris for a donation of 6,000 euros.

Special thanks to Mr AP, a parent of a former pupil, who has sent 5,000 euros.

An enormous thankyou to Madame Denis Tenet, a local supporter of the College, for an extremely generous donation of 20,000 euros.

More thanks to Mr and Mrs B, for their kind donation of 15,000. euros

Another thankyou to Mme R for her donation of 1,000 euros.

Big thanks to former pupil, Greg Morrison, for his recent donation of €1,170 (£800 plus Gift Aid).

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