By Teresa La Monica
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 9/4/03)

Families from St. John Parish in McLean hosted 10 French boys, ages 15-18, and their chaperones for three weeks in July. The Catholic boys group, known as Club Fennecs, was sponsored by Opus Dei for French high school boys. The group was led by Arnaud Gency, Father Henri Fremont and Merveilleux du Vignaux. Its goals were spiritual development, community service and a better understanding of American life.

The request to house the 10 boys came to Father Edward Hathaway, pastor of St. John Parish, in late June. Father Hathaway placed an ad for host families in the church bulletin. He often solicited for host families as parishoners left church on Sunday.

Accompanying the boys’ arrival on July 8 was a "welcome reception" including dinner, swimming and tennis. The reception allowed the families and boys to meet and gave Gency, Father Hathaway and Moore an opportunity to review rules and schedules.

There were 8 families who housed the 10 boys. The chaperones also stayed with a family and Father Fremont stayed at the St. John rectory and often celebrated Mass or participated in the Wednesday novenas.

Gency ran a tight weekday schedule filled with a variety of organized activities. The day began with optional morning Mass (which was well-attended despite the "option"), followed by spiritual direction by Father Fremont and English and "civilization" classes conducted by a St. John’s parishioner who offered his teaching experience and assigned the boys projects such as reporting on different states or practicing their English. Afternoons were spent exploring the city. They attended a show at the Kennedy Center and went on tours at the Smithsonian, Air and Space Museum, Mount Vernon, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Georgetown University. Sports were important in their afternoons as well. They joined the St. John’s Youth Group for a day at King’s Dominion and a weekend of camping and tubing at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.

Father Fremont, Gency and Moore arranged a trip to New York City. When funds became a problem they found housing with the Poor Clare sisters in Long Island for the weekend. The boys really enjoyed their New York adventure. They all commented on the generosity of the sisters who put them up in their convent. They not only attended morning Mass with them, but were fed "huge breakfasts" of eggs and sausages.

Prayer was an important part of the boys’ visit. Besides the daily Mass, which was a strong common ground between the French and American lives, there were other opportunities available to the different families involved. The statue of the Pilgrim Virgin promoted a nightly rosary. The "vocation crucifix" was the center of nightly family prayer. Several families participated in a novena of the brown scapular. The boys even found time for community service, such as making and delivering peanut butter sandwiches to a homeless shelter and doing yard work for seniors at Lewinsville Center.

As for the international travelers, life with the host families provided many new experiences. American snacking habits, a bit of a novelty in France, soon caught on. They enjoyed American foods such as meals on the go, American hamburgers, Dr. Pepper, Cheetos and pizza. Boys were swept up in the American way of life, as they attended family parties, movies, basketball games, swim meets and going to the mall. Boys were incorporated into the family by visiting grandparents, nursing homes or family friends. Some spent time at the beach or a lake house.

It was apparent that family life was important to the French boys and sharing life with grandparents and siblings seemed to come natural for them, despite any language barriers. As far as language, the boys varied in their use of English from just a little to nearly fluent, but as time went on, neither language nor politics became important. Father Fremont reminded the participants that the boys could learn English from any number of other organizations; it was the faith development that was unique to this group.

When asked about the spiritual gains from the trip, all the boys commented on how many people went to daily Mass and how the churches here were so crowded on Sundays. Some talked of how "easy it was to go to Mass here" and "how devoted the people here are to God." The few who attended the novena were very impressed with its beauty. The boys also wanted to take home "the American way of life" and "the friendliness of the Americans."

What about the host families? All were sad to see the experience end. There was a farewell dinner, and many shared sentiments of how close their families had grown to the boys. Host families commented on the good manners of the boys and how thoughtful and appreciative and helpful they were around the house. Some commented on the chance to share political discussions, while others avoided these. They all learned to appreciate a different culture and in the process, appreciate their own. The boys taught their American hosts about French culture, to accept differences in others and to make new friends from a different land. All of the host families commented on how each boy "became like a member of the family."

There were tears of goodbye at the farewell luncheon. On that last day, the host families and French guests felt as though they were not really saying goodbye or Au-voir but "see you later." As one boy told Gency on the plane, "Part of my heart will always be in McLean." The host families can all empathize with the statement as part of their hearts will always be in France.