Celebrating 125 Years of Nazareth Academy

Can you briefly describe what you were doing in France and what led you to Le Puy?

I participated in a program called TAPIF, which is the American name for the language assistant program built into the French education system. I wanted to be somewhere that gave me the most different experience to what I already had so graciously gotten to do in Paris, so I chose to become an English teaching assistant in the countryside city of Clermont-Ferrand, France. Since there were very few English speakers there, I would also be able to work on gaining French fluency for myself.

I knew while I was there that I wanted to make a trip to Le Puy-en-Velay since I’d learned about it during my time at Naz. It was about a two-hour drive from Clermont, so my friends and I rented a car and road-tripped there for a weekend.

The city is characterized by its two large volcanic formations, one topped by the Virgin Mary and one by the 10th-century Chapel St-Michel d’Aiguilhe. We had a day around the city being tourists. The city is colorful and convivial, straight from a fairytale.

What is one thing you learned or discovered during your visit?

When we arrived at the home of the Sisters, I initially thought it might be a bust since there were no signs or anything welcoming you in. In the U.S. there would probably be a big sign saying “Welcome to the Congregation of St. Joseph, Tours Start at 3:00 P.M.” – but there was a little sign on the doorbell that gave me hope.

I had to ask a neighbor that was outside gardening if it would be okay to bother the Sisters. To the neighbor, the answer was simple and obvious: knock on the door. To me, I was so hesitant since I am used to the idea that I should be clearly invited before making myself known. This is a typical cultural difference that I observed throughout my time in France. People are not afraid to knock on your door. It is normal to be curious and quest after information. It’s a generalization, but people living in France welcome whatever may ring at their doorbell, be it a new opinion, a challenger or a Nazareth Academy grad looking to connect with her school’s Founding Sisters.

With curiosity and courage, I rang the doorbell, and a lovely Sister answered the door and showed me around the grounds. I got to stand in the very Hearth room where the Sisters were founded in 1650. I also saw lace for sale all around the city. Lace-making was a way the Sisters once supported themselves and built community.

My time at Nazareth taught me to be always searching for every perspective when building a narrative. When it came to choosing a college, I wanted to go out of state so I could learn about a different part of the U.S. When it came to choosing where to live in France, I wanted to be in Clermont where I knew I could learn different things than I did when I was in Paris. I made the effort to go out to Le Puy because I wanted to see for myself if the stories I’d been told about the city were how I imagined.