"This house is back in the family," declared Ann McElaney-Johnson, president of Mount Saint Mary's University--Los Angeles, at a June 26 blessing ceremony of Mother St. John Fontbonne's birthplace in Bas-en-Basset, France.
MSMU purchased the house shortly after last year's pilgrimage to Le Puy and several small towns of significance to the life of Mother St. John Fontbonne. McElaney-Johnson and Grace Kadner Wickersham, chairperson of the MSMU Finance Committee, noticed a for-sale sign in the house's window and made inquiries with a local realtor--with the help of tour guide Patrick Fargier, who has real estate background. The house had recently been renovated, so all it needed was some paint and furnishings.
Located in the small French town of Bas-en-Basset on the Loire River, the house will serve as a welcoming space for pilgrims, a study place for faculty and students, and a destination for members of the MSMU community seeking a different kind of French experience.