Presentation of the French Mouvement Chrétien des Retraités (MCR)

The French MCR - Christian Movement of Pensioners - is the French branch of LAI. It will celebrate, from 13 to 15 June, in Lourdes, its 60th anniversary. So, 60 years ago it was created on the basis of Friendship, Spirituality and Apostolate, it was then called Vie Montante.

Teams were quickly created in all dioceses, and this movement of General Catholic Action had its moment of glory in the years 1990 to 2000. Since then, like many movements, the number of its members continues to decrease, nevertheless, the faith, the ardour, the creativity of the latter allows it to remain, in number, the first movement of Catholic Action in France.

Today it has just over 16,000 members.  Missionary disciples, they aspire to be happy witnesses of the Gospel; it is not surprising then that "Bearers of joy on the paths of life" is the support of our invitation to Lourdes. They remain lucid and deliberately turned towards others, living the Gospel, aspiring to be active retirees of Hope, in order not to deny anything of the past, since this was the slogan of the last World Days of Retreat that brought together 4000 people in Lourdes in 2018.

Everyone in his team (base of the MCR), lives intensely the campaign of year proposed by the commission of spiritual animation (this year: "May your Kingdom come, may it enlighten and change our life! "). Everyone continues to "Live Laudato Si as a team", an action initiated before the pandemic that has continued to mobilize and attract more and more members to live the integral ecology promoted by Pope Francis. In each diocese, an office federates and animates the teams of the diocese.

Beyond the diocese there is an interdiocesan liaison commission -CIL- responsible for making the link between dioceses and national. There are sixteen LICs whose representatives constitute the Steering Committee (the movement's real board of directors).

Finally, a national bureau, elected for three years, renewable once, is responsible for the unity and animation of the movement. In the dark days of the pandemic, all the work of the new national team, managed by Anne-Marie Maison, was to create links, to leave no one behind. Two innovations were very appreciated: the wink of the day that solicited Internet members, (their 80 messages were grouped in a souvenir album), then the minute of the MCR that was proposed to all, short daily message that can be read or listened to, from the first confinement to spring 2020.

A year ago, when the conflict broke out in Ukraine, the 2-minute action at 6 p.m. allowed everyone to be in a union of prayer, every day, and to pray for peace.

Finally, if we can say "icing on the cake», the creation of the Almanac/Agenda of the MCR and the publication of the book written by two of our members for Mame editions entitled "Retirement, a time to savour" have allowed the MCR to make itself known beyond the only members.

The month of June 2023 will see new proposals announced: a new orientation report, as well as the fruits of a major work of commissions on formation and spiritual accompaniment.

The MCR is ALIVE!