The second day of the pilgrimage took us to Thibar, a village in the mountains where the first White Fathers arrived in 1895 and the White Sisters in 1902.
The Fathers began their mission by caring for the people; then they began a parish, a primary school for boys, an orphanage and in 1935 the scholasticate. In the buildings of the latter, the agricultural school of Thibar was installed. We could visit it having as a guide the head of the school and Father Jean de la Fontaine who had done part of his formation there as a White Father.
The people from the cave that we visited later, spoke to us with gratitude about the work of the White Fathers who contributed considerably to the development of the village. We saw old furniture that had belonged to the fathers and we were able to taste the wines of Thibar.
The White Sisters, after their arrival in Thibar in 1902, opened a workshop there that until 1975 had produced carpets renowned throughout the country. They also started a nursery school, a primary school and then a domestic science school. Currently, in the sisters’ buildings there is an agricultural training center that we visited. It was a surprise for us to find objects that belonged to our sisters like an old telephone and big iron pots.
Visiting these places where young people can train for their future and which are like an open door to their promotion, inspired us to pray for all the young people of the world, especially those in North Africa. We gave thanks to the Lord for the fruits of the work of our sisters and brothers in Thibar, the fruits that remain even until today.
