Alexis Effroy, 56, has been running the Notre-Dame de Montligeon shrine as General Secretary since March 1th, 2024. Prior to this position, he was its Administrative & Financial director. In this interview, he clarifies his role and mission.
Welcoming pilgrims
My primary mission is to welcome the pilgrims. Our goal is to make them feel in peace and happy to be here, enabling them to leave their worries aside and fully enjoy their stay. They visit the shrine in large numbers: indeed, we accommodate them over about thirty thousand nights a year as groups or individual pilgrims. They take part in the nearly fifty events organized by the shrine each year, including sessions for mourners, families, couples…).
To facilitate the reception of these groups, we have a team comprised of four people who record registrations, manage the switchboard and greet the pilgrims on their arrival. With three people, our catering and waiter team, sometimes supported by temporary staff, is able to prepare and serve up to 500 meals a day for lunch or supper. We also have a clean-up crew to maintain the rooms and the shared facilities of the shrine.
Actively following-up the pilgrims
There is another team responsible for the spiritual requests, i.e. our Secretariat. They record the registrations to the Fraternity, the requests for masses and the prayer groups both in France and abroad. You can contact them directly at the shrine, by phone or online via our website.
The management of all of those responsibilities is done through our business department, which is run by two accountants and one business manager. We also have a communication department, allowing us to share information on the events at the shrine and raise awareness about the Work of Montligeon. Finally, we have a maintenance department to look after the buildings of the shrine. This is key if we want to accommodate the pilgrims optimally.
Ensuring the coordination of the teams
My role is to help those teams work together and manage the employees in order for each one to do what they are supposed to do, fulfilling their jobs in the best way possible. The teams include the cooks, the reception desk, some direct services for pilgrims and even the administration, which are often invisible to the pilgrims although just as important.
Alexis Effroy’s mission is closely related to the chaplains’.
I do not take part in the chaplains’ pastoral mission. On the other hand, regarding any physical matter, I am continuously referring to the rector. Each chaplain has their own mission. For example, linking the employees, dealing with the sessions organization, or with IT. In the process, I have discovered a team of highly spiritual chaplains who at the same time are very practical. They are involved in the concrete aspects of daily life whilst managing the shrine on the temporal and spiritual levels. This dual side is very well managed here by the team.
As far as I am concerned, I am delighted to have joined Montligeon. The job I found here is meaningful and connected to my faith.
Alexis Effroy,
a man of faith
My mission as a deacon is separate to my role at the shrine. However, my faith life inevitably influences the way I work. I try to live by it every day, which in turn has an impact on the way I manage people and interact with them. My faith has always played an important role on my job. Nevertheless, since I became a deacon, it is probably a little stronger. As a result, I also tend to have some kind of positive role modeling in my position with both the employees or the pilgrims.
“My faith has always impacted my professional life. However, since I became a deacon, this is probably little stronger. “
Since joining Montligeon, I have always been very touched by my encounters with the pilgrims. For instance, during the pilgrimages of heaven, you see the burden they carry on their shoulders when they arrive. Now, when they leave, they look completely changed. This is very uplifting and it gives me great strength to keep on working on this job.
I regard this new jubilee year on hopefulness as a great thing. Christian hopefulness is a light both for our world and the shrine, a global center of prayer for the deceased.
Maintaining and transmitting the real estate of the shrine
The shrine owns all the buildings where the pilgrims are accommodated, as well as the basilica. The buildings were erected over a century ago. Therefore they worn out with time and the increasing number of visitors. My goal is to maintain them and transmit them in good condition, at least as I found them and, if possible in a better condition.
Presently, we have launched a renovation project of the basilica in three phases: the roofing, the stained-glass windows and the block-work. These works are very costly. They have been estimated at 3,8 million Euros. Part of the funding was through grants, however, some were not obtained, making the situation rather complex.
Some urgent building work
The work cannot be delayed as it might lead to much greater deterioration. For example, if left untreated, a minor leak in the roof might result in damage in the framework. The stained-glass windows need to be reinforced, even if they are not broken, to avoid getting shattered.
The work will be carried out in three phases, over a period of at least three years, and we will continue to seek funding in the process.
Help us restore the basilica ! https://montligeon.org/devenez-batisseur-desperance/
