Maison Bakhita in Paris, a laboratory of fraternity

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

On February 21, 2017, in an address to participants in the international forum on migration and peace, Pope Francis exhorted the world “to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate” migrants as it is “a duty of justice, of civility and of solidarity.”

This appeal did not go unheard by the then Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, who began working with other diocesan actors to create a centre to fulfil this mission.

Four years later, in 2021, Maison Bakhita opened its doors in the 18th district of the city, as a place to welcome and support migrants and also put them in contact with the local population.

Now, Pope Leo XIV will visit this center on September 26, during his upcoming Apostolic Journey to France from September 25 to 28, 2026.

“When you’re face-to-face with a person who has a name, a story, a child in their arms, we’re convinced that this completely changes the way migrants are seen,” explained Isabelle Cauchois, the outgoing director of Maison Bakhita, who ended her term on September 15 after having headed the center since its inception.

“Many people don’t know migrants personally; they only hear statistics on television, the internet, or the radio—numbers that represent people—but numbers and statistics don’t have a human face.”

Migrants and volunteers at the Maison Bakhita   (Maison Bakhita)

Excitement for the Pope’s visit

Cauchois underlined that the Pope’s visit was “an immense surprise” and said there is a lot of excitement and joy brewing.

Two other charity associations will also be present during the meeting with volunteers and those they assist, “Aux captifs, la libération” and “A Bras Ouverts”. They work with people in precarious situations, people involved in prostitution and people with disabilities.

Since not everyone who is connected to Maison Bakhita will be able to attend the meeting with the Pope, “we are trying to involve people – whether they are volunteers, staff members or migrants – by encouraging them to write a letter to the Pope. They can write a message, a prayer, a question, anything that is important to them. We will then present these to the Pope when he arrives,” she explained.

Isabelle Cauchois, former director of Maison Bakhita   (Maison Bakhita)

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The Church’s hand extended towards migrants

For Cauchois, the Pope’s visit sheds light on the need to help our brothers and sisters on the move. “Just as Maison Bakhita represents for the Diocese of Paris, but also for the outside world, this helping hand extended to migrants, this visit shows the world that reaching out to migrants is still important,” Cauchois emphasized.

“Especially in a world that can all too easily turn inward, where there is a sense of fear toward foreigners.”  

Although she acknowledged that the theme of migration is not simple and has many implications, she insisted on the importance of showing that “the Church is always committed to helping migrants, welcoming them, helping them live decently, or giving them the chance to stay in their own countries.”

In this regard, she quoted the Gospel of Matthew, which says “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” “This is a verse that is very important to us, and it is written on a wall in Maison Bakhita,” she pointed out.

The Pope’s visit is also a strong encouragement for the staff’s mission: “The fact that the Popes can speak about this issue, write about it in their encyclicals, Pope Leo XIV’s wrote about this in his Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te… This is clearly a huge source of support for us because it gives us confirmation, reassurance that we’re on the right track.”  

A laboratory of fraternity

Cauchois highlighted that the Maison’s mission is threefold in order to be able to “serve as a resource and a tool for the pastoral care of migrants in the diocese.”

The first is focused on supporting Church actors that help migrants, such as parishes, associations or volunteers, by organizing formation courses, conferences, assisting with documentation or any other needs. She noted that there have been 400 volunteers that have been formed since 2021 thanks to the Maison’s courses.

The second part of the mission is centred on helping the migrants to integrate. Thus, the Maison offers over 30 different types of activities including skills classes such as learning to cook, to sow, or to speak French; assistance in finding employment; psychological assistance; or also recreational activities to foster connections, like theatre groups, art classes or sports events. There is also a daycare center for migrant mothers.

Cooking classes at Maison Bakhita   (Maison Bakhita)

Lastly, the third part of the mission is to make sure that locals can meet and interact with migrants and get to know them.

Around 2,800 people of 84 different nationalities have been welcomed since the center opened and there are around 100 volunteers that support the Maison’s activities. It also has 10 operational partners that help organize the different services on offer.

“It is a project with many projects inside it,” Cauchois said. “It is really a laboratory of fraternity.”

A house anchored in faith

“Then, of course, since we are a Christian household, we also have a prayer presence,” Cauchois continued, explaining how two Scalabrinian sisters live in the house and offer spiritual support. Mass is celebrated once a week, along with other religious appointments.

“But we are a home that is open to everyone, so this doesn’t mean we welcome only Christians,” Cauchois highlighted.

She underlined how, in a country like France where secularism is very important, many Muslims who come to Maison Bakhita “are grateful and feel at ease knowing they are in a home where people believe in God.”

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Maison Bakhita offers many spiritual and religious appointments   (Maison Bakhita)

“There really is this bond centered on faith, because faith is often a very important source of strength in their lives,” she said, noting how Muslims too confide in and speak with the nuns present in the house.

The people who come to the Maison “have often gone through very difficult times, so God and faith are truly a source of strength that gives them the drive to keep going.”

St. Bakhita, an inspiration

Another source of inspiration for Maison Bakhita’s mission comes from the saint that inspired the center’s name.

St. Josephine Bakhita (1869 – 1947) was a Sudanese Catholic religious sister who was kidnapped as a child and sold as a slave. In captivity, she suffered physical and verbal violence until she was later sold to an Italian Consul. He brought her to Italy, where she discovered the Catholic faith, converted and then joined the Scalabrinian Missionaries. She was canonized in October 2000.

“St. Josephine Bakhita always thought, even if she didn’t believe in God initially, that there was something bigger that was protecting her and that her life would one day be better,” said Cauchois.

“She always possessed an admirable strength and a zest for life that drove her forward. She also always forgave everyone who had wronged her.”

One of the reasons the house was named after her is “because she is a saint from the African continent—which is important for giving a face that is truly representative of the Global South, like so many of the people who come to the Maison Bakhita,” Cauchois explained.

She hopes the Pope’s visit will help people reflect on what it means to welcome migrants and that it may bring a “message of peace and light for all those in need.”