What is FRAT?
FRAT is short for “FRATernel” (like “fraternal” in English).
It’s an annual event that brings together young Christians from across Île-de-France (all the dioceses of Paris and the surrounding area!). Depending on age, the destination changes: middle school students go to Jambville, near Paris, while high school students make a pilgrimage to Lourdes. In both cases, the adventure lasts between 3 and 5 days.
And note: no one goes to FRAT alone. Each young person registers through a group — parish, chaplaincy, school, movement, or community — so there’s company guaranteed from the very first moment.
The most incredible part: this tradition has existed since 1908! More than a century bringing together generations of young people on the path of faith.
And they turn out in great numbers… around 12,000!
Institute of l’Alma – FRAT
The FRAT gathering in Jambville usually takes place in the rain, but this time a rather pleasant temperature allowed us to enjoy a spectacular natural setting in the Vexin, in the park of the Scouts and Guides of France castle.
The numbers speak of 12,000 middle school students from 8 dioceses of Île-de-France (Paris and surrounding areas), from Catholic schools, chaplaincies, and parishes, but also delegations from other countries such as Germany, England, and Belgium, while always maintaining the identity of a French gathering with more than a century of history.
At FRAT 2026, the Institut de l’Alma took part with 21 young people.
How were the days from May 22 to 25 experienced?
With joy! Joy reigned the whole time — a joy that comes from afar, the same joy Zacchaeus experienced when Jesus told him: “Today I must stay at your house!” — the theme that accompanied us throughout these days.
There were so many activities during these four days that it’s very hard to say which moments were the most intense.
like
- times with one’s own group,
- the “carrefours” (starting from a pair of 2 young people who already know each other, a group of 8 is formed with other young people they don’t know), who are offered an activity during gatherings accompanied by group leaders;
- the testimonies — and how powerfully we heard, in our “village,” the moving experience of Raphaël Pitti, a doctor on the war front;
- and also the celebrations in the main tent, where the union of hearts in faith could be felt so strongly — young hearts, with overflowing enthusiasm.
An impressive organization!
Organizing a gathering of this scale isn’t without small challenges: lines for food, restrooms, entry to the big tent, etc. Everything is designed so that no one notices a crowd having to fit into a limited space without incident.
Although not comparable to major Church gatherings like World Youth Day or the Taizé meetings, there’s always a sense of being in another dimension — one that pushes us to step outside ourselves, expand our space, and open up to others, where the boundary between one’s own body and that of others becomes more porous, as if part of a greater whole that transcends individuals, all vibrating together (Charles Mercier).
Not every young person may have experienced an encounter with Jesus, but I’m certain that FRAT, like a school, leaves behind memories of happiness, discoveries, and bonds — and makes us realize that, beyond my family, my group, my school, or my parish, there’s a whole world of brothers’ and sisters’ faces still to discover.
And for the young people, the favorite moment…
In the last “carrefour” session, I asked the young people what their favorite moment had been. The answer was clear: the celebration of baptisms and confirmations, on the eve of Pentecost. This is the face of the Church in France — the Church in 2026 — preparing to welcome Pope Leo XIV, while also asking itself how to accompany the young people and adults who, across France, are knocking on the Church’s door asking for the sacraments.
Pray – Know – Sing
Living out a Catholic gathering with 21 young people, many of whom are not baptized, one Protestant, and another Muslim — what an adventure! But in the end, everything went perfectly, and the young people, both those furthest from and those closest to the Catholic Church, thoroughly enjoyed the event.
Many were moved by the baptism of fellow teenagers, the singing before 12,000 people under a tent, or the Eucharistic procession with torches and outdoor Adoration.
As a guide, I had the privilege of witnessing their joy — often very deep — at having lived these moments of shared faith, which will be able to strengthen their Christian life, and even help them draw closer to it without fear.
A moment of hope…
In a time of bad news, fleeting relationships, and people glued to their phones, the Pentecost weekend allowed us to spend three days connected — with each other, with ourselves, and with God.
More than 11,000 middle school students took part in the FRAT gathering!
21 young people in our care, including a Protestant, a Muslim, and two unbaptized… Could there be a more diverse group than this at a Catholic gathering?
It’s truly a challenge for everyone to be welcomed just as they are, with their own story and their own search for God. To accept young people as they are, care for them, and help them discover a Church that is young, open, richly diverse, and joyful!
I have no doubt the Holy Spirit breathed over us and within us during this weekend in Jambville. The smiles of the young people, their emotions, their songs, and their “thank yous” say a great deal about what we lived!
Now it’s up to us, together with the young people, to keep telling each one of them, following the example of Bishop Étienne Guillet during Saturday night’s vigil: “God loves you, God trusts you!”
Words of life, which give meaning to my mission and to the message of that God who became man and drew close to each one of us!
I leave impressed, grateful, and deeply happy
I had the good fortune of joining FRAT for Sunday Mass. This experience moved me deeply, while also giving me the unique feeling of being, at the same time, fully present and, in a way, on the edge of the adventure the true “Frateux” — gathered by the thousands for several days already — had been living.
In that magnificent wooded setting, despite the intense heat, I witnessed an exceptional celebration, driven by music, fervor, and the young people’s impressive enthusiasm. There was a genuine sense of communion and a very strong spirit, born of several days spent together.
I was especially thrilled to see again the roughly twenty l’Alma students who were present — a wonderful group — as well as their chaperones. I believe they greatly appreciated that their director came to be with them, showing them the care the whole l’Alma community has for them.
This day also allowed me to appreciate the extraordinary dedication of the chaperones, committed to the young people around the clock. For my part, I had the privilege of taking part in one of the gathering’s most memorable moments, but they lived — and helped others live — the entire experience. I leave impressed, grateful, and deeply happy to have shared, even if only for a few hours, this beautiful enthusiasm.
But we also took part through our community in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône.
Thank you Lord!
I had the good fortune of accompanying a group of about 20 young people aged 14 and 15 to FRAT. We were a drop of water in an ocean of 12,000 young Christians, gathered to celebrate, sing, praise, pray, and even play… their faith in Jesus!
FRAT comes from “Fraternel,” meaning “fraternal.” And truly, I witnessed this fraternity, made possible only because the Lord Jesus is alive and continues to draw us toward a fraternal encounter with whoever is beside us, regardless of language, origin, race, or creed.
I watched the young people I accompanied as, little by little, fear of what is different gave way to openness toward others; resistance was replaced by joy and celebration; noise gave way to the inner silence of one who is intimately united to the One who says, again and again, without giving up: “I want to stay at your house!”
Once again, I was a privileged witness to the presence of the living Jesus in our history — alive in the story of every young person who opened themselves, during these days, to an encounter with Him.
