Our Conversion as Migrants: The heart of JOSEFA

You have asked me to write a few words about the space that will be the heart of the Josefa House, namely the place of prayer and meditation…

Before I do this, I would like to refer back to the rationale behind our approach.

The space is intended to be welcoming to those who cross the threshold of the Josefa House, whether they are residing there or receiving a service (catering, medical or cultural); it is a proposal to change our outlook on our migrations, for our conversion as migrants.

As a reminder, the Josefa House will offer within its walls, in addition to 42 residential units, two restaurant levels, a cultural space and a medical space; these spaces are there to facilitate the integration of the Josefa House into the urban landscape and encourage links between the residents (refugees and non-refugees) and the people working or living in the vicinity or just visiting.

The challenge for our architects is to envisage the Josefa House as a dynamic part of our journey, for all of us migrants, free or forced. Thus, the overall design and especially the interior architecture should convey a feeling of hospitality experienced in reciprocity, encourage the comings and goings of people and support the living together occurring within the walls of the Josefa House, but also in conjunction with the city.

And in this way, people will naturally want to sit, to be "silent", to gather together, to meditate and pray in this space of prayer and meditation, and most importantly to respect one another’s right to freedom of beliefs and self-expression.

Before we begin to think about or focus on one another’s denominational or religious affiliation, we need to first value, as humans, our spiritual capacities according to the first Josefa pillar: the ethical aspect of our journeying together.

Another key point, and perhaps a fundamental one, for Josefa, is the aesthetic aspect. The "Beautiful" is seen as a vector of Hope. The Other is revealing itself to us. Certainly, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we need to be able to come to a consensus (build a communion) based on common ground.

The third pillar of the Josefa House is the economic aspect in the sense that the house is the radiant heart of the city, the "living law". The heart of the Josefa House, a happy space for meditation, prayer, shared or not, wants to vibrate with the same fundamental harmonics.

The cantus firmus that is hospitality should make "sense" to the visitors of the meditation space. In this space, experiences should be shared from oneself to another. It is about offering everyone the opportunity to expect a fruitful moment together.

Finally, at this stage of our journey, regarding this space and time, in the heart of the Josefa House, in the heart of the city, at the heart of our migration, we should dare to mention the "inter-religious" issue. What physical and spiritual relationships can we imagine that will help promote the integration of the Josefa space among believers and freethinkers, Christians and non-Christians, and the people who wish to give a little of themselves to Others?

Therefore, this "place" will become an experience and will perpetuate itself through our sharing. It will be a sign of our conversion as migrants and be dedicated to "our prayers", to "us, together, migrants of humanity", in the heart of the Josefa House.

Gilbert