Invitation to Life (often known as IVI) is a not-for-profit organisation founded in Paris in 1983 by Yvonne Trubert. Régis Dericquebourg deemed the group as a “healing-oriented religion,” although it prefers not to be considered as a religion and includes members active in different religions.

History

Yvonne Trubert was born in Laurenan,

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

in 1932 in a Roman Catholic family. While living in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, she discovered what her friends believed to be effective healing powers and she started gathering them in informal groups. By 1982, she had gathered some 60 members who decided that an association should be formally incorporated. This happened in 1983, and the association Invitation à la Vie (Invitation to Life) was born. Eventually, IVI developed in several other countries, and by 2000 it had several thousand members. Most of them remained active Roman Catholics and IVI became known for its mass pilgrimages, mostly to Catholic centers such as

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for its Château fort, a ...

Fatima Fatima bint Muhammad (; 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fatima al-Zahra' (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, the fourth of the Rashidun caliphs and the first Shia imam. ...

, and

Mont Saint-Michel Mont-Saint-Michel (; Norman: ''Mont Saint Miché''; ) is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island lies approximately off France's north-western coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is i ...

. In 1987, however, the French Catholic Bishops published a declaration claiming that IVI was a “

gnostic Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek: , romanized: ''gnōstikós'', Koine Greek: �nostiˈkos 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century AD among early Christian sects. These diverse g ...

” movement whose

syncretism Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the ...

was incompatible with orthodox Catholicism. In France in 1995 and 1999,Assemblée Nationale
“Rapport ‘Les sectes et l’argent’”
1999. IVI was included in

governmental lists of cults and sects The application of the labels "cults" or "sects" to (for example) new religious movement, religious movements in government documents usually signifies the popular and negative use of the term "cult" in English (language), English and a functiona ...

(in 1995 under the name “Invitation à la vie intense”). On the other hand, in 2007 the association Invitation to Life has been declared of general interest in France: this means that IVI is recognised as a not-for-profit organisation with tax-deductibility status for donations.

Main doctrines

Déricquebourg believes that healing is the center of IVI, and the main reason it attracts members. Healing, however, is seen by IVI as part of a larger process of “harmonization,” where members are seeking harmony with themselves, the nature, and God. To achieve these aims, IVI proposes three “keys”: prayer, harmonization (intended as a specific technique), and vibrations. The Roman Catholic

Rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...

is the main prayer suggested, but prayer and harmonization are often practiced together. In IVI’s harmonization, an experienced member called “harmonizer” asks the “harmonized” to lie on a table and focus on the prayers recited by the harmonizer, who also practices a soft massage. “Vibrations” are collective chants and sounds supposed to create harmony and peace.

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Christian organizations established in 1983 Christian new religious movements Christian denominations founded in France New religious movements established in the 1980s New religious movements in France