The city center of Nérondes

Célestin's house

La Rocherie

Célestin Malo, a life devoted to others

Born in 1915 in Garigny, a hamlet closed to Nérondes, France, Célestin Malo spent most of his life in this French rural region and contributed to its development.

When he was 11 years old, he started working as a clerk solicitor and then in a factory as a production assistant.

He was called for his military service just before World War II, but unfortunately caught tuberculosis and had to quit the army for medical reasons in 1939.

Because of his weak health condition, he was never able to resume a job but was awarded a lifetime pension in 1941.

As a volonteer, he began a brilliant career in the social sector. In Nérondes, he first served as a social worker, providing consultancy for health and social care, and was also a rural activist.

In 1950, he was designated in the board of directors of the 'Mutualité Sociale Agricole', an institution dedicated to the social care of French rural areas.

After developing several projects in the Cher, a region in the center of France, he founded a retirement house in Nérondes in 1965. The house opened in 1971 with 80 lodgers and was called 'La Rocherie'. In 1981, a medical section was created to provide a better and closer medical care.

In 1985, Célestin launched a home service for the elderly, enabling more than 100 persons to stay at home and to benefit from hot meals and medical service.

Célestin decided to resign in 1997 from his position of Chairman of the board of La Rocherie and to retire after 56 years of an exceptional commitment.

Today, la Rocherie hosts 105 people and employs 60 people, and is now the largest entreprise in the Nérondes region.

Written by Nicolas Malo (December 2000). Célestin Malo died in November 2005 and is survived by his wife to this day.

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