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Diocese Armagh Clergy Conference 2005 Brother Thierry's Testimory
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| Brother Thierry's Testimory |
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I was born in 1965 in Paris into a very dechristianised family and was only baptised because my Italian grandmother wanted me to be baptised. My parents, both baptised Catholic, did not go to church for their wedding and my younger brother is not baptised. We were however brought up in a very religious atmosphere: - On my mother's side, through the marriage of her twin sister, there is a very strong Jewish family, and so before knowing anything about Jesus Christ and the Church, we took part in the celebration of the Sabbath. I remember vividly how one year we were all gathered together on a Friday evening, which was coincidently Christmas Eve, and my uncle recited the Jewish prayers for the beginning of the Sabbath. We made no mention of the forthcoming birth of Christ. - On my father's side there is a Protestant aunt who is not practising but who is well aware of the fact that she is not Catholic and that, in France, Protestants suffered at the hands of the Catholic Church. She would often remind us of this. Very early on, without being a Catholic, without receiving any religious education, I realised that there were tensions and divisions, that there was a need for unity. My faith journey began in an unexpected way. By family tradition I was sent to a Catholic school. Catholic schools in France are very different from Catholic schools in Ireland – catechism is not taught in school but in the parish and therefore I did not attend. I was fifteen when a teacher spoke to us about a gathering of young people in Lourdes during the Easter holidays, young people from Paris and its suburbs. I knew nothing about the apparitions, but my best friend decided to go and so I followed him. During the five days in Lourdes, I was very impressed by the faith of these young people gathered together in order to pray, to celebrate their faith and to debate about Christ. The impression was one of deep joy, a real and simple joy lived together and celebrated in beautiful liturgies. I came back home wondering what/who was the cause of that joy. After one year, carrying that question, I spoke with the headmistress of my school, a nun, and shared with her my puzzlement. She said to me: "Go to your parish church!"… and I went. I first went to the Sunday Eucharistic celebration, staying at the back of the church. I was really touched by the parish community, a living and caring Christian community. After two months, I decided to go to the sacristy and asked the priest if we could meet. He immediately opened his diary and we made an appointment. I felt welcomed and respected by the community and by a priest. After few meetings, I told Fr Lucien that I enjoyed the Eucharistic celebration but I felt excluded because I was unable to receive the Eucharist. We decided to meet each other regularly so that I could prepare for my 1st Communion. The months of preparation were a very important time for me. Going to the Eucharistic celebration regularly, the discovery of God's love and the abundance of his gifts to me, deepened and increased my desire to receive the Eucharist. I remember very clearly how I longed for the day of my 1st Communion. The big day happened during the Holy Thursday Eucharist. My family, Jews and Protestants, and friends were there. During the celebration, I gave thanks to God for all he had given me and I asked what could he expect from me? What could I give him? The only answer which came to my mind was: "Thierry, give yourself". And from that day it was clear to me that I would give my life to God in a celibate life. I was 16 years old. A few days after the celebration I met with Fr Lucien and I told him about my inner decision to give my life to God. His reaction was: "Thierry, go to university and we will speak later about that!" I went to university and studied French literature during three years in Paris. As a student, I became very much involved in the life of my diocese, organising youth gatherings and taking an active part in my parish community. Fr Lucien, a wonderful priest with his weakness and riches, became a real spiritual father, a model, and so I decided to give my life as a diocesan priest and entered a seminary. The more I became aware of the divisions which wound our world, our Churches, our families, and my own heart, the more it appeared clearly to me that Christ's work through his Sacraments, and particularly in the Eucharist, was precisely "to draw all people to (himself)". During my time in seminary, I discovered monastic life. I was deeply touched by two things: - Firstly, by the fact that men and women throughout the world pray and celebrate the Eucharist regularly for God's glory and the salvation of the world. This continuous prayer is for God and for the world. The church may be packed or empty, it does not hinder the monastic community from gathering together in the presence of God in order to celebrate his praise in a faithful and beautiful way. - Secondly, by the fact that monks live in community. The community aspect of my faith is deep and it takes its roots in the gatherings in Lourdes and in the parish that welcomed me. Through my spiritual journey I discovered the importance of the Eucharist as the sacrament of communion, not only communion between God and me, but also communion with all those who partake in the sacred meal. You all know the famous statement: "The Eucharist makes the Church". The Catechism of the Catholic Church adds: "(Eucharistic) communion renews, strengthens, and deepens (our) incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism." (n. 1396) This aspect of the Eucharist is certainly at the root of my priesthood as a monk in Northern Ireland. Once, the late Brother Roger of Taizé said: "our community life is a parable of the reconciled humanity". By my whole life, my daily community life, my prayer and my celebration of the Eucharist, I desire to bear witness to Christ who is able to create, "renew and strengthen" my community. Yes it is possible to live in community, as community, not because we are righteous, disciplined, obedient, dressed in white or in black, but because we allow Christ to accomplish his work in us and through us. As Benedictine monks, we celebrate the Eucharist every day because we believe that it forms, shapes, nourishes and builds up our community; and we seek to celebrate it with a very real sense of the wider Church – including all those Christians with whom we can't yet, but long to share Eucharistic communion. Moreover, we seek in our celebration to be particularly attentive to what we call "the cry of the world": the needs of so many people, Christians and non-Christians alike. |
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