Tony Jurt est né en 1942 à Huttwil, dans le canton de Lucerne, Suisse. Tout jeune, il a manifesté le désir de servir dans sa famille et dans les mouvements de jeunesse (Kolping). Après ses études au collège des Missions des Pères Blancs à Widnau et au collège St-Michel à Fribourg, il fit son noviciat à Gap, étudia la théologie à Vals et fut ordonné prêtre le 29 juin 1968.

Sa première nomination fut pour le Burundi. En 1972, alors que des troubles très graves agitaient le pays, après avoir été emprisonné trois jours sans nourriture ni eau, il fut expulsé et vint en Suisse. Il se dévoua alors dans l’animation missionnaire à Fribourg, puis à Lucerne.

En 1978, il fut nommé dans le diocèse de Kasongo (République Démocratique du Congo) et occupa divers postes, successivement à Ngene, Kalima, Wamaza, Kipaka et Mingana. Durant toutes ces années, il se distingua par son activité dans le développement et dans l’animation des communautés chrétiennes. Il portait une attention particulière aux plus démunis : les filles-mères, les enfants de la rue, la jeunesse désœuvrée.

Il aimait travailler avec les catéchistes et visiter chez eux les responsables des groupes paroissiaux. Il vivait en proximité avec les gens, quelle que fût leur appartenance ethnique ou religieuse. Il n’hésitait pas à visiter les villages les plus éloignés, au cours de safaris qui duraient parfois trois semaines. Tout en privilégiant les contacts humains, il eut aussi à cœur de soutenir divers projets comme la construction d’églises ou d’un hôpital, l’entretien des routes, l’aménagement de sources, l’équipement d’écoles, l’installation d’une radio locale, etc.

La province du Maniema, où se trouve le diocèse de Kasongo, a connu 7 ans de guerre (1996-2002) et de conflits sanglants. En 2000, des militaires attaquèrent la mission de Wamaza. L’évêque du lieu, Tony, Pères et Sœurs furent emmenés ailleurs et retenus prisonniers pendant huit jours. Une fois le calme revenu, Tony fut heureux de constater que les animateurs pastoraux, en dépit des difficultés évidentes et des dangers, avaient tout naturellement pris en charge les paroisses et s’efforçaient, avec les faibles moyens du bord, de garder bien haute l’espérance des chrétiens. C’est dans la formation de tels leaders qu’il voyait l’avenir du christianisme en Afrique.

Durant ses congés en Suisse, Tony ne manquait pas une occasion d’intéresser les gens à ses activités africaines. Son agenda était toujours rempli de rendez-vous pour des conférences ou des prédications. Il s’employa avec succès à recueillir des fonds pour ses projets, toujours en lien avec le diocèse de Kasongo.

En 2009, Tony ressentit les premières atteintes d’un cancer qui ne le quitta plus. Durant ses dernières années, il lutta avec un courage extraordinaire et une grande confiance contre la maladie. En 2010, peu après avoir subi une opération de plus de sept heures à Lucerne, il reçut le feu vert du médecin pour son retour à Kasongo mais, en novembre 2011, rentré d’urgence en Suisse, il réalisa que son état ne lui permettait plus de retourner en Afrique. “J’y ai passé une très belle année”, disait-il, à propos de son dernier séjour. Ses souffrances devenaient intolérables. Après avoir été soigné dans un hôpital, il fut reçu dans un home médicalisé où il fut entouré, jusque dans ses derniers jours, par des membres de sa famille. Il est décédé le 19 juin 2012.

À voir la nombreuse assistance qui emplissait l’église lors de ses obsèques célébrées le 26 juin, on a pu mesurer l’admiration que Tony a suscitée dans son milieu et au loin. Il avait demandé que cette célébration revête un caractère pascal. Elle fut présidée par le curé de Willisau, sa paroisse natale. Plusieurs prêtres, dont un représentant du diocèse de Kasongo, des confrères du secteur de Suisse et quelques amis africains étaient présents.

Ce qu’a été la vie de Tony est bien exprimé par ces quelques mots d’un confrère qui l’a bien connu : “Il se voulait missionnaire jusqu’au bout… Le Seigneur l’avait doté d’une telle foi que tout lui semblait possible dans la mesure où c’était pour Dieu et pour les autres.”

Jean-Marie Gabioud

Père Marcel Piou

1929 - - 2012

Marcel est né le 11 mars 1929 à Saint-Pierre-Montlimart, France, près de Beaupréau, (Maine-et-Loire et diocèse d’Angers) dans une famille très chrétienne de 4 enfants, deux garçons et deux filles dont l’une mourut, jeune encore, en 1986, au Carmel de Lisieux. Baptisé le jour de sa naissance, Marcel fut confirmé le 6 mai 1941 en la paroisse de Montrevault. Après ses études secondaires au petit séminaire diocésain de Beaupréau, il entra à Kerlois en 1948 et fit l’année spirituelle à Maison-Carrée en 1950-51. Désireux d’apprendre à vivre dans une autre culture que celle de son enfance, il demanda à aller à Eastview (Canada) pour la théologie. Il y fit son serment missionnaire le 16 juin 1956 et fut ordonné prêtre le 1er février 1957.

On le décrit de caractère enjoué, facilement taquin, très bon footballeur, et passionné de chant grégorien : il dirigeait fort bien la chorale du scolasticat ; l’un ou l’autre formateur croit cependant déceler en lui une tendance à l’autoritarisme et à la critique.

Arrivé en Guinée le 1er octobre 1957, à la préfecture apostolique de Nzérékoré, le guerzé, langue difficile, lui résista quelque peu. Le 19 juin 1962, il fut nommé supérieur de Beyla où son goût du sport lui valut d’entraîner l’équipe locale de football, occasion de nombreux contacts, mais le supériorat ne lui laissait guère de temps pour progresser dans la langue malinké, plus abordable pourtant que le guerzé.

Se trouvant en congé lors de l’expulsion des Pères de la Guinée, il fit les Grands Exercices à la Villa Cavaletti en septembre-octobre 1967. Nommé à la Province de France, il lui en coûta de se mettre à l’animation missionnaire, le 3 novembre 1968, à la procure de Nantes, jusqu’au moment où, en équipe avec le Père Poupart, tout s’avéra plus facile. En juin 1970, après un recyclage à l’Arbresle, le retour en Guinée étant bien improbable, il fut nommé au Mali, pour le diocèse de Sikasso.

À Koutiala, il est alors tour à tour vicaire et supérieur, du 5 mars 1971 au 20 septembre 1975, date où il va enseigner au séminaire Pie XII de Bamako jusqu’en 1977. Puis, après une seconde session à l’Arbresle, nouveau changement de cap : quittant l’Afrique de l’Ouest, le 7 décembre 1978, il fut nommé en Ituri, au nord-est de l’actuelle RDC, puis vicaire à Kinshasa-Kisenzo où il se mit vaillamment à l’étude du lingala. Il n’y resterait que cinq ans, nouant de nombreuses relations, car c’était son charisme, mais cette familiarité spontanée avec les gens entraîna difficultés et incompréhensions qui lui valurent un retour anticipé en Province. Dès lors, il aura parfois la dent dure envers l’autorité en général et la Société aussi.

En décembre 1983, rattaché à Toulouse, il est chargé du Pavillon missionnaire de Lourdes et là, il va donner toute sa mesure. Dépendant des OPM, il s’implique à fond, 6 années durant, en ce ministère, innovant, animant, se souciant d’éclairer, avec les missionnaires Pères et Sœurs qui venaient y prêter leur service, les quelque 45 000 visiteurs annuels du Pavillon ; d’épais recueils de témoignages élogieux de ces visiteurs montrent à l’évidence que Marcel était là à son affaire et qu’il y fit du bien. Malgré tout, ce ne fut pas sans frottements avec ses collaborateurs : il décidait trop seul. Enthousiasmer les uns et déplaire à d’autres fut l’un des paradoxes de sa vie. Quand se termina son contrat à Lourdes, on envisagea pour lui diverses destinations : le Mexique, Djibouti. Finalement, ce fut le Maroc où l’archevêque sollicitait un aumônier pour le lycée Descartes de Rabat, les nombreux étudiants africains, souffrant souvent de solitude et de mépris, et pour la pastorale de la ville.

Le 12 janvier 1989, après une visite de prospection, Marcel entamait cette mission, à Rabat-Agdal, et il y demeurerait jusqu’à son retour définitif en France, le 16 août 2008. Là encore, bon vivant, mais généreux, il se mit à la tâche. Son lieu de chute, le Centre Saint-Pie-X, était à l’abandon et les bâtiments délabrés. Il remit tout en état avec l’aide de paroissiens compétents et bénévoles : une artiste espagnole peignit un chemin de croix dans l’église rénovée, une magnifique fresque de la multiplication des pains, une Vierge à l’enfant ; des cartes postales en révèlent la beauté. Lui traînait un mauvais érysipèle à la jambe droite qui tarda des mois à guérir et il connut ses premiers ennuis cardiaques dès mai 1990. Mais son don de contact faisait merveille avec chrétiens et musulmans. Les lycéens venaient en nombre à l’aumônerie, réclamaient des camps de formation, les étudiants subsahariens peu à peu s’enhardissaient, et la paroisse, faite de pieds-noirs, de coopérants, de divers expatriés, s’animait : 200 pratiquants de 15 à 20 nationalités différentes assuraient une grande vitalité paroissiale.

Certes, l’évêque aurait souhaité un Marcel moins autoritaire, plus coopératif sur le plan pastoral. Mais quand il fut question de l’envoyer à Casablanca, des pétitions arrivèrent sur le bureau épiscopal : on voulait garder Marcel avec ou sans responsabilité à Saint-Pie-X, et il resta à Rabat. “Ici, écrivait-il, je suis au paradis. Ma vie personnelle est ce qu’elle est et je l’ai payé très cher. Au Maroc, j’ai vécu des années de bonheur avec les étudiants et la communauté chrétienne.” Pourtant, sans qu’il en parlât à quiconque, ses soucis de santé s’aggravèrent dès 2007 : cancer à la prostate, crainte de métastases dans le fémur : une biopsie osseuse fut heureusement négative. L’évêque apprenant à la fois l’existence du cancer et le résultat de la biopsie, se réjouit de garder Marcel un an de plus.

Le 16 août 2008, il rentrait définitivement en France, à Pont-Saint-Martin, au sud de Nantes : si le cancer ne progressait pas, grâce aux remèdes, le cœur était usé, une cataracte à l’œil droit requérait une opération : jusqu’à la fin, lucide et réaliste, il vécut sa maladie avec foi, espérance et courage. “Malgré des apparences contraires, écrivait-il avec humour, je n’oublie pas la Société et prie pour mes confrères [...] Je me considère encore Père Blanc, je lis en entier tout ce qui me parvient de la Société et il m’arrive même de prier pour elle”.

Après 6 ans à Lourdes et 18 ans et demi au Maroc, - près de 25 ans hors communauté sur 51 de sacerdoce -, il lui était difficile de réintégrer une communauté : “Lorsque je ne pourrai plus être lapin de garenne, je rentrerai au clapier”, disait-il à un confrère ami. Il n’en eut pas le loisir. Le Seigneur le rappela le 6 mai 2012 à Chaudron-en-Mauges, dans sa famille, tout près de son village natal, et c’est là, dans l’église de son baptême, que furent célébrées, le 8 mai, ses obsèques, en présence de sa nombreuse famille, de son neveu, maire du village, et de nombreux amis.

Un groupe de paroissiennes de Rabat était présent. “Nous sommes venues, dit l’une, parce qu’on ne pouvait vivre cet ultime adieu autrement qu’en communauté ; on ne pouvait accompagner Marcel qu’ensemble, puisque c’est lui qui, à Saint-Pie-X, nous a tous rassemblés. Les souvenirs affluent : Père Marcel passant par nos enfants pour demander de l’aide afin de réparer son église, Père Marcel m’engageant… à m’engager aussi dans la catéchèse, Père Marcel partageant le verre de l’amitié, servi par Saida, sous le regard protecteur d’Ali, Père Marcel célébrant pour les frères de Tibhirine un adieu bouleversant, Père Marcel célébrant ses 50 ans de sacerdoce avant de quitter, malheureux, cette terre africaine, Père Marcel apaisant nos mamans inquiètes, célébrant le mariage de nos enfants, rappelant la si belle exigence de la fidélité à l’amour partagé devant une assemblée saisie par la puissance aimante de sa parole comme nous l’avons tous été... Que ces mots puissent vous rejoindre, où que vous soyez, pour vous dire qu’hier, l’Église universelle célébrait à Saint-Pierre-Montlimart, avec vous en pensée et en prière, l’accueil du Père Marcel par son Père très aimant.”

Armand Duval

Père Jean Cavé

1926 - - 2012

Jean naquit le 11 novembre 1926, dans une famille nombreuse, à Saulnay, non loin de Mézières-en-Brenne, France. Ses parents écriront plus tard leur joie de voir l’un de leurs enfants appelé au service exclusif du Seigneur.

Après ses études secondaires à Poitiers, Toulouse et Châteauroux, Jean entra à Kerlois en 1946, fit l’année spirituelle à partir du 29 septembre 1948 à Maison-Carrée, puis le cours de théologie à Thibar, avec l’intermède du service militaire au 4e Zouaves de Tunis. Il fit son serment missionnaire le 12 avril 1954 à Carthage et fut ordonné prêtre le 28 juin suivant à Thibar.

Grand, maigre, peu sportif, c’était un artiste, et ses dessins humoristiques nous égayaient fort. Calme, souriant, serviable, bon esprit, quelque peu distrait, mais de piété solide, il était estimé de tous. Les formateurs regrettaient seulement sa lenteur, le trouvaient trop hésitant. Comme il était peu attiré par les études spéculatives, on pensait qu’il serait à l’aise dans la vie active, mais déjà, sa santé laissait à désirer : outre des problèmes de dos, il fatiguait vite nerveusement. Cette santé déficiente sera une lourde croix, tout au long de sa vie.

Une première nomination pour Mopti, au Mali, étant restée sans suite, c’est dans le vicariat de Bukavu, à Uvira, à la pointe nord-ouest du lac Tanganyika, qu’il arriva le 27 octobre 1955 et apprit le swahili. Comme il supportait mal la grande chaleur, au bord du lac, on lui confia, le 7 septembre 1957, l’aumônerie du postulat des Frères congolais à Cibimbi, plus au nord.

Dès 1961, un écrasement des vertèbres lombaires le ramena en France pour y subir une opération. De retour au Congo le 1er janvier 1963, après un bref passage à Ciherano, il fut nommé, le 17 février suivant, vicaire à Mbagira, centre extra-coutumier et paroisse très vivante regroupant, à 7 km de Bukavu, des gens issus de nombreuses tribus, mais parlant en majorité, outre leur langue natale, le swahili, ce qui facilitait le travail pastoral.

Jean était aimé de tous dans cette paroisse citadine et s’y trouvait heureux. Le 1er juillet 1965, il passa pourtant au jeune diocèse de Kasongo, en pleine forêt équatoriale, où il retrouverait bientôt, comme évêque, son curé et ami de Mbagira, l’abbé Pirigisha. Le 1er janvier 1966, il était à pied d’œuvre à Shabunda, mais le climat de la forêt ne convenait guère à sa santé fragile. Un nouveau congé médical le retint en France : de Toulouse, où il arriva le 1er octobre 1967, il passa à Pau le 17 avril 1968, et un an plus tard, le 27 avril 1969, à Bordeaux. Ce furent trois années de doute, d’hésitation, d’angoisse même, le tout aggravé de kystes amibiens et d’ennuis récurrents de colonne vertébrale.

Enfin rétabli, le 6 août 1970, il retrouva le Congo devenu Zaïre, comme vicaire à Kalima, gros poste minier, puis supérieur à Kakutya, le 1er janvier 1974. Suivit alors, à partir du 1er octobre 1975, un long congé en France durant lequel il s’engagea pour un ministère hors communauté, dans le diocèse de Tulle, à Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne. Chargé de 4 paroisses rurales, il y resta 4 ans, ne s’absentant que pour la session retraite à Jérusalem, en octobre 1978 ; et c’est avec grand regret que l’évêque le vit partir, car, écrivait-il, “Jean avait œuvré pour la satisfaction de tous”.

De retour au Zaïre, il fut nommé, le 1er janvier 1981, vicaire à Lulingu. Pas pour longtemps, malheureusement. Dès le 1er octobre, il est à Lille, puis, un an plus tard, à Toulouse. Durant plus de cinq ans, il vivra douloureusement une dépression tenace. Malgré une vie spirituelle fervente et des ministères fructueux - toujours à l’affût de services à rendre -, ses angoisses, une grande détresse dont Dieu semblait absent, affleurent en ses lettres : dans l’une, il cite, certes, le mot de Stan Rougier : “Ta blessure te permet d’être greffé sur la blessure du Christ. Pour qu’une greffe prenne, il faut que saignent les deux greffons…”, mais c’était dur, d’autant plus qu’il souffrait de son dos et qu’une phlébite l’affaiblit longtemps ; le séjour en ville aussi lui pesait et il ressentait comme un dégoût de vivre : une cure à la clinique de Montjay lui apporta un soulagement momentané, mais les hauts et les bas continuèrent. Ce fut la période la plus pénible de sa vie.

On lui proposa alors un séjour de deux mois à Kalima, au printemps 1986, pour voir s’il tenait bon car, disait le médecin, “son tempérament fatigue plus par le repos que par le travail. C’est l’équilibre du vélo : tant que ça roule, ça va. À l’arrêt, on tombe”. Et de fait, Jean revint enchanté de son séjour et, le 24 mars 1987, après une semaine de recueillement à l’abbaye d’En-Calcat, il repartit pour l’évêché de Kasongo.
Une hernie inguinale le ramena en France, le 31 mai 1988, mais il retrouva Kasongo le 1er janvier 1989, comme professeur des candidats au séminaire et visiteur à l’hôpital. Ses lettres sont alors enthousiastes : il dit “se porter comme une chèvre zaïroise, le poil luisant et l’œil vif”. Mais le 3 novembre déjà, il est rapatrié sanitaire : on découvrit à l’hôpital de la Salpétrière qu’il souffrait de trypanosomiase, la terrible maladie du sommeil. Dieu merci, le système nerveux central n’était pas envahi et, en septembre 1990, considéré comme guéri, on l’autorisa, sous réserve d’un contrôle l’année suivante, à rejoindre la mission, à Lulingu.

Sans doute avait-il présumé de ses forces en postulant ce diocèse au climat très chaud, aux routes défoncées, au ravitaillement difficile malgré le petit avion de la mission…, aussi fut-il muté le 1er septembre 1993 à Katoy, diocèse de Goma, au nord du lac Kivu, dans un environnement moins dur.

Malgré tout, un nouveau congé médical s’avéra nécessaire, du 9 décembre 1993 au 2 août 1994. Et il devra encore prendre un long repos en province du 25 juillet 1996 au 6 septembre 1997 ; avec une double hernie, des coronaires douloureuses, des dents et des yeux fatigués, la machine s’usait visiblement. Il assurera alors l’aumônerie du Carmel de Muret, près de Toulouse, le 1er février 1997, le temps de se remettre d’une opération des varices, avant son retour comme économe à Goma, à la Maison Lavigerie. Zélé, humble et tout donné, nul doute qu’il dut souffrir de se voir sans cesse obligé de quitter l’apostolat qu’il aimait, ce contact fraternel avec tous où il excellait.

À son corps défendant, il accepta alors de rester en France pour assurer, à partir du 1er janvier 2000, l’aumônerie des Sœurs missionnaires de Saint-Paul de Chartres, en un diocèse dont notre ancien confrère, Mgr Aubertin, venait d’être nommé évêque. Habitant un petit appartement face à la splendide cathédrale, il assura ce ministère jusqu’à son entrée à Billère, le 4 octobre 2005, l’entrecoupant seulement de deux sessions des plus de 70 ans en 2001 et 2005.

À Billère, il rendra ici et là de multiples services, notamment chez les Petites Sœurs des Pauvres, voisines de la maison, et à Argelès, leur maison d’accueil et de retraites spirituelles. Beaucoup de Sœurs gardent de lui un affectueux souvenir. Personnellement, après avoir connu Jean au noviciat et à Thibar, j’eus la joie de le retrouver à Mbagira, où il m’initia à la vie de cette grande paroisse, sous la houlette du futur évêque de Kasongo, Timothée Pirigisha, un saint prêtre avec lequel il faisait bon vivre : ce furent de trop courtes années de bonheur.

Le Seigneur a choisi pour cet homme simple et disponible la mort la plus discrète qui soit, puisqu’on le trouva sans vie dans son lit, le chapelet à la main, au matin du 11 juin 2012. Le chapelet à la main… : le passeport idéal pour frapper à la Maison du Père ! Il n’était donc pas parti solitaire, dit l’homélie de ses obsèques. Marie fut près de lui : il lui avait demandé si souvent de prier pour lui à l’heure de sa mort. En plus, c’était la fête du Saint-Sacrement, et Jean, promu sacristain, avait tant de fois mis son talent artistique en la décoration de l’autel. Quel beau jour donc pour être admis à la vision béatifique !

Ses obsèques furent célébrées en la chapelle de la maison de Billère, le vendredi 15 juin, fête du Sacré-Cœur, en ornements blancs, devant ses confrères et des membres de sa famille. L’Évangile rappela la prière de Jésus : “Père, je veux que ceux que tu m’as donnés soient eux aussi avec moi”. N’était-elle pas destinée à notre frère Jean qui, si souvent, porta sa croix derrière le Christ ?

Armand Duval

PROFILES

Father Yves Dujardin

1933 - - 2012

An early morning telephone call from Evere informed us that Father Yves Dujardin had died at Naza­reth Nursing Home on the 24th June at around 11.00 in the evening.

Yves was born on the 1st November 1933 at Leuze, in the Diocese of Tournai, Belgium. His father died in 1947. He began his secondary studies at the Jesuit College in Tournai and finished them at the Diocesan College at Enghien. In 1953, he entered the White Fathers at Thy-le-Château followed by the novitiate at Varsenare and theological studies in Heverlee. It was there that he took his missionary oath on the 4th July 1959. He was ordained priest at Thy-le-Château on the 2nd February 1960.

Those in charge of his formation described him in various ways such as ‘Good with his hands rather than an intellectual’, ‘a boy scouts knowledge’ ‘a very good draughtsman’ ‘a dreamer’, ‘mischievous’, ‘capable of funny and unexpected inventions, he made marvellous things from nothing at all’, ‘bohemian’, ‘a bushman’ ‘a bit of a live wire and jovial’ ‘a happy character always in good humour’ but also more profound than one might think, ‘a disarming frankness’, ‘a heart of gold’, ‘does not know what malice is’, ‘humble’. He was appointed to French speaking West Africa, a posting he had asked for.

In November 1960, he left for Burkina Faso. He was curate in Zaba Parish in the Diocese of Nouna. Zaba was a bush Parish with about 1,800 Christians of the Marka people. After six months study, Yves brilliantly passed his exam in the Marka language. In 1964, Bishop Lesourd called him to Nouna and put him in charge of the chaplaincies and Diocesan projects. After his home leave, Yves was appointed as curate in the newly founded parish of Safane. In July 1970, he was Parish Priest and founder of the Parish of Oury.

The Belgian Province, in February 1971, requested that he return home for missionary promotion but given these circumstances, the request fell on deaf ears. A second request, in 1984, for his services in the Province was also refused. Yves spoke djoula fluently and he was the only one in the region who spoke huluma. He was to stay at Oury for 26 years. He gave himself, body and soul, to the work. He made several journeys to visit the Christians using only his small motor bike. He was a great motivator and builder. He took a great interest in the youth. Unfortunately, once he had launched himself into a project, he did not know how to take it easy. Already in 1963, the Regional wrote: ‘he is often imprudent which has consequences later on. I have insisted on this point in the hope that he will take it on board’. Yves seldom listened to advice or sometimes just a little bit, not because he lacked a spirit of obedience, but because of his nature, absent mindedness and not thinking of himselFr.

This long period at Oury was interrupted by the Session/Retreat in Jerusalem in 1980. In July 1996, he returned to Jerusalem for the Missionary renewal session. This helped him to accept his departure from Oury. He had completed his mission there and the parish had been handed over to the Diocesan Clergy. On his return from home leave in January 1997, he was appointed curate of Solenzo and in October 2000, curate of Tansila. During his home leave in 2005, he took part in the seniors’ session in Rome for the 70+ age group.

He returned to Tansila, but was evacuated urgently for medical reasons in February 2007. He had overestimated his strength, had ignored the attacks of malaria which had frequently struck him down. In June 2007, he was appointed definitively to Belgium. After a long stay in hospital, he settled in St. Joseph’s House in Evere. At one time, he hoped to return to Burkina Faso to say good bye. He became more and more forgetful and he was transferred to the Nazareth Nursing Home in August 2010 where he was able to receive appropriate care. He now seldom recognised the people who came to see him, even the confreres from Evere who visited regularly. For the last months he was in a comatose state.

There is no doubt that his mother was looking out for him. Not only did she go to visit him several times in Burkina, she also did some work there. She followed closely all that her missionary son undertook. She wrote to him; ‘Give me all the details of life over there, everything interests me and allows me to follow you in thought and prayer.’ ‘On my side, I pray that the good God will help you and keep you in good health so that you can accomplish this difficult work that he has given you and which I, now, know better because of my experience there.’

The time she spent on the mission amounted to a full year. In 1984, Yves saw his mother for the last time. ‘We both knew it; we also knew that it was part of a shared mission. The memories that come to mind frequently are the Eucharist we shared in her little flat, celebrated for the intentions of you all and for the universal mission’. In February 1985, she wrote ‘I have great memories of your stay. I thank the Lord for having allowed us to live together for the last few months. When I can, I read the Mass and join you in thought, even though we are far apart, I feel close to you by prayer.’ Yves writing to his family after the death of his mother in November 1986 said’ I am convinced that right to the end she continued to offer all that she lived for you, for us and for the mission’

Here are some phrases from his will: ‘On the other side of my death, a door will open, and he will welcome me into his love, to lead me, at last, to his beloved Father’
‘Beyond my fears, beyond my poverty, such as I am, he will let me into his Kingdom of Love, that he has allowed us to glimpse and for which he died, dead and risen’
‘And beyond everything, we will all be in Him, we will be all in all, in communion with the Spirit and in the love of the Father for ever as he has promised us. That is what I believe’
The thanksgiving liturgy for his life took place on Saturday 30th June in the Church of St. Vincent, Evere, followed by the burial at our cemetery in Varsenare.

Jef Vleugels

Faher Walter Gehr

1921 - - 2012

Walter was born on the 6th April 1921 in St. Gall, Switzerland. From 1942 to 1944, he studied Philosophy and Theology at the University of Fribourg. Then, he went to Maison-Carrée for the novitiate. He finished his studies in Theology at the Thibar scholasticate then at that of Heverlee. He took his Missionary Oath on the 16th April 1949 and he was ordained priest on the 16th July 1949 at Leuven.
Having been appointed to Tanzania, he went to England for a period of six months to learn something about the ‘British way of life’. In February 1950, he arrived in Tanganyika. He was curate for three years in Nyavyumbu Parish in the Diocese of Kigoma then at Mabamba and Kakonko where he became Parish Priest in 1957.

In 1959, he went on his first home leave and did the Long Retreat at Mours. At the end of the year, he returned to Kigoma Diocese and worked in the Parishes of Nyaronga and Kakonko before being appointed to teach at the Minor Seminary of Ujiji. He taught mathematics very successfully from October 1965 until 1970. During this period he spent some time in Mabamba parish where he experienced what he called, pastorally speaking, the fiasco of Ujamaa. Walter, then, returned home for a holiday and while there, at the invitation of the prior of Disentis (Grisons), he taught Maths in the college of the monastery.

In his own words, what brought him back to Africa was a pressing invitation to come and teach Maths in the Minor Seminary of Katoke (Diocese of Rulenge). The happiest memory he had of Katoke, was the ordination of seven priests from the same class, one of whom was a Jesuit. In 1977, he left for Nyegezi (Minor Seminary of Mwanza) to help with the reorganisation of the teaching staff there. In 14 years of teaching, Walter faithfully taught 32 hours of classes weekly. During all of his time in Africa, he was concerned with, not only the well-being of young people but, also, of all the population. This showed itself in his concern for the good management of the Parish schools, the preparation and care of gardens, orchards, tree nurseries (with a view to reforestation), and sport’s grounds. He built and maintained roads as well (100 km. according to his estimation) not to mention binding books and documents over a period of ten years.

Toward the end of his stay in Nyegezi, Walter looked forward to returning to Kigoma Diocese. He returned with enthusiasm to parish work, firstly in Muhinda, then as Parish Priest at Mulera-Kasumo (1982-1987) and at Nyaronga (1987-1989). It was during this period that he did the session/retreat at Jerusalem in 1983.

From 1990 onwards, information is rather vague. A convalescent stay in Switzerland in 1990 is mentioned as well as another period of medical leave between 1994 and 1996. For this decade, Walter talked of stopgap work in Kakonko,Nyaronga and Mabamba. What is sure is that he devoted himself to Kifura parish between 1997 and 1999. In November, 1998, he contracted typhoid, which meant a stay in Kabanga Hospital. In January 1999, he returned to Kifura, but he began to wonder if his mission in Africa was not coming to an end. However he did have the joy of celebrating his Golden Jubilee of priesthood on the 22nd July 1999 in Kifura. He claimed later that it was illegitimate because it was not gazetted!

In November 1999, Walter is back in Switzerland. He settled in Lucerne. He looked after the administration and did some ministry. Soon after, he suffered a stroke which left him weak in one leg. Later on, and feeling better health wise, and not seeing any future for the White Fathers in Switzerland, he had an idea that he could return to Africa. He had begun to write the History of Kigoma Diocese and he would have liked to continue. He announced his intention to his superiors who did not share his view. Walter got angry and told them so. From 2004 onwards his strength did not allow him to exercise a regular ministry anymore. However he was able to celebrate 60 years of Missionary Oath and Ordination in 2009. After the sale of the house in Lucerne in 2010, Walter moved to Veyras where he appreciated the better climate. He helped Fr. Wendelin Hengartner with the project of used stamps. His 90th birthday was suitability celebrated with the participation of the local community council.

On the 12th March 2012, Walter was brought to the emergency ward of Sierre hospital. He was in danger of contracting pneumonia. For some time, already, there were signs of growing frailty. Home from hospital, he had no appetite. He could not eat what was put in front of him and he could hardly swallow. He had to return to hospital, from where he was transferred to the Geriatric Clinic of St. Clare on the 20th April. He received palliative care and the sacrament of the sick. On the eve of his death, his two brothers were able to come from eastern Switzerland in time to say good bye.

Walter passed away peacefully early in the morning of the 1st May. His funeral was celebrated in the local parish church of Veyras on the afternoon of the 3rd May. His urn was placed in the columbarium on the 10th May.

Walter felt, until the end of his life, a great nostalgia for Tanzania. In 2009, he wrote, that the 10 years that he had just spent in Switzerland were, for him, ten years of exile. His exile on earth finished on the day that he went to his heavenly homeland.

Jean-Marie Gabioud

Father Giuseppe Dolci

1925 - - 2012

Fr. Giuseppe Dolci died on the morning of 19th May 2012 at the Missionaries of Africa house in Treviglio.

Only three days before his death, he had celebrated Mass at the Maria Immaculata Retirement Home, a couple of kilometres from Treviglio, where he was going every morning for a number of years. He was a well loved chaplain there.

He had not been feeling well and on the Wednesday before he died, he had fallen on getting out of bed and it was a number of hours before the confreres found him and were able to help him to get back into bed. Characteristically, he was joking and making fun of himself all the time.

On Saturday morning, the confrere replacing him for Mass went to his room to wish him good morning before going to the Retirement home. He was greeted as usual by a joking Fr. Bepi. On his return, he brought him his breakfast but on entering his room he found that Bepi had died.

Fr. Giuseppe Dolci, nicknamed Bepi, was born on the 10th May 1925, at Algua, a small hamlet in the Serina Valley, in the mountainous area around Bergamo. His family consisted of Pietro, his father, a baker by trade, and his mother Francesca, a housewife, two brothers and five sisters, of whom three entered religious life. It was a poor and unpretentious family where hard work was respected and was based on a solid and simple faith. No doubt these values were at the origin of the hardworking and honest character of Bepi without forgetting his manual dexterity and practical mind.

In 1937, Bepi entered the seminary of Bergamo and in 1946 while in his first year of Theology, he asked to become a member of the Institute of African Missionaries of Verona. He wrote ‘I wish to give myself completely to souls for the love of God’

He got a negative response. Without getting discouraged, he then wrote to the Provincial of the Missionaries of Africa in Italy. He wrote ‘I have already applied to another Missionary institute, but they refused me because, they said that in my family there was too much sickness and deaths. He then, very openly, named all his brothers and sisters, who were dead, but he emphasised that his own health was excellent. He did not forget to include his medical reports.

Led by faith and a deep spirituality, he finished his letter with these words ‘I was ready to leave, but God has put me to the test. May his Will and only his Will be done... I put myself completely in his hands. If your reply is also negative, I will offer my suffering for all those people who wait for someone to bring them the truth. That God may accept my sacrifice as an offering’ He was just 21 years of age.

Bepi was accepted for the novitiate a couple of weeks later. He joined the other novices at Rado (Gattinara) in September 1946. From September 1947 until his ordination on the 28th June 1950 he studied theology in Thibar. He took his Missionary Oath in Carthage on the 30th January 1950.
Practically minded and not at all given to speculation, he applied himself courageously to his studies. He got good results thanks to his memory and his willpower. In a letter, he wrote to Fr. Gallo who had accepted him for the novitiate, he said; ‘I wish to give myself totally to God, in accepting all that he demands of me with a view to becoming a true apostle.’

One could say that God took him at his word and Bepi, right from his ordination was given jobs that nobody else wanted to do. He was appointed Treasurer of the newly formed Italian Province. He continued to serve in this capacity for many years. His good will and his know-how bought him the length and breath of Italy in collaboration with his confreres to preach Mission Appeals, to look for benefactors for the confreres in Africa and to ensure the financial stability of the province.

Bepi never got to Africa, apart from one or two visits to the confreres. However, his personality and his conviction radiated a love of Africa and the African people to all those who met him.

Bepi was always himsel. He was transparent and true to himself as a man and as a priest. He was close to people; always ready to be of service and discreet when it came to dealing with confreres who needed help and encouragement despite his gruff character. He left a true and authentic witness of missionary life, despite never having worked in Africa.

His funeral, on Monday 21st May 2012, filled the big church of Conventino, just across the road from our house in Treviglio. After Mass, he was buried in the cemetery of Treviglio in the plot reserved for the priests. He was with those who had influenced the life and history of Treviglio by their apostolate and witness.

Thank you Bepi, for your goodness toward the confreres and for your fidelity. It will be difficult to forget your face and your joyful spirit. Rest in peace and do not forget us.

Vittorio Bonfanti

Father Tony Jurt

1942 - - 2012

Tony Jurt was born in 1942 at Huttwil in the canton of Lucerne. In his younger days, he showed a strong desire to be of service in his family and in Youth Movements (Kolping). After studying in the Junior Seminary of the White Fathers at Widnau and at St. Michael’s College at Fribourg, he did his novitiate in Gap (France) followed by Theological studies in Vals (France) where he took his Oath on the 27th June 1967. He was ordained priest on the 29th June 1968.

His first appointment was to Burundi. In 1972, during the serious unrest which convulsed the country, he was imprisoned for three days without food or water. He was expelled and returned to Switzerland. He devoted himself to Missionary promotion work, firstly, in Fribourg and then in Lucerne.

In 1978, he was appointed to the Diocese of Kasongo (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and served in different posts such as Ngene, Kalima, Wamaza, Kipaka, and Mingana. In all these years, he distinguished himself by his work for development and in the organisation of Christian Communities. He gave great attention to those groups that were most vulnerable: unmarried mothers, street children, and unemployed youth. He loved working with catechists and visiting, at home, those in charge of the parish groups. He lived close to the people, no matter what their tribe or religion. He was not afraid to visit the most remote villages on safaris that sometimes lasted for three weeks. While having a preference for human contact, he could also undertake different projects such as the building of churches or a hospital, maintaining roads, improving water supplies, equipping schools, setting up a local radio station and so on.

The province of Maniema, where the Diocese of Kasongo is situated, suffered 7 years of war and bloody conflict between 1996 and 2002. In 2000, the military attacked the mission of Wamaza. The Bishop, Tony and other Fathers and Sisters were taken away and imprisoned for eight days. Once calm had returned, Tony was happy to note that the African pastoral leaders had, very naturally, taken charge of the parishes despite the evident difficulties not to mention the dangers. They tried hard with little or no resources to keep spirits high among the Christians. It was in the formation of such leaders that Tony saw the future of Christianity in Africa.

During his holidays in Switzerland, Tony never missed an opportunity in getting people interested in his African projects. His timetable was always full of meetings, conferences or preaching. He was very successful in collecting funds for his projects but always in conjunction with the Diocese of Kasongo.

In 2009, Tony began to feel the first signs of cancer which would never leave him. During these last years, he fought with extraordinary courage and with great confidence against this illness. In 2010, after a seven hour operation in Lucerne, he received the green light from his doctor to return to Kasongo. However in November 2011, he was repatriated, urgently, to Switzerland. He realised that his health would not permit a return to Africa. He said ‘I have spent a beautiful year’ in reference to his last stay in Kasongo. His suffering became unbearable, and after receiving treatment in hospital, he was transferred to a hospice where he was surrounded in his last days by members of his family. He died on the 19th June 2012.

One can gauge the admiration that Tony aroused both near and far by the large number of people who attended his funeral on the 26th June 2012. He had asked that this celebration reflect a Paschal theme. The Parish Priest of Willisau, his native parish, was the principal celebrant. Many priests, including a representative of the Diocese of Kasongo, confreres from the Swiss Sector and some African friends were also present.

A confrere who knew him well said of Tony: ‘He wished to be a missionary to the very end. The Lord had blessed him with such a faith that everything seemed possible to him to the extent that it was for God and for others.

Jean-Marie Gabioud

 

Father Marcel Piou

1929 - - 2012

Marcel was born on the 11th March 1929 at Saint-Pierre-Montlimart, France. He was baptised there the same day. He came from a family of four children, two boys and two girls, one of whom died, in 1986 in the Carmel of Lisieux. After secondary school at the Diocesan Minor Seminary of Beaupréau, he entered Kerlois in 1948 and did his Spiritual Year at Maison-Carrée in 1950-51. He took his Missionary Oath in Eastview, Canada, on the 16th June 1956 and was ordained priest on the 1st February 1957. He was described as being cheerful, a bit of a tease, a very good footballer, and passionate about Gregorian chant. Some members of staff believed that he had a tendency to authoritarianism and to be critical of everything.

Marcel arrived at the Apostolic Prefecture of Nzérékoré, Guinea, on the 1st October 1957. He found the language Guerzé, difficult to learn. On the 19th June 1962, he was appointed superior of Beyla, and his love of sport meant that he became the trainer of the local football team. It was an occasion for many contacts. However his job as superior hardly gave him enough time to learn the Malinké language, though it was easier than Guerzé. He was on home leave when the Fathers were expelled from Guinea. He did the Long Retreat at Villa Cavaletti in September-October 1967. He was appointed to the French Province and arrived in the Nantes Procure on the 3rd November 1968. It was hard for him to devote himself to Missionary Promotion. But when working with Fr. Pourpart, things began to change for the better. In June 1970, he was appointed to Mali.

At Koutiala,Diocese of Sikasso, he was successively curate and Parish Priest from March 1971 to September 1975. He taught at the Pius XII seminary of Bamako from 1975 to 1977. Then, after a second period at Arbresle, he left West Africa on the 7th December 1978 to take up an appointment in Ituri in the north east of the DRC. Then he was curate at Kinshasa-Kisenzo, where he tried courageously to learn Lingala. He only stayed there for five years, establishing many contacts. However this spontaneous familiarity led to difficulties and misunderstandings and this brought about an early return to the Province. From then on, he will, sometimes, be scathing about authority in general and the Society also.

In December 1983, attached to Toulouse, he took charge of the Missionary Pavilion at Lourdes and there he really showed what he was capable oFr. Answering to the Pontifical Missionary Society, he got deeply involved for six years in this ministry. He was an innovator and a leader. He was anxious to enlighten the 45,000 annual visitors to the Pavilion, with the help of the Missionary Priests and Sisters who came to lend a hand. The many appreciative stories of these visitors show that Marcel was in his element and that he did the job well. Nevertheless, there were tensions with his collaborators: he took decisions unilaterally. He could fill some people with enthusiasm while being disliked by others. This was one of the paradoxes of his life. When his contract at Lourdes ended, many different destinations were foreseen but, finally, he went to Descartes Lycee in Rabat, Morocco. There were many African students there who often suffered from loneliness and racism and there was pastoral work in town.

On the 12th January 1989, after a scouting visit, Marcel started this mission at Rabat-Agdal. He stayed there until his definitive return to France in August 2008. He was a generous man who enjoyed life and he got down to work straightaway. The St. Pius X Centre was his workplace. It was in a state of neglect and the buildings were crumbling. He restored everything with the help of competent parishioners and volunteers. A Spanish artist painted the Stations of the Cross, a magnificent fresco of the Multiplication of Bread and the Virgin and Child in the refurbished Church. A severe skin infection on his right leg took months to heal and, in May 1990, he had the first problems with his heart. However, his gift of contact worked wonders with the Christians and Muslims. Many students came to the chaplaincy demanding more formation camps. The sub-Saharan students overcame their wariness and the parish, composed of settlers, volunteers, and various expatriates, came to life: 200 faithful of 15 to 20 different nationalities meant a parish bursting with vitality.

The Bishop would have liked a less authoritarian Marcel who was more cooperative on the pastoral plan. However, when he wanted to send Marcel to Casablanca, many petitions landed on his desk: Marcel was wanted at St. Pius X. He stayed in Rabat. ‘Here, he wrote, I am in paradise. In Morocco, I have lived years of happiness with the students and the Christian community.’ However, his health concerns got worse from 2007: prostate cancer, a fear of cancer spreading into the thighbone: a bone biopsy was happily negative. The Bishop heard about the cancer and the result of the biopsy and was delighted to keep Marcel for another year.

On the 16th August 2008, he returned to France for good, to Pont-Saint-Martin, south of Nantes. If the cancer was in remission thanks to the medicine, his heart was worn out and a cataract on his right eye required surgery. Right to the end, lucid and realistic, he lived his illness with faith, hope and courage. He wrote with some humour ‘despite appearances to the contrary I do not forget the Society and I pray for my confreres. Note that I still consider myself a White Father, and I read everything that comes from the Society and it even happens that I pray for it.

After six years at Lourdes and eighteen and a half in Morocco, nearly twenty five years outside of community, out of a priestly life of 51 years, it was difficult for him to return to community life. He told a confrere: ‘When I am no longer able to be a wild rabbit, I will return to the hutch’. He did not have much time. He was with his family at Chaudron-en-Mauges, close to his native village, when the Lord called him on the 6th May 2012. It was in the church where he was baptised that his funeral took place. Many family members were present including his nephew, the Mayor of the village and many friends. The death notice stated; ‘no flowers or wreathes but donations to Aid to the Church in Need.’

A group of women parishioners from Rabat were present. One said; ‘We came because one is not able to live through this last farewell other than in community. We can only accompany Marcel together, because it was he, at St. Pius X, who gathered us together. Memories flowed: Fr. Marcel dropped in to our children to ask for help to repair the church. Fr. Marcel enlisted me. He involved me, as well, in catechetics. Fr. Marcel shared a friendly drink, served by Saida under the watchful eye of Ali. Fr. Marcel celebrated a deeply moving farewell for the Thibirine brothers.

Fr. Marcel celebrated his Golden Jubilee of priesthood before leaving, unhappily, this African land, a special place for a priesthood lived out as grace. Fr. Marcel calmed our anxious mothers. He celebrated the marriage of our children, bringing to mind the beautiful demands of loving fidelity shared before an assembly touched by the loving power of his words as we all were... That these words may catch up with you wherever you may be, to tell you, that yesterday the Universal church celebrated, at St. Pierre-Montlimart, with you in our thoughts and prayers, the welcoming home of Fr. Marcel by his loving Father.

Armand Duval

 

Father Jean Cavé

1926 - - 2012

Jean was born on the 11th November 1926 in Saulnay, in the Diocese of Bourges, France. He came from a large family, well off, and deeply Christian. Later his parents would write at the joy they felt that one of their children would be called to the exclusive service of the Lord. He entered our first cycle house in Kerlois in 1946 having completed his secondary school studies in Poitiers, Toulouse, and Châteauroux. He did his Spiritual Year in Maison-Carrée, Algeria 1948 to 1949 followed by Theological Studies in Thibar. He did his military service with the 4th Zouaves of Tunis before he took his missionary oath on the 12th April 1954 in Carthage. He was ordained priest in Thibar on the 28th June 1954.

Jean was tall and thin and not much of a sportsman but an artist and his humorous sketches brightened up the lives of the confreres. He had a solid piety and was respected by all for his calmness, fine humour, obliging nature, a good mind even if he was somewhat absent minded. The staff of the Seminary were concerned by his hesitancy and lack of self confidence. As he was not drawn to speculative studies, it was thought that a more active life would suit him better. However his health was already causing concern as he was having trouble with his back and he tired easily. His doubtful health would be a big cross for him all his life.

A first appointment to Mopti in Mali did not go through and he was sent to the Vicariate of Bukavu (DRC) where he arrived on the 27th October 1955 to follow a Swahili course. However, he found the heat by the lake oppressive and in September 1957, he was appointed as Chaplain to the postulancy of the Congolese Brothers at Cibimbi. In 1961 he had to return to France for an operation on his back. He returned to the Congo on 1st January 1963. He spent a short time at Ciherano before he was appointed as curate of Mbagira Parish near Bukavu. This was a very lively parish composed of different tribes and clans who spoke Swahili as a common language. This helped the pastoral work very much.

Jean was loved by all, in this city parish, and he was happy there. On the 1st July 1965, he moved to the new Diocese of Kasongo, in the middle of the equatorial forest. There he would find again his old Parish Priest and friend from Mbagira, Fr. Pirigisha, who was now the Bishop. In January 1966, he was ready to start a new job in Shabunda but the forest climate did not suit his fragile health. Another medical leave in France was necessary. He arrived in Toulouse in October 1967, then Pau in April 1968, followed by some time in Bordeaux in April 1969.These were 3 years of doubt, hesitation even anxiety aggravated by the fact that he had amoebic cysts and his back was still causing problems.

Once he had recovered, Jean returned to the Congo, now Zaire, in August 1970 as curate in Kalima which was a big mining town. He became Parish Priest of Kakutya in January 1974. This was followed by a long stay in France from October 1975. During this time he lived outside of community as he took up a post in the Diocese of Tulle at Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne. He had charge of four parishes and served there for four years except for a time doing the Session/Retreat in Jerusalem in October 1978.

When it was decided that he leave the Parish, the Bishop was sorry to see him go and wrote; ‘Jean had worked to the satisfaction of all’. He returned to Zaire and in January 1981, he was appointed curate of Lulingu. However it was not for very long, as in October 1981 he was back in France, in Lille and later in Toulouse. For more than five years he suffered from a persistent depression. Despite a fervent spiritual life and success in ministries, as he was always on the lookout to be of service, God seemed to be absent in his anxieties and distress, and this showed in his letters. In one, he wrote, citing, Stan Rougier, ‘Your wound allows you to be grafted on to the wound of Christ. If the graft is to succeed, it is necessary that the two grafts bleed.’ It was hard for him, as his physical sufferings continued; his back and now phlebitis weakened him. Living in the town also affected him so that he lost any taste for life. A course of treatment at Montjay gave him some temporary relief but the ups and downs continued. This was the most difficult period of his life.

It was proposed that he go for two months to Kalima in the spring of 1986 to see if he could stand the strain. The doctor had said ‘his temperament suffers more when he is resting than when he is working. It’s like balancing a bike, once it goes, it’s ok, but once it stops, one falls’. In fact Jean returned delighted with his visit. He spent a week in the Abbey of En-Calcat contemplating his next move and in March 1987 he left for the Bishop’s house in Kasongo. However in May 1988 he had to return to France for a hernia operation but he was back in Kasongo in January 1989 and began teaching in the Seminary as well as being a hospital visitor. His letters are enthusiastic and he describes himself as being like ‘a Zairean goat, with its glistening coat and lively eye’. Nevertheless in November he had to be repatriated once more to France when it was discovered in the Salpétrière hospital that he was suffering from sleeping sickness. He was lucky, in that, the illness had not attacked the central nervous system and in September 1990, he was considered cured and allowed to return to the parish of Lulingu on the condition that he return home the following year for a check up.

Jean, no doubt, overestimated his strength, in proposing to go to this Diocese with its hot climate, its potholed roads, and, despite the mission airplane, difficult to supply. Therefore, it was in September 1993 that he was appointed to Katoy in the Diocese of Goma which had a better climate. Despite all this, he once more had to return to France for medical reasons from December 1993 to August 1994 and again from July 1996 to September 1997. He received treatment for a double hernia and varicose veins, teeth and eyes. The machine was visibly wearing out. He assured the Chaplaincy of the Carmel of Muret, near Toulouse from February 1997. He underwent another operation for varicose veins before returning to Goma as bursar of the White Fathers’ house. Zealous, humble, ready to give all, he, no doubt, suffered to see himself obliged to leave an apostolate which he loved, with its fraternal contact and everything that he was good at.

Eventually, in January 2000, he had to accept that his body could take no more and he returned to France definitively. He became chaplain to the Missionary Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres in a Diocese where a former confrere, Bernard Aubertin, had recently been named Bishop. He lived in a small flat just opposite the beautiful Cathedral, and stayed there until he left for Billere in October 2005. His stay in Chartres was only interrupted by his attendance at two sessions for the 70+ group in Rome in 2001 and 2005.

In Billere, he gave many services, particularly to the Little Sisters of the Poor who lived next door and at Argeles which was their guest house and spiritual centre. Many of the sisters have an affectionate memory of him. Personally, I knew Jean at the novitiate in Thibar, and I had the joy of meeting him again at Mbagira, where he initiated me into the life of this very big Parish under the leadership of the future Bishop of Kasongo, Fr. Timothy Pirigisha. Fr. Perigisha was a holy priest and they got on very well together, they were the happiest years of his life.

The Lord chose for this simple and willing man, the most discrete death possible. He was found dead in bed, the rosary in his hands on the morning of the 11th June 2012. He had the ideal passport for knocking at the Father’s door! As it was said in the homily of his funeral mass, ‘he did not die alone, Mary was close to him, he had often prayed that she be by his side at the hour of his death’. It was also the feast of Corpus Christi, and Jean had often used his artistic talent to decorate the altar. Therefore, it was a good day to be admitted to the Beatific Vision.

His funeral was celebrated in the chapel of our house in Billere, on Friday the 15th June 2012 in white vestments before his confreres and members of his family. The Gospel reminded us of the prayer of Jesus ‘Father, I wish that those you have given me may also be with me’. Wasn’t that the destiny of our confrere Jean who often carried his cross behind Jesus?

Armand Duval