Friday, December 6, the Aude gendarmerie community celebrated its patroness, Sainte-Geneviève, in a morning combining meditation and conviviality.
Inside the barracks of the 3rd RPIMa in Carcassonne, everyone calls him “ the father“…Romain Ghandour, Catholic military chaplain of “3”, recently become “ the father“of the gendarmerie, attended Father Guitard, during mass in the Saint-Étienne church.
After this moment of contemplation, time for conviviality at the House of Associations and the Family where gendarmes, guests, civil, military and judicial authorities were gathered.
“Protect, maintain order”
This celebration had a particular significance for squadron leader Adrien Santarelli, commander of the Carcassonne gendarmerie company. Although this was his eighth St. Genevieve, it was the first time he presided over the event. Sitting next to him were Colonel Francis David, commander of the Aude gendarmerie group, and Mayor Éric Ménassi. The mayor opened the speeches recalling the unwavering attachment between the City and its police, particularly since the tragic events of 2018. “Thank you all for standing by us, the elected officials, in these troubled times.”
Then, Commander Santarelli underlined the importance of this celebration: “Bringing the gendarmerie family together means sharing a moment of communion, fraternity and solidarity. Sainte-Geneviève, an inspiring figure for the national gendarmerie.” Sainte-Geneviève, designated patroness of the gendarmes by Pope John XXIII, embodies the fundamental values of the gendarmerie: courage, commitment and dedication to the populations.
“Protect, maintain order and act in the face of adversity, just like Sainte-Geneviève protecting her people. Sainte-Geneviève is a rock in the storm…”, recalled Commander Santarelli, adding a metaphor borrowed from Charles Péguy: “The shepherd watches over her flock so that it does not go astray, just as the gendarme maintains order and fights against troublemakers.”
And to conclude with the metaphor of the shepherdess: “You will allow me, I hope, to end on a note of humor with a line taken from the film The policeman of Saint-Tropez which I readapted for the occasion, and I hope that Jean Girot nor Louis de Funès will hold it against me: “The gendarme is to the nation what the shepherd dog is to the flock: you have to bite sometimes, bark often but always be present.”…and through Sainte-Geneviève, Long live the gendarmerie”.
