Sunday, December 15, Mgr. Crépybishop of Versailles, celebrated the first mass in the church of Saint-Joseph the Benevolent in Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, faced with a growth in the population. Here are the few words he spoke at the end of the mass:
Mr. Prefect, Ladies and Gentlemen Elected Officials, Mr. Priest, Dear Brother Priests and Deacons, Dear Parishioners, Dear Friends,
Almost 3 years after blessing the first stone of this new church – on January 16, 2022 – it is a great joy for me to have presided over this first mass here, with all of you, a few days before Christmas. Here then, in the heart of the city and at the entrance to this new district, is a new home for this God who wants to be close to everyone and who truly makes himself present in the mystery of the Eucharist.
We will solemnly celebrate the dedication, that is to say the consecration, of this Saint Joseph the Benevolent church, when it is completely completed, with its statues, its organ and the large fresco which will adorn this choir. But from now on, this church receives its mission: to be the place where the parish community gathers to celebrate the Lord and find its unity; to be a place of consolation and peace for all who seek God; to be a place of mercy, where forgiveness is given and everyone can discover themselves loved; to be a spiritual oasis in the heart of the city, open and accessible to all; to be a place of fraternity where charity, the first fruit of prayer, is lived in action.
My decision to make Saint Joseph the Benevolent a jubilee place as part of the great jubilee of 2025 will help us all to bring this place to life in its mission, without delay and in a very special way.
I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported this project over the years. I am of course thinking of the different priests who have succeeded one another, in particular Father Ruze who initiated this project – who cannot be with us for health reasons – Father Etienne Maroteauxpresent among us, and Mgr Bruno Valentinwho will soon come to celebrate with you. I am thinking of the teams of parishioners under the leadership yesterday of Frédéric Burniertoday from François-Hugues Gauthier. I would like to express my special gratitude to the latter. Your priest has often told me how much you worked day after day to monitor the project. Thank you for your dedication, François-Hugues, thank you for your patience and your determination. I also thank the teams of the diocese with Bertrand Barthélémy, Hugues Dunoyer, Olivier Charnin, Dominique Quost, Hélène Camus, Agathe de la Villéon and so many others who have put their time, their energy, their talents at the service of this project and its financing, and will continue to do so. I do not forget my predecessor, Mgr. Eric Aumonierwho told me he was so happy today and in communion with all of us. I of course salute the architects, Benoit Andrier et Antoine Pélissierbut also Augustin Frison-Rochethe Father Garrigou, Gauthier Courtin and all the artists who have or will still work in this church. I would like to thank with all my heart the workers, the artisans, the managers who worked, some of whom came this morning. The work of your hands will help everyone to turn to God: it is a beautiful fruitfulness for your work! I thank the Cardinal projects and all the donors, large and small – there are more than 2,200 of them! – who made their contribution to this building. This church is for the generations that come a testimony to your generosity and the faith of an entire people. Continue to pray, continue to give… We must finish beautifying this church, and all this cannot be done without you. I also say all my gratitude to the elected officials who supported and accompanied us, I am thinking particularly of Alexis Biette, former Mayor of Voisins le Bretonneux, and today of you, Madame Alexandra Rosettimayor of Voisins le Bretonneux.
Building a church is also an event for the whole city. Building a church in the heart of a new neighborhood is, in a way, offering this neighborhood, this city, an extra soul. Building a church also means serving the fraternal bond, the common good.
Your presence, Mr. Prefect, and yours, dear elected officials, testifies that you understand this.
Dear parishioners, in Montigny as in Voisins you had small village churches, beautiful and prayerful, and to which we are very attached. They will continue to be used, of course! But this large church of Saint Joseph the Benevolent will now make it possible to offer a place to everyone, and to found the unity of the parish and its influence on the common celebration of the Eucharist. I repeat to all of you, priests, deacons, parishioners, my joy and my pride in having been able to live with you this rare and magnificent experience of building a new church for your parish. The oldest experienced this with the construction of St Pierre du Lac. There is a sort of transmission of witnesses today.
I hope that everyone draws from this event the joy, the strength, a new impetus, the hope that you need to be a parish community ever more united in your diversity, ever more missionary through your life and your charity, ever more fraternal. to serve each person’s encounter with the Lord Jesus. Be happy and proud to be builders! Offer all those who live here, who surround you, who will come on pilgrimage, the opportunity to discover this holy place, this dwelling of God among men, and the living community that gathers there.
May everyone be able to discover or rediscover the beautiful figure of Saint Joseph, and the benevolence of which he was an authentic example. Today, our diocese of Versailles, our country France, has one more church, a new church! What a beautiful sign of hope offered to all! May the Lord keep you a builder's soul and bless all those who have contributed in one way or another to this church, through their prayer, their charity, their generosity, their dedication.
Finally, let us remember that “unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain” (Ps 126:1). Thus, dear Parishioners, may Christ remain the foundation of your community and may together you be, each according to your talents, the living stones of the Church which is built day after day for the glory of God and the salvation of men.
+ Luc Crepy Bishop of Versailles for Yvelines
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