After “two years of fasting” as Sister Marie-Thérèse Quéré said, the pilgrims were once more able to celebrate Saint Joseph of Kermaria on Sunday the 1st of May under a radiant sun.
Mgr Pierre-Antoine Bozo, Bishop of Limoges, came to preside over the day.
The Eucharistic celebration
As we entered the chapel, we were welcomed with the leaflet for the celebration and a bookmark representing the stained-glass window of the Holy Family. On the back of this bookmark was the prayer of Pope Francis, “With a Father’s heart”, for the 8th of December 2021. This prayer was to accompany us throughout the day.
In her introductory remarks, Sister Anne Thirion, our Provincial, evoked Saint Joseph as: the one who was silent, the one who was poor, the one who is crowned.
In his homily, Mgr Bozo, after alluding to Father Noury on the length of sermons, emphasised three points:
- Jesus, the carpenter’s son, did not correspond to the Jewish idea of a transcendent God. How do we see him?
- Joseph, as a craftsman, exercised a paternal authority over Jesus and taught him the value of work. AsCharles Péguy wrote, “The temporal is the soil of the Eternal”.
- The Rule of Life of the Daughters of Jesus of Kermaria finds a permanent support in Saint Joseph, companion on the journey.
Before fervently singing “O Patron Saint of Kermaria”, we recited the prayer of Pope Francis.
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At lunchtime
The pilgrims who wished to were able to have a picnic meal in the Sacred Heart hall. As usual, the Sisters offered coffee or tea at the end of the picnic…
and so we were ready to meet again around Saint Joseph.
The rosary and the afternoon Office
The afternoon programme began with the pilgrims joining together again in the chapel for the rosary. Thanks to a loudspeaker, those who wished to enjoy the good weather were able to pray it while enjoying the calm of the gardens of Kermaria.
It was then time to meet in front of the Holy Family for the procession accompanied by the Litany and, of course, the hymn to Saint Joseph.
At the Office, the singing of the psalms in two alternating choirs brought us deeper into prayer.
During his homily, Mgr Bozo was inspired by the phrase of Saint Paul to the Colossians: “Sing your thanks to God with songs inspired by the Spirit”:
- The recognition of Saint Joseph enables our prayers to rise to God.
- What do we know about the language of Saint Joseph? … Silence, listening, obedience, manual work, and simplicity…
Joseph in Hebrew means “He will make grow“. God, with Joseph, values all these virtues which we d cultivate for ourselves!
Eucharistic adoration, with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, brought a beautiful day to a close, after a word of thanks from Sister Marie-Thérèse Quéré and the prayer of Pope Francis“With a Father’s heart” once more, and a hymn to Saint Joseph.
Everyone could leave with his or her heart filled with the presence of Joseph!
Colette Le Chaix, Associate,Brittany, France
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