Firefighter Monk sells his book in Paris. You just published "Villians also have souls." What is the story behind it? Br. Marie-Angel: "So with this book I wanted to write the memory of an encounter I …More
Firefighter Monk sells his book in Paris.
You just published "Villians also have souls." What is the story behind it?
Br. Marie-Angel: "So with this book I wanted to write the memory of an encounter I had with a young boy of 12, Gabriel, whom I met one evening at the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris, he was homeless with his mother in the midst of a group of homeless, and I think that this book, to summarize, in fact, it's a bit of an ode to the ministry of being a godfather, because the encounter with this little boy has been, first of all, an opportunity for him to find God. I tried not to let myself be overtaken, let's say, by the social poverty of the child but simply to see, to discern the spiritual poverty. And this is also very important. For this young man told me that he was on the verge of a desperate act of suicide. So, here, this book tells a little of the spiritual journey of a child and his relationship with his godfather in baptism, which over the months I became."
So in this book, we speak of a resurrection, a hymn to life. What happened?
Br. Marie-Angel: "Well, this hymn to life is to discover that teenagers can be desperate. This child was, and I believe that mercy means to take someone in his misery and to accompany him to the heart of God. And this hymn to life is a bit like: 'I truly witnessed the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of this child, who has passed from death to life, from darkness into His wonderful light."
You are strongly connected with young people, children in difficult circumstances. Is it an age that particularly affects you?
Br. Marie-Angel: "It's an age where I should say that God has led me. It is true that the period of adolescence is a kind of grace, the charisms of the Salesians of Don Bosco have always been a model in my life. It is true that I have been led by different ministries, by educational ministries, to take care of many children of this age group."
So you were also called the Firefighter Monk, why? Where does that come from?
Br. Marie-Angel: "I was lucky during my military service in 1990, to be a fireman in Paris, and then also had the chance to start a group of young Christian firefighters. When I returned to the pastoral care of the military diocese, the bishop asked me the day of my ordination, to be chaplain for the Paris fire department. So I had the chance to be a fireman and a priest for six years with the Paris fire brigade. This also gave me the opportunity to tell my story in a book."
Is it a very special mission to be the chaplain of firefighters?
Br. Marie-Angel: "It is a mission that is very much in line with the book, because nowadays when talking about firefighters, they are called less and less for firefighting, and tend to be referred to more as "Life Soldiers". And I like that term also because life is to be saved, to be preserved in all its dimensions, not only to help teens in the street but also what the firefighters do.
I believe that today, the Christian world is marked by the spirit of Mother Teresa and also …
You just published "Villians also have souls." What is the story behind it?
Br. Marie-Angel: "So with this book I wanted to write the memory of an encounter I had with a young boy of 12, Gabriel, whom I met one evening at the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris, he was homeless with his mother in the midst of a group of homeless, and I think that this book, to summarize, in fact, it's a bit of an ode to the ministry of being a godfather, because the encounter with this little boy has been, first of all, an opportunity for him to find God. I tried not to let myself be overtaken, let's say, by the social poverty of the child but simply to see, to discern the spiritual poverty. And this is also very important. For this young man told me that he was on the verge of a desperate act of suicide. So, here, this book tells a little of the spiritual journey of a child and his relationship with his godfather in baptism, which over the months I became."
So in this book, we speak of a resurrection, a hymn to life. What happened?
Br. Marie-Angel: "Well, this hymn to life is to discover that teenagers can be desperate. This child was, and I believe that mercy means to take someone in his misery and to accompany him to the heart of God. And this hymn to life is a bit like: 'I truly witnessed the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of this child, who has passed from death to life, from darkness into His wonderful light."
You are strongly connected with young people, children in difficult circumstances. Is it an age that particularly affects you?
Br. Marie-Angel: "It's an age where I should say that God has led me. It is true that the period of adolescence is a kind of grace, the charisms of the Salesians of Don Bosco have always been a model in my life. It is true that I have been led by different ministries, by educational ministries, to take care of many children of this age group."
So you were also called the Firefighter Monk, why? Where does that come from?
Br. Marie-Angel: "I was lucky during my military service in 1990, to be a fireman in Paris, and then also had the chance to start a group of young Christian firefighters. When I returned to the pastoral care of the military diocese, the bishop asked me the day of my ordination, to be chaplain for the Paris fire department. So I had the chance to be a fireman and a priest for six years with the Paris fire brigade. This also gave me the opportunity to tell my story in a book."
Is it a very special mission to be the chaplain of firefighters?
Br. Marie-Angel: "It is a mission that is very much in line with the book, because nowadays when talking about firefighters, they are called less and less for firefighting, and tend to be referred to more as "Life Soldiers". And I like that term also because life is to be saved, to be preserved in all its dimensions, not only to help teens in the street but also what the firefighters do.
I believe that today, the Christian world is marked by the spirit of Mother Teresa and also …