Eugene had made his first communion on Holy Thursday at the College of Nobles in Turin. It was always an important moment for him to recall the joy of this important event.<\/p>\n
Antoine Ricard, who had been a diocesan seminarian in Marseille, showed this:<\/p>\n
\nOne Holy Thursday \u2013 as I personally recall \u2013 we were in the Cathedral of Marseille. The bishop (Eugene de Mazenod) was officiating with the gentle dignity and recollection that made him renowned among all the bishops, his contemporaries. Unexpectedly we saw him cry and, while trying, he could not conceal it. The seminarians who surrounded the bishop\u2019s throne, struck by the emotion of the Bishop, were moved as they looked at him. He noticed this, and turning to one of them, the author of these lines, whose short-sightedness made his staring more obvious:<\/h5>\n
\u201cYoung man,\u201d<\/strong> he said with that simplicity that made him win hearts, \u201cdo not be startled like that \u2013 today is the anniversary of my first communion.\u201d<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\nMgr Antoine RICARD, “Monseigneur de Mazenod, \u00e9v\u00eaque de Marseille, fondateur de la Congr\u00e9gation des Missionnaires Oblats de Marie Immacul\u00e9e,” p. 12.<\/em><\/p>\n
As we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, perhaps we could make this the opportunity to recall our own first communion with joy and thanksgiving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Eugene had made his first communion on Holy Thursday at the College of Nobles in Turin. It was always an important moment for him to recall the joy of this important event. Antoine Ricard, who had been a diocesan seminarian … Continue reading