Photos from September 14, 2007

Opening Ceremonies

The beatification ceremonies of the Blessed Father Moreau opened at the parish church of Laigné-en-Belin, Father Moreau's birthplace, on Sept. 14, 2007, a glorious sunny day. Hundreds of members of the Congregation of Holy Cross have traveled to France from around the world to rejoice in his beatification.

The event's profundity was signaled at 10 o'clock in the morning by the ringing of a bell, which Blessed Father Moreau commissioned during his lifetime. In response, bells everywhere in the diocese of Le Mans chimed.

Prayer Vigil

The evening prior to the opening ceremonies, the official delegations and invited guests attended a prayer vigil in the Church of Notre-Dame de Sainte-Croix, the conventual church of the Holy Cross Family, which Blessed Father Moreau built between 1842 and 1856. Archbishop André Richard, C.S.C., archbishop of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, presided. A prayer vigil for the general public was held later in the evening. Bishop Jacques Faivre, bishop of Le Mans, presided at the public vigil.

Father Moreau's sarcophagus was moved from the crypt to the apse on the right of the church. Flowers and candles commemorate this special occasion.

Student Reception

More than 50 students from the University of Notre Dame's study abroad programs traveled to Le Mans for the beatification. They came from Dublin, Rome, Belgium, France and Greece and attended a reception held in the presbytery near Cathedral Sainte-Julian, a dramatic eleventh-century gothic cathedral where Blessed Father Moreau was named honorary canon in 1825.