Martyrs' Vigil in Saint Laurent-sur-Sèvre
[FR]
SAINT LAURENT-SUR-SÈVRE, France - Saturday, August 9, 2025, marked the commemoration of the martyrdom of Father Olivier MAIRE, SMM in Saint Laurent-sur-Sèvre on August 9, 2021.
This date coincides with the commemoration of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, virgin and martyr, on the same day, and the following day, that of Saint Lawrence of Rome (August 10, 258), deacon. Associated with these two liturgical memorials are other martyrs, including Monsignor Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador (March 24, 1980), Jacques Hamel (July 26, 2016), Roberto Malgesini (September 15, 2020), and the 40 Martyrs of the DRC Congo. For the occasion, we welcomed Father Olivier MAIRE's parents into the Holy Spirit community on Friday evening, and one of his brothers and his wife on Saturday morning. They all took part in the Jubilee Mass, which was presided over by Father Paulin RAMANANDRAIBE, SMM, Superior of the Vice-Province of France, and laid a wreath at the end on the tomb of our late Father Olivier MAIRE, SMM.
In the evening, the Martyrs' Vigil began at 8:00 PM and was presided over by Father Ékenley JEAN-NOËL, SMM. Following the introductory part, the celebration of the Word began with a reading from the Acts of the Apostles on the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7:55-60), meditation on Psalm 16 (Ps 16), and the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John (Jn 15:5-13).
The silence that reigned inside the Basilica opened ears and hearts to listen to Father Olivier MAIRE's final homily on the Eucharist, delivered in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, in the same Basilica the day before his death. The conclusion of his homily suggests that his life was not taken, but given, like Christ: "Since Jesus gave himself to us, we must give ourselves to him by becoming the body of Christ."
In Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, the vigil highlighted the experience of the martyrs and rekindled the faith and hope of the faithful. "The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians," wrote Tertullian.
Serge Orry OCGENOR, SMM
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