Pierre Goursat

Pierre Goursat (born August 15, 1914 in Paris , France , † March 25, 1991 in Neuilly-sur-Seine , France) is the founder of the Catholic Emmanuel Community .

Life

Pierre Goursat was born in Paris in 1914. He studied art history and archeology. When he was treated for tuberculosis at the age of 19 , he felt a conversion experience , realizing that he had become proud and haughty. The subsequent prayer, in which he believed he was meeting God in a special way, was the beginning of a deepened path of faith for him. He met Cardinal Suhard , Archbishop of Paris , who accompanied him on his way. Among other things, through the help of Cardinal Suhards he realized his calling was as in celibacy living layman , the Eucharistic adoration and evangelism to devote. He did this primarily through the distribution of books and magazines and in the society of Catholic intellectual circles. He later turned to cinema, became a film critic, founded a cinema magazine and was secretary of the Catholic Film Bureau for ten years. During this time he repeatedly struggled with his poor health.

Creation of the Emmanuel Community

In 1972 a French couple told 40 people about their experiences with Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the USA. Among the audience were also Pierre Goursat and Martine Laffitte (now married as Martine Catta ). During the meeting, the participants believed they felt the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a special experience of God's work. After this experience, the two friends invited to prayer evenings. There were five of them at the first of these meetings, and a year later there were 500 participants. They split up into different groups in Paris, from which the Emmanuel Community gradually developed. Encouraged by Martine Laffitte and Father Monléon OP , who accompanied the young community, Pierre Goursat took over the management of Emmanuel in 1973. In 1985 he gave up responsibility for health reasons. In 1991 he died on the so-called Péniche, a houseboat on the Seine that houses the headquarters of the Emmanuel Community.

Beatification process

In 2007, the Emmanuel Community Council proposed to the Archbishop of Paris to initiate a beatification process. After confirmation by Rome, with the consent of the Parisian Archbishop André Cardinal Vingt-Trois , the procedure was officially opened in January 2010 in the Church of Sainte Trinité by Auxiliary Bishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Introduction de la Cause de Canonisation de Pierre Goursat le jeudi 7 janvier 2010 ( Memento of the original dated February 11, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Website of the Emmanuel Community (French). Retrieved March 28, 2010. 

literature

• Fire of Hope: Pierre Goursat, founder of the Emmanuel Community , Bernard Peyrous and Hervé-Marie Catta, Vier-Türme-Verlag, Münsterschwarzach, 1997, ISBN 3-87868-581-5