On the afternoon of July 9th, we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Peace in the Picpus Chapel, with a Eucharist presided over by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris. Bishop Moïse Tinguiano, Bishop of the Diocese of Boké (Guinea), also concelebrated.
We commemorated the 220th anniversary of the arrival of Our Lady of Peace at Picpus and the 200th anniversary of the sending of the first sscc missionaries to the Sandwich Islands (present-day Hawaii).
The Mass began with an entrance procession, in which Patricia Villarroel sscc, Superior General, carried the image of Our Lady of Peace, followed by Brothers and Sisters of the Sacred Hearts, many of them participants from around the world in the Poitiers 2026 Session, who took part at various moments of the celebration. Bertrand Cherrier sscc, Provincial Superior of France, welcomed all those present, giving context to the history of the small 33-centimeter Marian statue.
In his homily, the Archbishop of Paris recalled Pope Leo XIV's first address, given right after his election, on disarmed and disarming peace. We must disarm ourselves of the attitudes of violence and war that we harbor in our hearts. A disarming peace through our gestures and attitudes of love toward others. These attitudes can bring peace to the world around us. He invited those present from Picpus, coming from the five continents, to be bearers of peace through their gestures of love and service.
At the offertory, the Superiors General offered a painting of the Sacred Hearts and a pair of sandals. Particularly moving was the moment of the imposition of Our Lady of Peace. Alberto Toutin sscc, Superior General, placed the image of Mary on Archbishop Ulrich, after which the Archbishop went on to place it on some of those present, with Alberto and Patricia continuing the imposition, alternating with one another.
Before the Mass concluded, Alberto gave a missionary sending to the members of the Congregation, with this prayer:
Here we are, Mary, Our Lady of Peace, brothers and sisters, lay faithful come from the four corners of the world. We have come as pilgrims, with the People of God journeying in this diocese of Paris.
Mary, "Mater Misericordiæ," present in this Picpus chapel since 1806, you have sustained with your gentle tenderness the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts, that which the Good Father and the Good Mother called "the work of God." Teach us to support God's initiatives and to collaborate with them.
Mary, "Stella Maris," under your protection, "star of the sea," you accompanied the ventures of the first missionaries, Fr. Alexis Bachelot, Fr. Patrice Short, Fr. Abraham Armand, and Brothers Melchior Bondu, Léonard Portal, and Théodose Boissier, who were sent to the Sandwich Islands (the Hawaiian Islands). It was the beginning of the fulfillment of our Founder's vision: "a society of missionaries, destined to spread everywhere the light of the Gospel. God also revealed to him that there would be a Congregation of women in union with that of the missionaries." You, who are so familiar with the Lord of the Impossible, open our hearts and our eyes to the beautiful surprise of the Spirit of the Lord, who goes before us and who acts in the hearts of every man and every woman, of every culture.
Mary, "Regina Pacis," here we are, men and women thirsting for the Peace that comes from God. Make us creative and tireless artisans of your peace in our communities, in this city of Paris, in your own land, in Israel, and also in Ukraine, in Rwanda and in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in so many other places that you do not forget.
Mary "Spe Nostra," you who looked upon the world as it was, in its contradictions and in its glimmers of goodness, in the light of God's action on behalf of the humble, the hungry, and the poor. Help us too to stand on their side, to scan the horizon of your action so as to sing with them the courageous Magnificat, the great things God does for all of us and for our world. Amen.
To conclude, there was a time of fellowship and dinner in the garden of Picpus.
07/10/2026