To mark the occasion of the 160th anniversary of the arrival Br. Eugène Eyraud sscc, a member of our Congregation, in Rapa Nui, tributes were paid to him in his home town of Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur.
In the morning, Mgr Xavier Malle, Bishop of the diocese of Gap-Embrun, presided over a mass in the presence of Éric Hernout sscc, General Archivist and Eugène's family. During the homily, the archivist outlined some of the highlights of the missionary's life and how he lived the Gospel to the end with humility, entrusting his fate and his life to the mission: ‘Eugène leaves us a testimony of life, faith, hope and charity that inspires us today and helps us to live our vocation and mission as baptised Christians’.
At the end of the celebration, Bishop Xavier Malle blessed a plaque in the church where Eugène Eyraud had been baptised on 06 February 1820: ‘A child of Saint-Bonnet, a lay brother of the Picpus Congregation, he was the first missionary to go to Easter Island. He rests there in the shadow of the Sainte-Croix church in Hanga Roa’.
Laurent Daumark, the village mayor, then inaugurated a square dedicated to Eugène Eyraud (next to the Vivian Maier secondary school). Éric Hernout sscc, family members and many villagers attended this significant event. The day ended with a lecture by Yves Chiaramella of the Société d'études des Hautes-Alpes, which had been presented at the Vatican last November. Following this, another commemorative plaque was unveiled on the house where Eugène was born. Finally, thanks to his family, a stamp was issued in memory of the missionary.
Link to the photo gallery: https://acortar.link/GOvTcR
07/17/2024