Geraud Patris de Breuil
28 years old, ordained on June 26 for the diocese of Versailles
“My vocation was born at the age of 13, during a time of prayer and adoration during a youth camp, supervised by a priest from the Legionaries of Christ. This question of the priesthood came to me in a powerful way and has never left me since. Today I am still happy to see that the Lord is working my heart to confirm this call. Around me there are few seminarians. Despite everything, I see a lot of generosity in young people, so I tell myself that we have to make them understand that God can fill a heart, that he loves us as we are and that he can continue to call. It’s really about making them love God, for me that’s the first priority. Once Christ has been encountered, a stronger call may eventually touch their heart, that of vocation. To achieve this, proximity is necessary. This, in my opinion, is where God goes. First of all, the closeness between Christians, but also and above all the closeness between the priests and the faithful. It is not by being in a clerical position, rather distant, that we will arouse in young people the desire to commit themselves to the life of a priest. I am a big fan of Pope Francis. It makes clear that we are all the Church, not just priests, bishops and cardinals. I am happy to have a pope who makes us understand that the laity have an important place within the Church and that we, priests and deacons, are at the service of the faithful. I notice that lay people are sometimes quite shy in their commitment. This is the desire that I express as a future priest: to empower the laity so that they can take a greater part in the life of the Church by virtue of their baptism. I am very confident in the future. »
