Africa-Press – Seychelles. Mauritius has a new bishop in the person of Jean-Michaël Durhône. He was ordained a bishop yesterday in a ceremony at Marie Reine de la Paix in the country’s capital, Port-Louis in the presence of the episcopal representatives of the region and a crowd of more than 50,000 people converged for this ceremony.
Monsignor Alain Harel, Bishop of Port Victoria attended this ceremony with a small delegation from the Seychelles.
This ceremony marks a major stage in the life of the diocese of Port-Louis, with the first bishop, Mgr Collier, appointed on December 7, 1847. In parallel, a spiritual preparation took place in the various parishes, culminating Friday evening in a vigil led by young people in the churches of the island.
The heart of the celebration was the imposition of hands by the celebrant bishop, in this case Cardinal Maurice Piat and the other prelates present on the head of the new bishop, and which was followed by the anointing of holy chrism which represents the fullness of the gifts that the Holy Spirit provides. From this moment, the entire diocese of Port-Louis, which has more than 250,000 faithful, is placed under the leadership of Bishop Jean-Michaël Durhône. The latter is in line with his immediate predecessors, namely Cardinal Maurice Piat and Cardinal Jean Margéot.At the level of the repertoire of songs, the theme was chosen by the bishop, namely “Received gratuitously to give gratuitously. Two compositions on this theme, by Fathers Laurent Rivet and Jocelyn Grégoire, were taken up by the choir at the time of communion. There was also the Litany of the Saints for the rite of ordination. A mix of hymns in Creole and French, including ‘Comment ne pas te louiser’, ‘En Action de Grâces’ and ‘Parole Bondie’.
According to our colleague from the newspaper Le Mauricien, Jean Marc Poché, “Since the announcement of his appointment on May 19 by Pope Francis, Jean Michaël Durhône has already given signs of the spirit that will animate him during his episcopate. He is a man among men, a priest among priests who will gradually learn to carry out the mission entrusted to him. “Pope Francis calls on me to take responsibility for the diocese of Port-Louis. I accepted with joy knowing that it is a mission that I will learn to assume. I was not born a bishop, I would learn to be a bishop. I would take the necessary time with each person but also with each Mauritian and each of you”.
The new bishop affirms that he will be the bishop of all Mauritians in his multiculturalism which he himself is marked. “I come from a family where my grandmother was Muslim. I grew up in Vacoas in a region where there were very few Catholics. I had the grace to grow up among Muslim, Tamil and Catholic families. The question is not whether this one is a priest of Creole or French origin. The question is whether the one appointed will be able to bring about communion and unity both in the Church and in Mauritian society,” he said.He has had the opportunity so far to meet the leaders of the country (Mauritius) as well as the representatives of all the organizations of the Catholic Church as well as the heads of the socio-cultural associations of the country. His journey, he sums it up himself in a few words: “When I was young, I discovered God’s love for me, a love that was expressed in the love received from my parents, my friends, my teachers. I then asked myself the question: what do I do with so much love received from God? My motto therefore imposed itself, I received this word from Christ as a call to put the gifts received at the service of the men and women of Mauritian society, including our fellow Agalean and Chagossian citizens”.
Its official motto, we now know it: “Received free to give free”.
Cardinal Piat during his last speech thanked all those who supported the Church and the people of the islands during his mission.
Bishop Jean-Michaël Durhône succeeds Cardinal Maurice Piat who had submitted his resignation after 32 years at the head of the Church, and his request was accepted by Pope Francis on May 19.Born in Vacoas and aged 49, the new bishop was known to the parishioners of churches such as Sainte Hélène in Curepipe, New-Grove, Rose-Belle, as well as those of Bambous and Petite Rivière, among others. After his studies at the seminary of Nantes, France, Father Jean-Michaël Durhône was ordained a priest by the Diocese of Port-Louis in 2005.
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