Inside burning #NotreDame a human chain saved relics, Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Jean-Marc Fournier – OORAH!

UPDATE:

I was told today, that Fr. Jean-Marc Fournier had been in the FSSP.

 

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There is an interesting piece at Breitbart today about the rescue of relics and important objects from Notre-Dame Cathedral as the roof burned.

They formed a human chain inside the cathedral.

Notre-Dame Treasures, Relics Saved After Firefighter-Priest Led Human Chain Inside Burning Cathedral

The chaplain to the Parisian fire brigade has been hailed as a hero after it was revealed he led efforts to save the priceless holy relics and art stored inside Notre-Dame Cathedral.
The story of Father Jean-Marc Fournier was reported by Christian journalist of French Catholic Television station KTOTV, who revealed the chaplain went into the burning cathedral to retrieve relics and art before they could be damaged by fire and falling debris. Reports state the priest formed a human chain to carry the items away from danger.

Following up that report, the Katholiek Nieuwsblad states Fr Fournier has a history of Christian mission under dangerous circumstances. The newspaper reports he responded with the fire brigade to the 2015 Bataclan terror attacks in Paris, where Islamist extremists killed 90 with rifles and suicide vests at a rock concert in the city, where he was “quickly on the scene after the attack… he helped remove the wounded from the hall and prayed with the bodies of the victims.”

The priest also served as a chaplain to the French army and survived an ambush in Afghanistan where ten French soldiers were killed.

Television network Sky News reports the remarks of one member of the Paris emergency services who said of the chaplain: “Father Fournier is an absolute hero.

He showed no fear at all as he made straight for the relics inside the cathedral, and made sure they were saved. He deals with life and death every day, and shows no fear.”  [Oorah!]

Among the relics saved in the effort was Notre-Dame’s most famous and revered and holy relic, the gold-encrusted Crown of Thorns, believed to be the wreath of thorns that was placed on the head of Jesus Christ at his crucifixion. That the relic was saved flashed around the world on Monday evening, but news of further items saved emerged Tuesday morning.

Many of the objects removed from the Cathedral were bundled up in packaging and placed in Paris’s city hall.

Other works of art associated with Notre-Dame had already been removed from the Cathedral before the fire even started. The 16 copper statues of the apostles and evangelists that adorned the roof of Notre-Dame made headlines last week as they were removed by crane for restoration work, intended to go two at a time over the course of the coming years. They now stand on palettes in a warehouse, having been saved from the fire which the restoration work, ironically, seems to have started.

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13 Comments

  1. Of course, in a sense, he is still an army chaplain; the Sapeurs-Pompiers de Paris are a military unit and are under the authority of the ministry of defence. Brave men all, and their chaplain, a hero indeed. Thank God for them all.

  2. Spinmamma says:

    Humbled by and grateful for this brave priest.

  3. Pingback: Inside burning NotreDame a human chain saved relics, Blessed Sacrament | Catholicism Pure & Simple

  4. HvonBlumenthal says:

    What caught my eye was the fact that he did not forget to rescue the Bless d Sacrament.

  5. JEF5570 says:

    Let’s see, 13th century treasure of Christian civilization is burning to the ground and a priest who offers the rite of the Roman Mass that the cathedral was built around runs into the flames along with the firefighters to save the irreplaceable relics of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection along with the Blessed Sacrament itself. That sounds an awful lot like a prophetically symbolic act of what priests like Fr. Fournier have been doing all along since November 30, 1969.

  6. Pius Admirabilis says:

    @JEF5570: Père Fournier celebrates the TLM?

  7. GHP says:

    Fr Fournier deserves to receive the Legion d’honneur for his actions!

    –ghp

  8. Maximilian75 says:

    What happens if the Blessed Sacrament is burnt? What is the protocol?

  9. Semper Gumby says:

    Oorah! (It’s funny how spell-check insists on changing that to “Oprah!”- a Commie plot no doubt).

    Deo gratias for Fr. Fournier, and for all who toiled and toiled well yesterday. Good point Eamonn Gaines.

    This valiant priest recalls Fr. O’Callahan, chaplain of the USS Franklin in 1945 when it was hit by kamikazes, dead in the water, and ablaze. Fr. O’Callahan organized several chains of sailors to dump hot ammunition from several ammunition bunkers into the ocean before the ammo exploded, and steadied the lads at their posts.

    Fr. William Slattery wrote a book about intrepid priests down through the centuries: “Heroism and Genius: How Catholic Priests Helped Build -And Can Help Rebuild- Western Civilization.”

    God bless the Church’s Eldest Daughter.

    L’audace, l’audace, toujours l’audace.

    US HERE – UK HERE

  10. Jean-Luc says:

    Father Fournier is a traditional priest, he is a former member of the Society of St Peter. From 2000 to 2006, he was assistant of the General Superior of the SSPP, then eventually he joined the French army as military chaplain.

  11. Semper Gumby says:

    General Patton (George C. Scott) quoting Frederick the Great to General Truscott when they were in a bit of a jam on Sicily.

  12. JustaSinner says:

    An inspiration, this priest. You too Father Z. Unfortunately a rarity both of you…

  13. jaykay says:

    HvonBlumenthal: I would say that rescuing the Blessed Sacrament was probably his first priority. I’ve often read stories of Priests and laypeople doing that. In 1935 the chapel of my old school was destroyed by fire, and a man risked his life to save the Sacrament. The story was still current decades later.

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