French bishop bids farewell to deceased 31-year-old priest whom he ordained in 2021

Through tears and visibly moved, the Bishop of Bayonne in France said goodbye to Father Alexandre Blaudeau, who died of cardiac arrest at the age of 31, whom he ordained only three years ago.

In the church of Saint-Vincent de Nayscompletely full to bid farewell to the young priest, Bishop Marc Aillet highlighted that the priests and faithful present came to the temple “to accompany our beloved deceased, Father Alexandre Blaudeau, to his last resting place. His heart will rest awaiting the final resurrection. They have come to accompany him on his Passover, from death to life, true life.”

“You have come to witness your affection, your recognition for the priestly ministry that he has exercised among you,” he added and said: “we are all painfully affected by his disappearance. And, at the same time, dear brothers and friends, you have come to confess your faith in a God of love who is just, who knows everything.”

“But we know that Jesus has not come into the world to suppress suffering or even to explain it, but to make it full with his presence.”

Addressing his parents, the French prelate recalled that on the day of Father Alexandre’s baptism, July 25, 1983, they asked for the gift of faith that leads to eternal life for their son.

Some reflections of the deceased young priest

Through tears, the prelate recalled that in his letter to request diaconal ordination, Alexandre wrote to him: “The third in a family of seven children, I have had the grace to grow in faith (…) Leading a fervent parish life.”

Mons. Aillet He then recalled the spiritual and human maturity with which Alexandre responded to the call of the Lord, “which he had chosen at the age of 20, something he discerned in prayer.” In this way, he prepared himself in the seminary “to lose his life for Jesus and the Gospel of him, as a priest of Jesus Christ.”

The bishop also recalled that Alexandre once said: “How rich these years of formation have been, since I entered the preparatory school! The liturgical life and prayer life in the seminary have developed my intimacy with the Lord. “They have formed me to be a disciple, friend (…) and companion of Jesus.”

The bishop also read what Father Alexandre said, when he was still a seminarian, in a 2019 documentary, about the seminary where he was trained: “Our reason for being, not only our reason for being here but our reason for living is Christ. , this call of Christ that is personal for each one (…). “Christ is the cornerstone of our life here at the seminary and of our entire lives.”

Your spiritual testament

After highlighting the “exemplary” dedication of Fr. Alexandre, the prelate recalled that his last homily was on the cross of Christ on Sunday, September 15 and that this constitutes the “spiritual testament” of the deceased, who that day said: “Let us ask the Virgin Mary, to Our Lady of Sorrows (…) to help us carry our cross, in a perfect imitation of Jesus.”

After praising his dedication as a priest, the Bishop of Bayonne stressed that “we need saints, the true reformers of the Church are the saints. “Today is the time of the saints.”

Again through tears, the bishop said about Father Alexandre that “he had his passport to heaven: the golden cross on his neck, the one that opens the doors of heaven and his scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which he never took off.” ”.

“Dear Alexandre, enter into the joy of your Lord and pray for us. Amen”.

After the funeral Mass, the remains of Fr. Alexandre Blaudeau will be transferred to his native parish of Blanzay, in the diocese of Poitiers, where a Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, September 21 at 2:00 pm. The burial will follow in Blanzay cemetery.

Father Blaudeau began his priestly formation in 2013 and studied at the Seminary of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary of Bayonne. He then interned in the Diocese of Kara in Togo, with which the French diocese is associated.

Bishop Marc Aillet ordained him a priest on June 26, 2021 at the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Bayonne.