By Anne-Sophie Hourdeaux
Published on 4 Apr 21 at 12:51
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A nice surprise has fallen: Pope Francis has appointed bishop a priest of the diocese of Cambrai (North) ! The Father Marc Beaumont, 59, is appointed bishop of Moulins (Alliers). His installation mass will take place on May 16, 2021.
After Bishop Garin appointed in December 2020 in the Jura, it is the second bishop that the North has given in a few months with the appointment of Bishop Beaumont!
The diocese of Moulins, in Allier (including the cities of Nevers and Vichy), had no more bishop since August 2020, following the departure of Bishop Laurent Percerou in Nantes. It is a Cambrésien who will arrive soon: Marc Beaumont, well known in the diocese in particular because he was responsible for the diocesan communication service.
–Priest since 1990
Ordained a priest in 1990, he was dean of the Marches du Hainaut; parish priest moderator of the parishes of Sainte-Maria-Goretti du Hainaut, Saint-François en Val d’Escaut and Saint-Jacques en Val d’Escaut and diocesan delegate for communication.
It is therefore a man of the field, who knows parish life well, who is appointed bishop. A rather atypical profile, moreover, as the person concerned himself recalls. “It is above all former seminary superiors who are appointed bishops, because they know priests well. My appointment is not the classic way… ”, he smiles, visibly still moved.
Particularity: Bishop Marc Beaumont is part of the Focolare Movement, founded by Chiara Lubich in 1943. “Its goal is to work for unity in the Church, with non-believers, with other religions… He invites us to keep hope in difficulties ”.
Thank you to the Cambrésiens!
His message to the Cambrésiens at the time of the next departure? ” Thank you ! If the Holy Father called me, it is thanks to you. It was the Cambrésiens who trained me, they allowed me to realize my talents ”. He retains from his native diocese “its very fraternal character”!
For him, being a bishop means “to be the successor of the apostles; that is to say to announce and to testify. He must bear witness to the love of God for all men and to transmit the Catholic faith ”.
The inspiring example of 3 bishops
Mgr Beaumont will be able to rely on 3 figures of bishops whom he has worked with in Cambrai, who will inspire him: Mgr Delaporte, Mgr Garnier and Mgr Dollmann. “I remember from these 3 bishops their proximity to the priests, we could easily get an appointment with them. Their way of reflecting on today’s world in order to move forward in faith marks me… ”
He knows that great challenges await him, especially with the decline in the number of priests.
We are already living it today in the diocese of Cambrai, with at least 10 deaths of priests per year for at best an ordination … I would say that the Church is first of all the baptized, the Church depends of the vitality of the baptized. Revitalizing religious practice will revive vocations, the two are linked. It is because there is a decline in the practice that there are fewer priests …
What will be his priorities in his new diocese? What he knows is that he will take his time! “I will not come with ready-made recipes, I will first discover the life of the Church in the field. I do not know this diocese ”.
Poor and agricultural world
It gives itself three axes of work. First, “stay yourself! “. What is important to him is to “reach out to the poorest”. “Moulins is a region affected by economic difficulties. We must be close to those most distant from the Church, or to those from whom the Church is distant. Their expectations and our proposals are not always in phase. You have to adapt… “
Also, he thinks of the ecological dimension in which Pope Francis and his encyclical Laudato Si published in 2015 plunged the Church. “The diocese of Moulins is strongly marked by the agricultural world, which is in the midst of questioning. How to live a reasoned agriculture today? This touches me because I myself am the son of farmers ”.
A tear
Bishop Vincent Dollmann, Archbishop of Cambrai since, does not hide a certain sadness at this departure. A bishop appointed elsewhere is one priest less in the diocese of origin. “It’s a tear, and I know that in his team, it’s a sad atmosphere today …”
The Archbishop of Cambrai even admits that the Pope was faster than him in proposing a new mission to Father Beaumont! “I thought I would soon entrust him with greater responsibilities…”, referring to the mission of vicar general.
Listening and support
Knowing the exact reasons why a priest is appointed bishop by the Holy See is difficult. Bishop Dollmann recalls that there is a real investigation carried out by the non-apostolic team in France, where many people, priests and lay people are contacted to draw up a portrait of the candidate. The Archbishop of Cambrai also notes the “qualities” of Father Beaumont: “He will continue the mission of bishop as he was a priest, with his great capacity for listening and his sense of accompaniment”.
Son ordination
The episcopal ordination and installation of Monsignor Marc Beaumont will take place on Sunday, May 16 at 3 p.m. in the Notre-Dame-de-l’Annéquence cathedral in Moulins (between Nevers and Vichy).
For his farewell mass, he will have to be patient, because of the health crisis which currently prevents large gatherings. “I hope that in the summer of 2021, we will be able to have a big celebration in the garden of the Diocesan House in Raismes …” he recalls.
He will then have already moved and started his “Moulinoise” life, but he will return on purpose for a last feast with the diocese of Cambrai.
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He is currently visiting the deanery of the Marches du Hainaut, which Father Beaumont had until then been responsible for since 2015. Bishop Dollmann was able to realize “how much, with modest things, we manage to support people, that’s what Father Beaumont does, that’s a great quality. It is available to everyone and not just to those in the Church. He is also at ease in communication ”.
Hope does not disappoint
He has already chosen a motto: “Hope does not disappoint”. He explains the reasons: “In 1997 during the World Youth Day in Paris, a banner was installed on the facade of the Notre-Dame de Valenciennes high school with this extract from Saint Paul. It marked me… “
As for his successor in the parish, he is already known, Bishop Dollmann announced his name during the Chrism Mass on March 30, 2021. It is Father François Triquet, who becomes parish priest of Sainte-Maria Goretti and dean of Marches du Hainaut, near Condé-sur-Escaut. It will arrive in September. In the meantime, it is Father Dominique Foyer who will take over the interim
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