Pope Francis Honors Anniversary of Dom Guéranger who said “the prayer of the Church is the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most powerful."
Pope Francis honors the deep liturgical devotion and fidelity to the Church of the Servant of God Dom Prosper-Louis-Pascal Guéranger, OSB, the founder of the French Benedictine Congregation of Solesmes marking the 150th anniversary of his death, and encourages all the faithful to embrace his precious legacy.
MESSAGE OF POPE FRANCIS
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH
OF DOM PROSPER GUÉRANGER
______________________________________________
To the Very Reverend Father Dom Geoffroy Kemlin
Abbot of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes
and President of the Congregation of Solesmes OSB
As you celebrate this year the 150th anniversary of the death of your founder, Dom Prosper Guéranger, I am happy to join you in your thanksgiving. I wish to express my encouragement and affectionate closeness to those who have committed their lives in the wake of this servant of the Church, or who work to make his life and work known. Benedic anima mea Domino. This verse from Psalm 102 was one of the last words he spoke before placing his soul in the hands of the Father on January 30, 1875.
Dom Guéranger was certainly one of the first artisans of the Liturgical Movement, a beautiful fruit of which was the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Council. The historical, theological and ecclesiological rediscovery of the liturgy, as the language of the Church and expression of its faith, was at the heart of his work, first as a diocesan priest and then as a Benedictine monk. This rediscovery inspired in particular his publications in favor of the return of the dioceses of France to the unity of the Roman liturgy, and it was this which pushed him to write the volumes of The Liturgical Year in order to make accessible to priests and lay people the beauty and riches of the liturgy which is “the first source of Christian spirituality” (Lett. ap. Desiderio desideravi, n. 61). He forcefully affirmed that “the prayer of the Church is the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most powerful. Happy, therefore, is he who prays with the Church” (Preface to The Liturgical Year). May Dom Guéranger’s example therefore inspire in the hearts of all the baptized not only love for Christ and his Bride, but also filial trust and docile collaboration cum Petro et sub Petro, so that the Church, faithful to her living Tradition, may continue to raise “one and the same prayer capable of expressing her unity” (Apostolic Letter Desiderio desideravi, n. 61).
I would also like to mention another aspect of Dom Guéranger’s charism: spiritual paternity. Attentive to the Holy Spirit working in souls, Dom Guéranger desired only one thing: to help them in their search for God. Shaped by the Benedictine Rule and divine praise, his gentle and joyful trust in God touched the hearts of the monks who came to gather around him, the nuns who benefited from his teachings, but also men and women with responsibilities in the Church and society, and especially fathers and mothers of families, children, the little ones and the humble who sought his spiritual advice. In times of peace as in days of adversity, all found in him the strengthening or renewal of their faith, the taste for prayer and the love of the Church. May his example of docility to the Holy Spirit and of service inspire and guide a great number of the faithful in the ways of the Lord “meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).
I pray that the work of the servant of God Dom Guéranger may continue to produce fruits of holiness in all the faithful people, and may it also remain a living witness to the fruitfulness of monastic life, at the heart of the Church. It is with this wish that I address to you, my Reverend Father, as well as to your brothers of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, to those of the Congregation of Solesmes, and to all the people who will participate in the commemorations of the return to God of Dom Prosper Guéranger, my Blessing.
From Saint-Jean-de-Latran, January 2, 2025
FRANCIS
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH
OF DOM PROSPER GUÉRANGER
______________________________________________
To the Very Reverend Father Dom Geoffroy Kemlin
Abbot of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes
and President of the Congregation of Solesmes OSB
As you celebrate this year the 150th anniversary of the death of your founder, Dom Prosper Guéranger, I am happy to join you in your thanksgiving. I wish to express my encouragement and affectionate closeness to those who have committed their lives in the wake of this servant of the Church, or who work to make his life and work known. Benedic anima mea Domino. This verse from Psalm 102 was one of the last words he spoke before placing his soul in the hands of the Father on January 30, 1875.
In speaking of Dom Guéranger, my predecessors have emphasized the various expressions of his charism received for the edification of the entire Church: his role as restorer of Benedictine monastic life in France, his liturgical knowledge placed at the service of the people of God, his ardent piety towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, his work in favor of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and that of papal infallibility, his writings to defend the freedom of the Church. I would like, in my turn, to emphasize two aspects of this charism that correspond to two current needs of the Church: fidelity to the Holy See and to the Successor of Peter, particularly in the area of liturgy, and spiritual fatherhood.
Dom Guéranger was certainly one of the first artisans of the Liturgical Movement, a beautiful fruit of which was the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Council. The historical, theological and ecclesiological rediscovery of the liturgy, as the language of the Church and expression of its faith, was at the heart of his work, first as a diocesan priest and then as a Benedictine monk. This rediscovery inspired in particular his publications in favor of the return of the dioceses of France to the unity of the Roman liturgy, and it was this which pushed him to write the volumes of The Liturgical Year in order to make accessible to priests and lay people the beauty and riches of the liturgy which is “the first source of Christian spirituality” (Lett. ap. Desiderio desideravi, n. 61). He forcefully affirmed that “the prayer of the Church is the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most powerful. Happy, therefore, is he who prays with the Church” (Preface to The Liturgical Year). May Dom Guéranger’s example therefore inspire in the hearts of all the baptized not only love for Christ and his Bride, but also filial trust and docile collaboration cum Petro et sub Petro, so that the Church, faithful to her living Tradition, may continue to raise “one and the same prayer capable of expressing her unity” (Apostolic Letter Desiderio desideravi, n. 61).
I would also like to mention another aspect of Dom Guéranger’s charism: spiritual paternity. Attentive to the Holy Spirit working in souls, Dom Guéranger desired only one thing: to help them in their search for God. Shaped by the Benedictine Rule and divine praise, his gentle and joyful trust in God touched the hearts of the monks who came to gather around him, the nuns who benefited from his teachings, but also men and women with responsibilities in the Church and society, and especially fathers and mothers of families, children, the little ones and the humble who sought his spiritual advice. In times of peace as in days of adversity, all found in him the strengthening or renewal of their faith, the taste for prayer and the love of the Church. May his example of docility to the Holy Spirit and of service inspire and guide a great number of the faithful in the ways of the Lord “meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).
I pray that the work of the servant of God Dom Guéranger may continue to produce fruits of holiness in all the faithful people, and may it also remain a living witness to the fruitfulness of monastic life, at the heart of the Church. It is with this wish that I address to you, my Reverend Father, as well as to your brothers of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, to those of the Congregation of Solesmes, and to all the people who will participate in the commemorations of the return to God of Dom Prosper Guéranger, my Blessing.
From Saint-Jean-de-Latran, January 2, 2025
FRANCIS
Dom Guéranger was certainly one of the first artisans of the Liturgical Movement, a beautiful fruit of which was the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Council. The historical, theological and ecclesiological rediscovery of the liturgy, as the language of the Church and expression of its faith, was at the heart of his work, first as a diocesan priest and then as a Benedictine monk. This rediscovery inspired in particular his publications in favor of the return of the dioceses of France to the unity of the Roman liturgy, and it was this which pushed him to write the volumes of The Liturgical Year in order to make accessible to priests and lay people the beauty and riches of the liturgy which is “the first source of Christian spirituality” (Lett. ap. Desiderio desideravi, n. 61). He forcefully affirmed that “the prayer of the Church is the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most powerful. Happy, therefore, is he who prays with the Church” (Preface to The Liturgical Year). May Dom Guéranger’s example therefore inspire in the hearts of all the baptized not only love for Christ and his Bride, but also filial trust and docile collaboration cum Petro et sub Petro, so that the Church, faithful to her living Tradition, may continue to raise “one and the same prayer capable of expressing her unity” (Apostolic Letter Desiderio desideravi, n. 61).
I would also like to mention another aspect of Dom Guéranger’s charism: spiritual paternity. Attentive to the Holy Spirit working in souls, Dom Guéranger desired only one thing: to help them in their search for God. Shaped by the Benedictine Rule and divine praise, his gentle and joyful trust in God touched the hearts of the monks who came to gather around him, the nuns who benefited from his teachings, but also men and women with responsibilities in the Church and society, and especially fathers and mothers of families, children, the little ones and the humble who sought his spiritual advice. In times of peace as in days of adversity, all found in him the strengthening or renewal of their faith, the taste for prayer and the love of the Church. May his example of docility to the Holy Spirit and of service inspire and guide a great number of the faithful in the ways of the Lord “meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).
I pray that the work of the servant of God Dom Guéranger may continue to produce fruits of holiness in all the faithful people, and may it also remain a living witness to the fruitfulness of monastic life, at the heart of the Church. It is with this wish that I address to you, my Reverend Father, as well as to your brothers of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, to those of the Congregation of Solesmes, and to all the people who will participate in the commemorations of the return to God of Dom Prosper Guéranger, my Blessing.
From Saint-Jean-de-Latran, January 2, 2025
FRANCIS
Source: Vatican.va
Image - File photo from Vatican Media of Pope Francis writing
In speaking of Dom Guéranger, my predecessors have emphasized the various expressions of his charism received for the edification of the entire Church: his role as restorer of Benedictine monastic life in France, his liturgical knowledge placed at the service of the people of God, his ardent piety towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, his work in favor of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and that of papal infallibility, his writings to defend the freedom of the Church. I would like, in my turn, to emphasize two aspects of this charism that correspond to two current needs of the Church: fidelity to the Holy See and to the Successor of Peter, particularly in the area of liturgy, and spiritual fatherhood.Dom Guéranger was certainly one of the first artisans of the Liturgical Movement, a beautiful fruit of which was the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Council. The historical, theological and ecclesiological rediscovery of the liturgy, as the language of the Church and expression of its faith, was at the heart of his work, first as a diocesan priest and then as a Benedictine monk. This rediscovery inspired in particular his publications in favor of the return of the dioceses of France to the unity of the Roman liturgy, and it was this which pushed him to write the volumes of The Liturgical Year in order to make accessible to priests and lay people the beauty and riches of the liturgy which is “the first source of Christian spirituality” (Lett. ap. Desiderio desideravi, n. 61). He forcefully affirmed that “the prayer of the Church is the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most powerful. Happy, therefore, is he who prays with the Church” (Preface to The Liturgical Year). May Dom Guéranger’s example therefore inspire in the hearts of all the baptized not only love for Christ and his Bride, but also filial trust and docile collaboration cum Petro et sub Petro, so that the Church, faithful to her living Tradition, may continue to raise “one and the same prayer capable of expressing her unity” (Apostolic Letter Desiderio desideravi, n. 61).
I would also like to mention another aspect of Dom Guéranger’s charism: spiritual paternity. Attentive to the Holy Spirit working in souls, Dom Guéranger desired only one thing: to help them in their search for God. Shaped by the Benedictine Rule and divine praise, his gentle and joyful trust in God touched the hearts of the monks who came to gather around him, the nuns who benefited from his teachings, but also men and women with responsibilities in the Church and society, and especially fathers and mothers of families, children, the little ones and the humble who sought his spiritual advice. In times of peace as in days of adversity, all found in him the strengthening or renewal of their faith, the taste for prayer and the love of the Church. May his example of docility to the Holy Spirit and of service inspire and guide a great number of the faithful in the ways of the Lord “meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).
I pray that the work of the servant of God Dom Guéranger may continue to produce fruits of holiness in all the faithful people, and may it also remain a living witness to the fruitfulness of monastic life, at the heart of the Church. It is with this wish that I address to you, my Reverend Father, as well as to your brothers of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, to those of the Congregation of Solesmes, and to all the people who will participate in the commemorations of the return to God of Dom Prosper Guéranger, my Blessing.
From Saint-Jean-de-Latran, January 2, 2025
FRANCIS
Source: Vatican.va
Image - File photo from Vatican Media of Pope Francis writing
Pope Francis honors the deep liturgical devotion and fidelity to the Church of the Servant of God Dom Prosper-Louis-Pascal Guéranger, OSB, the founder of the French Benedictine Congregation of Solesmes marking the 150th anniversary of his death, and encourages all the faithful to embrace his precious legacy.
MESSAGE OF POPE FRANCIS
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH
OF DOM PROSPER GUÉRANGER
______________________________________________
To the Very Reverend Father Dom Geoffroy Kemlin
Abbot of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes
and President of the Congregation of Solesmes OSB
As you celebrate this year the 150th anniversary of the death of your founder, Dom Prosper Guéranger, I am happy to join you in your thanksgiving. I wish to express my encouragement and affectionate closeness to those who have committed their lives in the wake of this servant of the Church, or who work to make his life and work known. Benedic anima mea Domino. This verse from Psalm 102 was one of the last words he spoke before placing his soul in the hands of the Father on January 30, 1875.
In speaking of Dom Guéranger, my predecessors have emphasized the various expressions of his charism received for the edification of the entire Church: his role as restorer of Benedictine monastic life in France, his liturgical knowledge placed at the service of the people of God, his ardent piety towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, his work in favor of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and that of papal infallibility, his writings to defend the freedom of the Church. I would like, in my turn, to emphasize two aspects of this charism that correspond to two current needs of the Church: fidelity to the Holy See and to the Successor of Peter, particularly in the area of liturgy, and spiritual fatherhood.
Dom Guéranger was certainly one of the first artisans of the Liturgical Movement, a beautiful fruit of which was the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Council. The historical, theological and ecclesiological rediscovery of the liturgy, as the language of the Church and expression of its faith, was at the heart of his work, first as a diocesan priest and then as a Benedictine monk. This rediscovery inspired in particular his publications in favor of the return of the dioceses of France to the unity of the Roman liturgy, and it was this which pushed him to write the volumes of The Liturgical Year in order to make accessible to priests and lay people the beauty and riches of the liturgy which is “the first source of Christian spirituality” (Lett. ap. Desiderio desideravi, n. 61). He forcefully affirmed that “the prayer of the Church is the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most powerful. Happy, therefore, is he who prays with the Church” (Preface to The Liturgical Year). May Dom Guéranger’s example therefore inspire in the hearts of all the baptized not only love for Christ and his Bride, but also filial trust and docile collaboration cum Petro et sub Petro, so that the Church, faithful to her living Tradition, may continue to raise “one and the same prayer capable of expressing her unity” (Apostolic Letter Desiderio desideravi, n. 61).
I would also like to mention another aspect of Dom Guéranger’s charism: spiritual paternity. Attentive to the Holy Spirit working in souls, Dom Guéranger desired only one thing: to help them in their search for God. Shaped by the Benedictine Rule and divine praise, his gentle and joyful trust in God touched the hearts of the monks who came to gather around him, the nuns who benefited from his teachings, but also men and women with responsibilities in the Church and society, and especially fathers and mothers of families, children, the little ones and the humble who sought his spiritual advice. In times of peace as in days of adversity, all found in him the strengthening or renewal of their faith, the taste for prayer and the love of the Church. May his example of docility to the Holy Spirit and of service inspire and guide a great number of the faithful in the ways of the Lord “meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).
I pray that the work of the servant of God Dom Guéranger may continue to produce fruits of holiness in all the faithful people, and may it also remain a living witness to the fruitfulness of monastic life, at the heart of the Church. It is with this wish that I address to you, my Reverend Father, as well as to your brothers of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, to those of the Congregation of Solesmes, and to all the people who will participate in the commemorations of the return to God of Dom Prosper Guéranger, my Blessing.
From Saint-Jean-de-Latran, January 2, 2025
FRANCIS
ON THE OCCASION OF THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH
OF DOM PROSPER GUÉRANGER
______________________________________________
To the Very Reverend Father Dom Geoffroy Kemlin
Abbot of Saint-Pierre de Solesmes
and President of the Congregation of Solesmes OSB
As you celebrate this year the 150th anniversary of the death of your founder, Dom Prosper Guéranger, I am happy to join you in your thanksgiving. I wish to express my encouragement and affectionate closeness to those who have committed their lives in the wake of this servant of the Church, or who work to make his life and work known. Benedic anima mea Domino. This verse from Psalm 102 was one of the last words he spoke before placing his soul in the hands of the Father on January 30, 1875.
In speaking of Dom Guéranger, my predecessors have emphasized the various expressions of his charism received for the edification of the entire Church: his role as restorer of Benedictine monastic life in France, his liturgical knowledge placed at the service of the people of God, his ardent piety towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, his work in favor of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and that of papal infallibility, his writings to defend the freedom of the Church. I would like, in my turn, to emphasize two aspects of this charism that correspond to two current needs of the Church: fidelity to the Holy See and to the Successor of Peter, particularly in the area of liturgy, and spiritual fatherhood.
Dom Guéranger was certainly one of the first artisans of the Liturgical Movement, a beautiful fruit of which was the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium of the Second Vatican Council. The historical, theological and ecclesiological rediscovery of the liturgy, as the language of the Church and expression of its faith, was at the heart of his work, first as a diocesan priest and then as a Benedictine monk. This rediscovery inspired in particular his publications in favor of the return of the dioceses of France to the unity of the Roman liturgy, and it was this which pushed him to write the volumes of The Liturgical Year in order to make accessible to priests and lay people the beauty and riches of the liturgy which is “the first source of Christian spirituality” (Lett. ap. Desiderio desideravi, n. 61). He forcefully affirmed that “the prayer of the Church is the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most powerful. Happy, therefore, is he who prays with the Church” (Preface to The Liturgical Year). May Dom Guéranger’s example therefore inspire in the hearts of all the baptized not only love for Christ and his Bride, but also filial trust and docile collaboration cum Petro et sub Petro, so that the Church, faithful to her living Tradition, may continue to raise “one and the same prayer capable of expressing her unity” (Apostolic Letter Desiderio desideravi, n. 61).
I would also like to mention another aspect of Dom Guéranger’s charism: spiritual paternity. Attentive to the Holy Spirit working in souls, Dom Guéranger desired only one thing: to help them in their search for God. Shaped by the Benedictine Rule and divine praise, his gentle and joyful trust in God touched the hearts of the monks who came to gather around him, the nuns who benefited from his teachings, but also men and women with responsibilities in the Church and society, and especially fathers and mothers of families, children, the little ones and the humble who sought his spiritual advice. In times of peace as in days of adversity, all found in him the strengthening or renewal of their faith, the taste for prayer and the love of the Church. May his example of docility to the Holy Spirit and of service inspire and guide a great number of the faithful in the ways of the Lord “meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29).
I pray that the work of the servant of God Dom Guéranger may continue to produce fruits of holiness in all the faithful people, and may it also remain a living witness to the fruitfulness of monastic life, at the heart of the Church. It is with this wish that I address to you, my Reverend Father, as well as to your brothers of the Abbey of Saint-Pierre, to those of the Congregation of Solesmes, and to all the people who will participate in the commemorations of the return to God of Dom Prosper Guéranger, my Blessing.
From Saint-Jean-de-Latran, January 2, 2025
FRANCIS
Source: Vatican.va
Image - File photo from Vatican Media of Pope Francis writing
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