André Guérin, who was born in La Chapelle-Montligeon 78 years ago, is used to visit his local cemetery. On November 2, he told us why he enjoyed a stroll to the cemetery now and then.
We met André Guérin on November 2, 2023, a day traditionally dedicated to remembering and praying for the dead. He was attending the blessing given by the shrine’s chaplains to the graves in the Chapelle-Montligeon cemetery. He shared his experience with us.
“The cemetery is my memory. My great-grandparents, my parents, my wife, my first son, are there. So are a whole host of people I used to know well in my village. As head of the local heritage organization, I have to be at the cemetery on November 2. I regard it as my duty.
I’m a regular visitor to the cemetery. I like to wander around, to see so-and-so. Even if they no longer speak to me, I can still see their faces and hear them.
Walking about in the cemetery doesn’t make me sad, because I’m not afraid of death. Even though I think about it a lot, because it’s the end of our lives.
Where do you think the dead are now?
I don’t know. I think they’re here, under the tombstones, but, well, what’s left of them? Then, when it comes to heaven or purgatory, it’s a subject I wouldn’t venture going into. But what I am sure of is that they are alive, alive forever.
When I go to the cemetery, I feel my deceased are present. They are there. When I visit my mother’s grave, I see her, I almost hear her again. That’s the way life goes.
Have you got a message for someone who has lost a loved-one?
That’s not easy. Everyone experiences death in their own way. It does not mean I don’t feel sadness or grief, but you can’t lament forever. You have to live. You have to. So, ‘Live!’ is my advice.”
