I’m lucky, I am alive
“I am French although I was born in Vietnam. I am 53. I came to France in 1978 after the Vietnam War.” These words start Thanh’s testimony, who attended the Pilgrimage of Heaven in 2024. His story is marked by…
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A joyful pilgrimage
Every year, large numbers of pilgrims flock to the Notre-Dame de Montligeon shrine to entrust their deceased loved ones to prayer. Gérard, Christine and Myriota are among these faithful regulars. This pilgrimage is not a sad moment for them. Quite…
A meaningful place
Every year, the Notre-Dame de Montligeon shrine is host to thousands of pilgrims for the Pilgrimages of Heaven. For Alix and Frédéric, who are locals, this highlight was not only an opportunity to pray, but also to give some of…
A privileged place for prayer
“My name is Marie-Louise. I live in Central France, Loiret, but my birthplace is Martinique. Marie-Louise, who came to the Montligeon shrine for All Saints’ Day, says in confidence that she lost her husband two and a half years ago.…
Praying for the dead: Geneviève’s testimony
Praying for the dead is part of the most ancient tradition of the Church. Since the first centuries, as they were convinced that the communion of saints breaks the limits of death, have been entrusting their deceased to God’s mercy.…
Praying for the souls in purgatory: Delphine’s testimony
On November 17, 2024, at the end of the ceremony for the Promises of the Fraternité Notre-Dame de Montligeon, Delphine agreed to deliver her testimony: she experienced a late conversion after 40, in the midst of a period of illness.…
Communicating with the Dead
Mankind has been fascinated with the idea of communicating with the dead since the dawn of time. From shamanic practices to ancient societies through spiritualism sessions in the 19th century or recent apps imitating the voice of the deceased, this…
Our ancestors’ sins
Can we remain impacted by our ancestors’ sins? The subject of whether the consequences of sin are transmitted from one generation to the next raises a number of questions. Are we responsible, one way or another, of the actions of…
The ties between the living and the dead
Death is merciless. It brings us face to face with the absence of a person who used to be part of our lives, sometimes for many years. We can no longer hear or hold them. It's no longer possible to ask for their advice, to give them affection or to receive it from them. Apparently, everything is cut off. Is that so?
What does the Church have to say about the salvation of children who died unchristened?
Many bereaved parents whose infant died unchristened wonder about their outcome. Regardless of the cause of the death (miscarriage, abortion or stll-birth), can a child be saved if they were not christened? What is the Church's official position on the salvation of infants who died before they had a chance to receive baptism? We asked dom Jean Pateau, the abbot at Notre-Dame de Fontgombault, who wrote "Le Salut des enfants morts sans baptême" [The salvation of children who died unchristened"] (Artège, 2017).