On Thursday, Cardinal Maurice Piat presided over the Chrism Mass at St. Louis Cathedral, surrounded by the priests of his diocese. In his homily, the bishop of Port Louis said he was waiting for the appointment of his successor by Rome since 2019. Indeed, in 2016, Maurice Piat, who was 75 years old, had submitted his letter of resignation to Pope Francis as bishop of Port Louis. Cardinal Maurice Piat was ordained a priest in Rome on August 2, 1970. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Francis on November 19, 2019.
But until the Vatican designates his successor, Cardinal Piat must continue to remain God’s chief shepherd in Mauritius. Here is an excerpt from his homely.
“Today may be the last Chrism Mass that I will preside with you in the Cathedral as Bishop of Port Louis. I have been truly happy to walk this path with you; it has been for me a beautiful human adventure where we have sought together to make the music of the Gospel resound in the heart of Mauritian society. Each one with his charisma, each one with his own note or his particular tonality. It has not always been easy, I admit, to beat time and maintain a certain harmony; but the Holy Spirit sometimes has a surprising way of creating harmony. ”
I would like to give thanks for all those with whom I have walked this path and who have passed away today. Many of them have been for me witnesses of Christ the Servant, guides, precious supports. Give thanks also for you who are here today, you Mauritian priests and you missionaries, you secular priests and you religious. Give thanks for the gift of your life to Christ, for the quality of your witness, for your commitment to the mission; give thanks finally for the collaboration between priests, religious and laity for this walk together that has already begun and that the Lord invites us today to deepen even more.
