Toulouse: a new very fraternal church planned in Borderouge
A new church – for which one million euros of funding is still missing – will see the light of day in 2024 in Borderouge, north of Toulouse. It will be called the church of Saint-Sauveur, after Mgr de Kerimel, the new archbishop, chose a name among the ten sent by the parishioners.
The diocesan website retrace the genesis of the project : “Then taking their project [de nouvelle église] very much at heart, the parishioners worked together simplified to initially move all their wishes. We organize ourselves, we create a platform to relay the information, we send it out by email, we exchange Doodles… and we survey the fifty parishioners: “What is the church of your dreams? »
Eight main ideas emerge: a modular church, “to be able to find oneself in a small cocoon, in a warm spirit” during ordinary times but to open up when there are holidays, a green and ecological church, round shapes … Some expressed the desire for it to be clearly visible thanks to a high bell tower identifiable from afar, others for the building to be very open to the outside, modern and bright in the image of their new community, and in front of the youth of this people of God, they all wanted the church to be suitable for many families and to allow children to participate joyfully in services without being pushed aside in another room or the exclusion of their parents…
Then, it is the needs that have been replaced and requested: “We recommended a church that makes “the curious” want to enter it, where everyone can live their faith according to their sensitivity, one that will be a place of mutual aid, listening and welcoming” declared Annick, Françoise, Véronique, Daniel and others. In short, “we want a new church! indicates those who were consulted.
Thus, in collaboration with the parishioners, the parish priest, Father Norbert Mwishabongo, the archbishop, the diocese and the architects, various plans were considered and in accordance with the specifications, it was decided that the church, in addition to its space open and bathed in light, would include a welcoming entrance hall, a Marian chapel, a space reserved for children visible to all and a small meeting room that could accommodate up to 50 people. For the outside, the set was completed by a large forecourt, a garden and accommodation that could accommodate a family or a priest. ” What a surprise ! I was really very pleasantly surprised that all our requests were accepted!, rejoices Séverine again. I thought we were just consulted but not that our needs would all be heard. It was a great joy for us. »
All that remained was to find a name for the new building. Here again, the parishioners thought about it together. “The Holy Family” or “Our Lady of the Peoples”…? After hours of reflection, they managed to retain only ten among which the bishop has chosen: it will be the church of Saint-Sauveur. A choice explained mainly by the fact that it was during the pandemic that the project really took shape, and that the bishop was marked by the pope’s message. “No one saves himself. Only Christ can save us! during his “Urbi et Orbi” blessing in St. Peter’s Square”.
Funding not yet finalized
“The site represents a total cost of 2.8 million euros, its budget is not yet assured since it lacks 1.1 million euros. Once again, the parishioners were called upon, as was the parish community. At the origin of a new campaign to appeal for donations, the diocese, owner of the land, still solicits all goodwill to contribute to the building: “We are launching an appeal to all, declares Father Norbert. I am counting on the participation of each and everyone, according to their means and according to their desire. Everyone can bring their little stone to the building “.
“Everyone will feel accepted recognized and accepted as a brother, a sister”
As for the priest, he gladly exclaims: This church is a sign of hope for all of us, a chance for the inhabitants of this district! Finally, they will have a place of trust, of hope where they can go and deposit their joys as well as their sorrows; a place where each one, each one, I hope, will feel accepted and recognized as a brother, a sister. »
If there is something “brotherly“, and for which the diocese is less eloquent, it is the symbolism of the truncated column – where adhuc stat, in the Rectified Scottish Rite. Symbol of Life unjustly broken or of the columns of Solomon’s temple, it is also that of “the emblem of fallen, faulty man, who is unaware of the state of his initial perfection, has embarked on a process of returning to “primordial chaosI “.