Lamballe

“It’s my favorite cathedral.” When he says that, Mathieu Corson speaks neither of a monumental building, nor of a place of a religious nature. His own cathedral has no wall, no nave and no organ in the gallery. She lives in the wind, ageless and symbolless. “Inner Trégor, I’ve been going there since I was very young. My family lives between Louargat and Plouaret. It is my stronghold. There is an inexhaustible source of rest and well-being there. Something true, good and beautiful”.

A Norman among the Bretons

At 32, Mathieu, a native of Normandy, is about to don the alb of a Breton priest. Sunday, around 5:30 p.m., after the ordination ceremony in the cathedral of Saint-Brieuc, Bishop Mgr Moutel will announce his appointment to the Côtes-d’Armor. His wish ? ” No matter. I have confidence for the future. I never plan on the comet, ”he sweeps, calmly.

I made a deal with the Lord.

After six years of training at the seminary of Rennes, embellished with time spent in the parish of Lamballe, here he is “serene”. Ordained deacon on September 26, Mathieu will therefore become Father. “It’s an extra step. We pass to the other side of the assembly. In the eyes of the people, we take on a responsibility. In reality, things happen gradually.

The question arises in college

A religious life, Mathieu thought of it as a teenager. “It was in my conscience. I remember the moment of hesitation, and the no that followed. The school curriculum is linked: baccalaureate, preparatory biology in Caen, engineering school in water and the environment in Strasbourg. But the question comes back. Insistently. He then decided to talk about it to a priest from the parish of Évreux (Eure). For three years, exchanges with this man of the Church will nourish his reflection.

In October 2013, with an engineering degree in hand, he made “a deal with the Lord”. Basically, if by the following spring he hasn’t found a job, he enters the seminary. The response from the Very High is scathing: after a few weeks, Mathieu landed a job in a design office in Vendée. There he experiences ordinary life, life as an employee, lay life in the local parish, too. Assessment: “During these two years, the questioning has intensified”. The rest, we know.

Inspired by Dominicans

The former camp animator, active member of the chaplaincy, student pilgrimage organizer and dedicated sacristan, finally chooses “patience, service and abandonment”, he summarizes. His mission as a diocesan priest, Mathieu will imbue him with the Dominican spirituality to which he is so attached.

Perhaps the heart of the faith passes through this: a poorer and more beautiful Church.

A singular mission in a particular context. “Difficult changes are looming. It is no longer the triumphant Church of old. But perhaps the heart of the faith passes through this: a poorer and more beautiful Church. I think I belong there. Either way, that’s where I want to be.”