2023-09-22 15:08:47
At the final whistle, the score is clear: 96 to 0; 14 French tests on the clock. More than fifty people applaud in the parish hall of Saint-Ambroise Church, not without a friendly thought for the Namibian team.
With five priests as a team and three young committed couples, this dynamic Parisian parish offers “Rugby Compline” evenings throughout the Rugby World Cup. Paid drinks, served in an eco-cup flocked in the name of the parish with an oval balloon as a bonus, small toasts and homemade salty biscuits offered, match on the big screen and conclusion in the adjoining chapel for the sung prayer of Compline.
Marauders in the third half?
These evenings are to the credit of Louis Henri who, with his wife Maud and their two little girls aged 5 months and 2 years, is one of the three families housed by the parish. Passionate about rugby, he is the solidarity coordinator and organizes the Wednesday evening maraudes, which he can hope will in the future constitute the third half of the Blues supporters thus united.
Because this original proposal welcomes beyond parishioners, such as Pauline and her friend Théophile who came from another neighborhood, via information published on Facebook, happily surprised to see garlands of flags from the countries involved in the competition in the room, where the tricolor obviously dominates.
Bataclan, a chapel of remembrance
The echo of these evenings does not stop at the shared conviviality. A beer, brewed nearby, is served there, Saint-Ambroise – the latter being the patron saint of beekeepers – adopted by several bars and grocery stores in the area. Inaugurated by Clément Beaune, Minister Delegate for Transport, elected from the constituency, the sale of this beer with a slight honey taste finances the renovation of a side chapel of the parish church. This has become the chapel of remembrance, where the victims and loved ones of the nearby Bataclan attack come to pay their respects. Helped in its promotion by a video by Stéphane Bern, it has already collected €4,000. And tomorrow ? “There is still the football Euro then the Olympics”, says Zélie, doctoral student in history, co-organizer of the evening. In the meantime, see you on October 6 for France-Italy.
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