My friend Jean-Michel Paulus and I were young attorneys-at-law near the Court of Paris. We both were gifted with the effusion by the Holy Spirit on November 11th, 1973, during a week-end meeting with the prayer group « L’Emmanuel » at Montmartre. We instantly felt a change in our behavior, not only within the prayer groups we used to attend — « L’Assomption » and « St. Sulpice » — , but also in our daily actions in Court. We were overflowed by an everlasting joy. Our colleagues started asking us what had happened. I remember meeting Jean-Michel on my way to the Trade Court, he told me: « I just talked with XXX. I’m in a hurry, running now toward the Court of Appeal; if you meet him, push on the evangelization! » On another day, we were quite a few lawyers waiting at the Court, I was reading a prayers and psalms booklet, and all of a sudden, a young woman, an attorney-at-law, asked me : « what are you reading ? » I tried to conceal my book, but she grabbed it and as she was beginning to look through it she was called for the case she was in charge of. She stood up and, tying to have a better hold of her own papers, she dropped my book on the Justice desk. Unconspicously I could take it back while she was pleading.
One day, we decided to organize a joint prayers group of lawyers in my small flat on the Ile St. Louis. We spent there pleasant times, about a quarter of an hour for praise and prayers,and a long lasting hour chatting, eating a few slices of sausage and draining them down with Beaujolais wine. We happened to help Marie-Nicole Boiteau, a young celebrated lawyer, to make her decision and request the Holy Spirit’s effusion.
Holding our worship meetings within the Court premises became our new fancy, the most appropriate place being the « Sainte Chapelle » . [This shrine has been built by the king Louis IX (Saint Louis) in order to worship the the Crown of Thorns]. It belongs to the French Republic, and is rarely open for public access ; permission to meet there was such a complicated procedure that we temporaryly dropped the idea and headed to Notre Dame Cathedral ; there we met a priest who granted us his welcome. We were allowed to pray in the Cathedral of Paris, in a side chapel. Everything was nicely going, this priest would join us at times. A few tourists would also pray with us. Feeling a kind of Holy Spirit inspired boldness, we uttered exhortations and strong comments about the Gospel, and the priest was a bit scared. We were suspected of showing a strangely too vivid picture of Catholicism. The canons of the Cathedral may have been somewhat disturbed. This is why we were asked to move downstairs in the cellar, near the CHAUFFERIE. Our prayer group became less attractive, and we decided to call it off.
During spring 1974, after this disappointment, I was invited by Sister Marie-Thierry a Dominican sister, to attend prayers with a group of girls, students residing in the dominican home rue de Condé. Later, Sister Marie-Thierry, Bernadette Jomard and Martine Burig took me to the Green Shop.
http://boutique.france-catholique.fr/fr/livres/36-des-menhirs-a-internet-la-nouvelle-evangelisation-97829536078.html
