Olivier Maire S.M.M. (19 November 1960 – 9 August 2021) was a French Roman Catholic priest. Assassinated in

Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre (, literally ''Saint-Laurent on Sèvre'') is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France. Pilgrimage Some 25,000 visitors per year arrive at the town, for it is the burial place ...

, he was a member of the .

Biography

Born into a very pious family, Maire became religious from a young age. He entered the Collège de Pelousey and the Lycée Saint-Jean de Besançon, where he earned his ''

baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...

''. After his studies in biology, he spent his military service in Haiti. He then earned a degree in theology in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, being ordained a priest and joining the

Company of Mary The Missionaries of the Company of Mary is a missionary religious congregation within the Catholic Church. The community was founded by Saint Louis de Montfort in 1705 with the recruitment of his first missionary disciple, Mathurin Rangeard. The co ...

. He then trained seminarians in Uganda for many years. A

biblical critic Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century, when it began as ''historical-biblical criticism,'' it was based on two distinguishing characteristics: (1) the concern to ...

, Maire was passionate about the

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

and the

Patristics Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...

, he also earned a degree in psychology. Upon his return to France, he was elected provincial superior of the Montfortaines and was installed in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre. Olivier Maire was murdered on 9 August 2021, allegedly by Emmanuel Abayisenga, a Rwandan national who was suspected of having started the 2020 Nantes Cathedral fire and whom he had taken in. His funeral took place on 13 August 2021, in the Basilica of Saint Louis de Montfort in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, celebrated by Monsignor

Éric de Moulins-Beaufort Éric de Moulins-Beaufort (born 30 January 1962) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a bishop since 2008 and the Archbishop of Reims since 2018. He was elected president of the Bishops' Conference of France in 2019. Life Ér ...

, president of the Bishops' Conference of France, Monsignor François Jacolin, Bishop of

Luçon Luçon () is a commune in the Vendée department, Pays de la Loire region, western France. Its inhabitants are known as Luçonnais. Luçon Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Luçon (comprising the Vendée), where Cardinal Richelieu once se ...

, and Reverend Luis Augusto Stefani, Superior General of the Company of Mary. Minister of Justice

Éric Dupond-Moretti Éric Dupond-Moretti (born 20 April 1961) is a French-Italian lawyer and politician who was appointed Minister of Justice in 2020 by President Emmanuel Macron. As a criminal defence lawyer he is renowned for his record number of acquittals which e ...

and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Bruno Retailleau Bruno Daniel Marie Paul Retailleau (; born 20 November 1960) is a French politician who has presided over The Republicans group in the Senate since 2014. He has represented the Vendée department in the Senate since 2004. Retailleau also served a ...

also attended the ceremony.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maire, Olivier August 2021 events in France 2021 murders in France August 2021 crimes in Europe French Roman Catholic priests French murder victims 1960 births 2021 deaths