Michel Guyard (19 June 1936 – 23 July 2021) was a French

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

bishop. He served as

Bishop of Le Havre The Roman Catholic Diocese of Le Havre (Latin: ''Dioecesis Portus Gratiae''; French: ''Diocèse du Havre'') is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Erected in 1974, the episcopal see is Le Havre Cathedral in the city of Le Havre. T ...

from 2003 to 2011.

Biography

Formation

Guyard studied to be a priest at the Saint-Sulpice Seminary in

Issy-les-Moulineaux Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called ''Isséens'' in French. It is one of Paris' entrances and is located from Notre-Dame Cat ...

. He was ordained on 25 June 1965 in the

Archdiocese of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Parisiensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Paris'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France. ...

Principal ministries

Guyard began his life as a priest in several small Parisian parishes, such as the and . From 1970 to 1984, he was spiritual director of the Carmelite seminary at the

Institut Catholique de Paris The Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP), known in English as the Catholic University of Paris (and in Latin as ''Universitas catholica Parisiensis''), is a private university located in Paris, France. History: 1875–present The Institut Catholiq ...

before being appointed to serve as a priest at the before serving as archpriest at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-Paris. He was then

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

of the

Diocese of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Parisiensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Paris'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in Franc ...

from 1994 to 2003. On 9 July 2003, Guyard was nominated to replace Monsignor as Bishop of Le Havre. He was consecrated on 12 October 2003 by Cardinal

Jean-Marie Lustiger Aron Jean-Marie Lustiger (; 17 September 1926 – 5 August 2007) was a French cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Paris from 1981 until his resignation in 2005. He was made a cardinal in 1983 by Pope John Paul II. His life ...

. Within the

Bishops' Conference of France The Bishops' Conference of France (french: Conférence des évêques de France) (CEF) is the national episcopal conference of the bishops of the Catholic Church in France. Presidents Presidents of the Assembly of Cardinals and Archbishops of Fr ...

, he served on the Committee of Health and subsequently became a member of the Council for Family and Social Questions. He retired on 24 June 2011 due to old age.

Death

Michel Guyard died in

Vannes Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic Era The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who live ...

on 23 July 2021 at the age of 85. He will be buried on 2 August at

Le Havre Cathedral Le Havre Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame du Havre) is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church in Le Havre, France. The cathedral was previously a parish church dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, and is the oldest of the very ...

Public positions

In 2006, a

telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other purportedly worthy cause. Most telethons f ...

was held raising money for medical research using human embryos. Guyard publicly stated that, while he was in favor of medical research, he was opposed to its use of human embryos. In 2008, Guyard and Monsignor authored a document titled "Le dimanche au risque de la vie actuelle". The text pleaded for Sunday to not become a day just like any other and underlined the importance of the day to break the rhythm of the week, allowing a time for relaxation. Therefore, great opposition was expressed to the opening of shops on Sundays.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guyard, Michel 1936 births 2021 deaths Seminary of Saint-Sulpice (France) alumni Clergy from Paris 21st-century French Roman Catholic priests Bishops of Le Havre Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II