Founder : Pierre Goursat, layman, born in Paris, France August 15, 1914, feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary; died in Paris March 25, 1991, feast of the Annunciation, and that year, Monday of the Holy Week. Co-founder : Martine Laffitte-Catta, wife and mother of three children, born in 1942, former head of a medical team in a hospital in Paris.

Pierre Goursat - Biography

Born in Paris, France August 15, 1014, feast of the Assumption, he lived a humble life. He grew up with his mother after his parents separated early in his life. Towards the end of Pierre's life he was reunited with his father and eventually they grew closer. Pierre lost his only brother to at an early age. Brought up Catholic he experienced a conversion at the age of nineteen when he had a profound encounter with Christ, then Pierre chose to give his life for the Lord in celibacy and remain in the world to evangelize. He was a hotel manager, art critic and secretary of the Catholic Cinema Office.
He battled with tuberculosis from which he was healed in 1944 in Lourdes, attributing his healing to the Virgin Mary. Even after his healing he battled poor health all his life.
In 1972 he met the Renewal and the Holy Spirit became his guide in everything. From this encounter started the prayer groups and followed the birth of the Emmanuel Community. For the next thirtheen years Pierre worked as the leader of the new Community, helping people, forming them and offering his witness of purity, charity, faithfulness and humor through his attitude in establishing the Emmanuel.
In the summer of 1985 he was hospitalized with coronary thrombosis and in September stepped down from the government of the Community. According to his request Gérald Arbola was elected in his place. He had began to acquaint Gérald with the government of the Community a year earlier.
Once he had stepped down, Pierre drew back from the scene and trusted in his successor. He continued to help the Council of the Community but very discretely. Two rooms in the Emmanuel Community headquarters in Paris were fitted out for him and he lived there during his last years.
In the last year he prayed night and day saying, "The Holy Spirit discharged me from everything and told me, "All you have to do is pray." That's beautiful!"
Pierre died in the morning of March 25, 1991, both the feast of the Annunciation and Monday of Holy Week. He had received the Eucharist the evening before around 9:30pm and had asked afterward not to be bothered. After the funeral in Paris he was buried in Paray-le-Monial, France.

Pierre Goursat with Pope John Paul II during his visit to Paray-le-Monial in 1986

Towards a Portrait

Pierre Goursat was no picture-book saint. He had his limitations and weaknesses; some people saw nothing but these. We might ask whether, for the sake of humility, he didn;t try to cloak himself with his miseries. At the very beginning of the Community, he said to Maritne several times, "I am but a worm," alluding to a Scripture passage he couldn't quite place. One day, returning from a visit to Marthe Robin, he told Martine, " Yesterday, in the liturgy, we heard this passage: "I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, Fear not, I will help you. Fear not you worm Jacob." (Is 41:13-14). Now I can go on..." In the years that followed, whenever someone would marvel at Emmanuel's growth and activities of evangelization in a manner that seemed to congratulate its leader, Pierre would cry out, "But don't you see that the Lord placed a poor guy at the head to make clear that it's He who is doing everything?" On other occasions, he would say with the humor that almost never left him, "People think I'm driving, but I'm buckled into a passenger seat; another has the wheel. The car goes faster and faster, and I sway with the Curves."

First contacts with Pierre

Pierre was a man of contrasts. Those who did not know him were generally surprised at their first contact with him. His countenance was relatively timid, gentle, reserved. He spoke little and badly. Noone could imagine that Pierre might be the man responsible for everything that was going on around him, this wealth of life and youth.

Pierre's relationships with others

Pierre's interest in people was very obvious. He was extremely attentive to others and alsways sought to put them at ease, with very concrete kindness and delicacy. Many people had the impression that noone ever bothered him. They would ask when he had a free moment and immediately be escorted into his bedroom-office, be it for work, advice, or a friendly visit.
For him, what was important was discerning people's charisms, to unearthen hidden springs. In this way, Pierre had the gift of reveling hidden possibilities and calls.

Pierre and the government of the Community

He was opposed to a utilitarian approach. Moreover: he was opposed to the process of functionality for functionality's sake. He had a sense of authority, but his conception of the hierarchy was very supple.
For Pierre, life came before structures, and structures existed only to help further this life. For Pierre, noone was the owner of his function or mission.
He was very docile when confronted with the workings of grace, which he received in great purity. In his projects Pierre was not stubborn; he was ready to alter the direction of an undertaking in major ways. Often, his change of mind took place after long hours of adoration in the night.