Pierre Goursat: founder of the Emmanuel Community
Pierre Goursat was a French Catholic layman, born in 1914 and died in 1991. He is known as one of the founders of the Emmanuel Community, a new community created in the wake of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Find out more about Pierre Goursat in this article. At the end of the article, discoverother exceptional figures of holiness.
Biography of Pierre Goursat
Pierre Goursat was born in Paris on August 15, 1914.
Victor, his father, was an extremely talented and inventive man who constantly faced major financial problems. After his marriage, he left home and spent several periods in psychiatric care. Marie Latapie, Pierre's mother, ran a boarding house. She raised her two children, Pierre and Bernard, alone. She bequeathed them her faith and her love of prayer. Pierre's brother Bernard, only eleven months his junior, died suddenly of an intestinal obstruction at the age of 11. It was a heartbreaking experience for Pierre, who developed a deep empathy for others. Naturally shy, but lively and intelligent, Pierre completed his primary and secondary education at the Marianist-run Sainte-Marie de Monceau school. Wishing to become a museum curator, Pierre continued his studies at the École du Louvre, then the École Pratique des Hautes Études.
In 1933, at the age of 19, while recovering from tuberculosis in a sanatorium, a crucial event occurred that led to his conversion. Pierre Goursat said: "All of a sudden, I felt my brother's presence with extraordinary intensity. And it was as if he said to me: 'You don't think about me much anymore.' It's as if he'd been there. I found myself on my knees at the foot of my bed and, when I got up, I was completely transformed."
Despite the encouragement of some to turn to the priesthood, Pierre Goursat discerned that he was not called to it. His vocation was to remain a layman in the world, worshipping and evangelizing. He lost his mother in 1941. After running the boarding house, which he sold, he moved into the presbytery adjoining parish of Saint-Philippe du Roule, where he led an austere life, devoted to prayer and welcoming the needy.
In 1943, Pierre Goursat met Cardinal Suhard, Archbishop of Paris, who became his spiritual guide and confirmed his vocation. Pierre Goursat received his promise of chastity. He had many exchanges with the Cardinal, notably on the subject of the de-Christianization of France. Pierre Goursat joined the Legion of Mary, and later ran a Catholic bookshop in Paris. He later became a member of the steering committee of the Centre Catholique des Intellectuels Français (Catholic Center for French Intellectuals), and a contributing critic to the Revue Internationale du Cinéma (International Cinema Review). He was appointed General Secretary of the Office Catholique Français du Cinéma (French Catholic Cinema Office) from 1960 to 1970. Concerned about the crisis facing the Church in France, he acquired an old barge moored at the Neuilly-sur-Seine bridge to house and educate young people about the risks of drugs. In November 1971, in Paris, Pierre Goursat met Father Jean-Paul Régimbal, a Canadian priest from the Trinitarian community, who spoke to him about the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Perceiving the importance of this movement, Pierre Goursat received the outpouring of the Spirit in Troussures on February 13, 1972, in the company of others, including a certain Martine Laffitte, a doctor. The two would meet regularly to pray together. A few months later, a prayer group of five was formed. A year later, the group grew to 500 people. This group would become the foundation of the Emmanuel Community. After much hesitation, Pierre Goursat became its leader.
In 1974, a community life was set up in Gentilly at the Cité Universitaire parish, then a year later in Paris with the Sœurs de l'Adoration Réparatrice (Sisters of Reparative Adoration). A first evangelization magazine was launched: "Les Cahiers du Renouveau, Il est vivant!" (The Renewal Notes, He Lives). Pierre Goursat then felt the call to make the Sacred Heart better known, and so he went to Paray-le-Monial. Even today, the Emmanuel Community organizes international prayer and formation sessions every year, bringing together thousands of people of all ages. In 1976, Pierre Goursat visited charismatic communities in the United States.
On his return to France, he invited dozens of people to meet every fortnight. Sixty people made their first commitment to the Emmanuel Community in 1977. Pierre Goursat worked tirelessly to develop the Community. In 1985, Pierre Goursat withdrew from his responsibilities in governing the Emmanuel Community, following a myocardial infarction. Pierre Goursat died on March 25, 1991. His funeral was celebrated by Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, in the presence of several bishops, numerous priests and a large congregation.
Cause for the beatification of Pierre Goursat
Pierre Goursat was recognized as venerable on December 18, 2024. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints issued a decree recognizing his heroic virtues.
Pierre Goursat's posterity
Even today, the Emmanuel Community organizes international prayer and formation sessions every year, bringing together thousands of people of all ages.
What can Pierre Goursat offer us today?
Pierre Goursat, for example, can remind us of :
- The importance of contemplating Christ: it was in contemplating Christ that Pierre Goursat found his vocation, and became a formidable missionary.
- The importance of evangelization: a layman, Pierre Goursat's life shows us that evangelization is not simply a matter for priests and religious, but for every baptized person.
- Rediscovering the Sacred Heart
Let's pray to answer the call to holiness!
Following in the footsteps of Christ and Pierre Goursat, let us pray to respond to the universal call to holiness. To this end, Hozana offers you the opportunity to discover several communities, such as , these , and many others.
