1) Yes, it shouldn’t have been a relic for a long time, and yet it remains something of a revelation, almost! Mulhouse has its relic of St John Paul II!

   2) A mini-relic, that is to say: a tiny pinch of white hair, indeed (the Vatican only lets them go, it has to be said, from its fingertips, very sparingly); but a real relic, all the same!

   3) It can be found in the Catholic church of St Etienne (built during the Second Empire, in a magnificent and impressive neo-Gothic style, inspired by the plans of Rheims cathedral itself!), in the rue de la Sinne, opposite the Place de la Paix (not to be confused with the temple of the same name on the Place de la Réunion).

   4) The relic is set under glass in a display case made of pink Vosges sandstone (de rigueur, in Alsace, of course!), which now dominates the Chapelle Ste-Cécile (the first on the right,  after that of the Rosary, taking the ambulatory « with radiating chapels » (sic) around the high altar).

   5) For you, then: this evocation of events, with digressions on people linked to these events.

In memory of 11 October 1988.

   6) Patrick Koehler, a canon, former rector of the Thierenbach pilgrimage, then of the St Odile pilgrimage, and now back in Thierenbach, was the inspiration behind the establishment of the relic in its place. During the period when he was also, incidentally, parish priest of St-Etienne, he wanted Catholic Mulhouse, and beyond, to have a lasting reminder of Pope John Paul II’s visit to the « Manchester of Alsace » (sic), a metropolis of the protean labours of men of good will.

   7) Wherever he has gone, Koehler has, among other things, left us with the feeling that, in order to feel completely at ease, in order to give his full measure, he needs to be mobilised towards the realisation of projects that go beyond the routine of the church; I would like to say that in this respect he is very sympathetic to me, and has been for some twenty years already.

   8) And I like him because he has personality and a way with words; for example, when I tell him that this article is to be published, and that he will be quoted in it on more than one occasion, he simply says to me: « The name of madmen is everywhere! « And beyond the jokes, I find him interesting for the substance of his preaching, for example when he says that in matters of faith we must return to the essentials at this time; and above all when he abruptly asserts: « We must not run after the world »; the dear Port-Royal solitaries of my studies, austere and uncompromising people, are perhaps not far away…

   9) Over and above my sympathy, and even my recognition, for the man who welcomes us, and therefore for the true priest that he is, I think it’s appropriate to take seriously what Patrick Koehler advocates, especially when he dares to take issue with consumerism, which is so distorting and in the polluted air of the times; Judge for yourself; when I ask him, as a matter of courtesy at this time of year, because that’s all we have to talk about, if he has already set the dates for his summer holidays, he replies briskly: When I asked him, out of courtesy at this time of year, because that’s all there was to it, if he’d already set the dates for his summer holidays, he replied sharply: « I don’t have any holidays, we never took any at home, and the poor can’t take any either monasteries any more? If I feel tired, I go to bed earlier, that’s all. I’ve been accustomed for a long time to saying that to live is to go against the tide, but with him I’ve got something to show for it!

   10) Let’s get back to the main subject: Pope Wojtyla, to conclude a pastoral visit to the eastern departments (today, we could say the Grand-Est), celebrated Mass at the Ill stadium on Tuesday 11 October 1988, at the end of a grey and gloomy afternoon, in front of an estimated eighteen thousand people, who had gathered in the pouring, uninterrupted rain.

And a double centenary!

   11) To fit the ceremony of introducing the relic into the diary at the right time, Patrick (if I may be so familiar? ) wanted it to take place in 2020, the centenary of both jp2’s birth and that of Mgr Charles-Amarin Brand, a child of the parish of St-Etienne, without whose perseverance the Mulhouse stage would surely never have been approved by the Pontifical Travel Service. (This prelate was the same one who presided over the funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco in 82. Koehler told me about him: « Our mutual trust was great »; these words are obviously not insignificant, if we consider them in the troubled diocesan context of spring 2023).

   12) Mulhouse welcomed the relic on 20 October 2020, in the pomp and ceremony of its heyday. Koehler, master of ceremonies, had a distinguished entourage for the occasion, in particular the presence of the Mayor, Michèle Lutz, Archbishop Luc Ravel of Strasbourg, and above all Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio in Paris (in other words, Pope Francis’ ambassador to France), bearer of the new object offered for the veneration of the faithful.

   13) What better way to end than by pointing out that the church of St Etienne, as the holder of this relic – which is still a rare find – is to be considered a privileged shrine in Mulhouse and far beyond?

The white armchair!

14) The heavy, stiff white armchair upholstered in novopan, in fact a throne, which faces the reliquary in the chapel of St Cecilia, has raised questions. Is it the real thing or a fake? Is it the one on which jp2 was actually seated during the Mulhouse mass, or is it an armchair in which he should have sat, but didn’t in the end? Koehler gave a sure and certain answer to the question: it’s the real armchair (in much the same way as it has been said that a piece of wood is a piece of the ‘real’ Cross)! On a Sunday morning when he found me, as I had been for nearly two years, applying myself to a few moments of real meditation in the famous armchair, Don Pascal Boulic, the current parish priest from the Saint-Martin community, suggested that I was in the Pope’s chair. That was news to me for the first time! The upshot of all this is that, to a certain extent, the see may also be a relic? The vicar of the parish, don Armand d’Harcourt, also thought it appropriate to tease me, which between us is considered good manners, by pointing out that I have sat on my knees in the place where the later pontifical sat (for the duration of a mass): I mention this in an attempt to turn the words into a laugh, in order above all to spare the proud chair from becoming too easy, and futile, a fetish.

And Black Virgin!

   15) To showcase jp2’s presence in the church, I had the honour, through a combination of circumstances to which I’ll return later, of presenting him with a reproduction of the Polish National Black Madonna of Czestochowa, as an iconic sign, which was hung on the entrance gate to the Chapel of St Cecilia, where the relic is kept. We remember how much this pope venerated the mother of Jesus, and how Marian devotion formed the basis of all his concentrated and intense religious practice.

   16) The introduction of this painting, which dates from the 1920s and has remained in perfect condition, which is rare, took place after evening mass on Friday 16 July 2021, on the occasion of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (in the Holy Land), during a ceremony presided over by the local parish priest, who was then still Patrick Koehler for a few final days.

17) This Virgin and Child is also a reminder that, nearly a hundred years ago, Mulhouse was the scene of significant Polish immigration, in addition to the massive immigration used to exploit the nearby potash deposit, less than 10km from the Tour de l’Europe, within the boundaries of what is now the M2A community of municipalities.

The forecourt: a tribute to Charles-Amarin!

   18) The ceremony on 20-10-20 included a second essential act, the unveiling of the royal blue enamelled plaque dedicating the church’s paved forecourt to the memory of Mgr Charles-Amarin Brand, Archbishop Emeritus of Strasbourg.

   19) Every time I enter the relic chapel, I see the effigy of this prelate, and I spontaneously thank him in my thoughts for all the charitable work he was able to carry out from Alsace for the benefit of the most needy in Poland, nearly forty years ago.

   20) I would like to take this opportunity to pay him the personal tribute that I feel is his due. On several occasions, thanks in large part to the Bishop’s private secretary, Mme Michèle Cardoso, who is in charge of receiving visitors and so well versed in antechamber diplomacy, I was received by Brand in his office in the rue Brûlée as the friendly companion and « vice-president » (sic) of Annabelle Wersinger, president of the mainly humanitarian and incidentally cultural association « Amitié- franco-polonaise » in F68270 Wittenheim, which has made an incredible commitment, a gift! to alleviate material misery in the country of origin, for some thirty years without rest or respite, from 13-12-81, the date of the establishment of the state of siege in the « People’s Republic » (sic) by General Adalbert (pol : Mimi », alias François Mitterrand, a great realist in his own right, nevertheless received him officially, beyond any « ideological » demonisation, a little, but only a little, like Sarko received Colonel Gaddafi (another military man…), but much more sober and controlled, of course.

   21) Brand – and he has never had to repent! – put his faith in Annabelle, even though she is a laywoman, who offered herself with fire in this respect, it is true, to distribute as judiciously as possible in Poland the significant funds with which the archdiocese intended to show its generosity, which is very present and very much in evidence  to the Catholic populations of Eastern Europe, who were destitute in the context of an economy of scarcity, of severely inadequate consumption, and even, in health terms, of dramatically inadequate consumption.

    22) The prelate also took advantage of our visits to ask us, without seeming to interfere, about our « feelings » about the « pastoral services » provided by the various priests « imported » from Poland by the archdiocese to deal with the growing shortage of parish priests. We have often had abbots who have had difficulty adapting to Alsatian mentalities, and it’s hard to hide that fact. In their defence, they should perhaps have been made a little more aware of what was waiting for them in the field, a ‘field’ with which they were going to have to come to terms with a minimum; come to terms and not impose, which, to say the least, was not part of their original ‘culture’.

   23) Apart from the two serious subjects of our talks – humanitarian action in Poland, and Polish ecclesiastics in Alsace – Brand would have a bit of fun with me, throwing in a political allusion or two, which you wouldn’t expect from a man known above all for his restraint, prudence and patience. He didn’t dislike it, in fact, it was a nice change from the ambient, emollient « langue de bois ».

The liquorist archbishop!

   24) In his rare moments of relaxation, the prelate – it was a secret at the archbishop’s palace, an open secret of course – liked to make liqueur (as a change from communion wine?) in a discreet corner of the house, Nusswasser in German (with an open o instead of an a, in Alsatian from Mulhouse). Michèle gave me a taste of it; it was a very good drink; of course, it’s customary to feel privileged when you’ve had a tasting, but what the hell; I should have whistled more, come to think of it!

   25) Almost always, at the end of these happy exchanges with Mgr, in the very last seconds, he would put several large banknotes in Bella’s hand, for « her » poor, which he had hastily fetched from a nice cupboard: he was very keen, as the saying goes, to « take from his personal collection » in order to make an effective contribution to the « war » effort, in other words, to put his money where his mouth was and set an example.

   26) It can be said that Charles-Amarin knew how to deal with people, and underneath his minimalist exterior, knew how to get them into his pocket. It could also be said that he had the means to carry out his policy, as the Church in Alsace was not particularly like Job on his dung heap (and so much the better)… What remains with me is that his desire to do good, the Good, against a certain background of gentle melancholy, was perfectly sincere and diligent.

The relic, and around it, in 16 photos

   27) Follow the guide, provided by the captions below, to the series of sixteen photos that will enable you to familiarise yourself immediately with the relic and its surroundings. We have used alphabetical numbering, to avoid confusion with the paragraphs in the article.

   a) The forecourt, with the main entrance to St-Etienne’s church in the background, and the Lycée Jeanne d’Arc in the upper left-hand corner.

   b) In the south-west corner of the forecourt, the « zoomed in » nameplate with white letters and a blue background.

   c) The entrance to the Ste-Cécile chapel, from the ambulatory.

   d) The same entrance, with a visitor to the church on the right, with his back to the church, carrying a rucksack.

   e) The same tourist, who seems to be wondering what exactly the tiny relic is.

   f) the copy of the painting of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa (Poland) installed on the gate of the chapel, to the left of the entrance, on Friday 16 July 2021; the two figures, Mary and the Infant Jesus, appear in their crowned version, by far the most popular between the wars, when the Poles arrived in the area; at the top left of the photo, the unexpected reflection of a stained-glass window in the church has entered the picture.

   g) the papal chair at jp2’s mass in Mulhouse on 11-10-88, behind a solid oak prie-Dieu.

   h) The same white throne, in profile.

i) the altar of St Cecilia, on which the relic is displayed; below the altar is a well-known statue of the saint, lying on the floor; the original of the work, created in 1600 by the Italian Stefano Maderno, is in the church of St Cecilia in Trastevere in Rome.

   j) the sandstone reliquary from jp2, in profile.

   k) the same reliquary, from the front.

   l) the relic, i.e. some of the saint’s white hair, in the tricoloured medallion protected by transparent glass.

   m) The wall plaques displaying the relic, general view.

   n) zoom in on the plaque specifically evoking jp2.

   o) zoom in on the plaque specifically dedicated to Charles-Amarin Brand.

   p) even greater zoom on the same plaque: a good summary of the main dignities of the prelate from Mulhouse.

   . 

   28) Attached to this article is the homily given by jp2 at the Stade de l’Ill; the text is also available on the prie-Dieu in the chapel.

   29) As a final word, let’s hope that the relic can now play its role more fully as a devotional fixative.

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   30) Written on Whit Monday, the feast of the Virgin Mother of the Church, 29-05-23, and the day of the annual « East Poles » pilgrimage to Thierenbach; completed on 12-06-23.

   31) Material protected by copyright (French law of 11 March 1957).