<![CDATA[The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall were
welcomed to Bayeux Cathedral today by the Prime Minister of France
as they attended the Royal British Legion Service of
Remembrance.
The service concluded with the blessing of the cathedral's new Bell
for Peace and Freedom. Charles and Camilla along with other Heads
of State and Government proceeded to the bell, located in the
centre of the nave. The Cardinal said a brief prayer and asked
Prince Charles to name the bell, "Thérèse-Bénedicte". The Cardinal
sprinkled the bell with Holy Water, recited a prayer, then rang the
bell. The bell’s initial peal was followed by a Normandy veteran
and the veteran's grandson who is serving as a member of 32
Regiment Royal Artillery.
Prince Charles and Camilla are among those attending the D-Day
remembrance service https://t.co/Z8Ipyv3Ls0 pic.twitter.com/3UlZEKg2fI
— ITV News (@itvnews) June 6, 2014
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After a final blessing the Cardinal led Charles and Camilla as well
as other attendees in a Recessional from the bell to the West Door
of the Abbey. The Royal couple departed for the Sous Prefecture
where Charles stopped to view the De Gaulle room.
The bell is named for St. Thérèse-Bénedicte of the Cross. St
Therese, born Edith Stein, was a German Jewish philosopher born in
the late nineteenth century who converted to Catholicism, becoming
a Discalced Carmelite nun.
La cloche de la paix et de la liberté est arrivée à #Bayeux ! / The new bell for the
cathedral is in Bayeux! #70th pic.twitter.com/iPBNRP0LvI
— DDay Normandy (@DDay_Normandy) April 23, 2014
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In 1938 St. Thérèse-Bénedicte was sent by her convent to the
Carmelite monastery in the Netherlands with hopes to ensure her
safety. Unfortunately, St. Thérèse-Bénedicte was apprehended by the
Nazis in August 1942 and sent to Auschwitz, where she died. In 1999
Pope John Paul II canonized her saint.
As part of the memorials marking the 70th anniversary of the Allied
Landings the Diocese of Bayeux decided to commission a new bronze
bell for Bayeux Cathedral. The bell is a symbol of peace and
liberty.
French tradition calls for the bell has a principal “godmother.”
The Queen and nine junior godfathers and godmothers (children from
each of the Allied nations). It is tradition for the senior
godparent, or their representative, (today it was The Prince of
Wales who represented Her Majesty) to “name” the bell.
Featured photo credit: bill braasch via photopin cc]]>
