Originally published at National Catholic Register
Father Pierre Doat, rector of France’s Mont Saint Michel sanctuary since September 2023, describes his role as one immersed in daily wonder and standing in sharp contrast to the secular Western world, where social disintegration and the culture of death reveal a profound disenchantment.
Since his arrival at this landmark of Christendom, which is actually a tidal island in Normandy, this young priest of the Community of St. Martin, a public clerical association of pontifical right, has witnessed firsthand the powerful evangelizing force of St. Michael the Archangel. Building on this rich experience, he recently wrote Le Roman des Anges, a novel that depicts an encounter between Arnaud, a young lawyer grappling with the meaning of life, and his guardian angel at the moment of his death.
Through the recounting of various chapters in the young protagonist’s life, the author distills the Church’s teachings on the celestial world and the role of angels throughout the human earthly pilgrimage, from conception to the passage to eternal life.
Father Doat believes this form of fictionalized narrative resonates well with Western audiences, who often view the angelic world with detachment, or fail to take it seriously.
Exalting the Thirst
