Saturday 3 October 2026, the Prado Chapel hosted a vigil dedicated to consecrated life, on the theme of « Our life at the School of Blessed Antoine Chevrier ». This evening event, organised as part of the celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the beatification of Father Antoine Chevrier, invited participants to reflect on that event, to listen once more to the words of John Paul II, and to share what, even today, sustains their commitment.
Remembering a defining moment
The vigil began with a moment of remembrance centred on the 4 October 1986, the day on which Pope John Paul II beatified Antoine Chevrier at Eurexpo in Lyon.
« And you, where were you that day? »This question brought back memories for those who had experienced the event. Marie-Jo, then a novice with the Sisters of Prado, recalled a celebration marked by great joy, under a blazing sun, amidst a large crowd. Marie-Magdeleine, who was in Algiers at the time, recounted how her community had sought to be part of the event and had sent one of the sisters to Lyon to bear witness to it.
This shared memory served as a reminder of just how significant Father Chevrier’s beatification had been for the Prado family, both in France and in the other countries where it is present.
«What you have hidden from the wise and the learned, you have revealed to little children»
Those present then listened once more to the opening words of the homily delivered by John Paul II at Eurexpo. Commenting on the Gospel of Matthew — « Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you: what you have hidden from the wise and the learned, you have revealed to little children » — the Pope described Antoine Chevrier as a «a priest according to the Gospel» and as a guide for the priests of the Prado, the sisters and the consecrated laypeople.
John Paul II also emphasised that his witness could resonate with all the baptised, by showing « how to proclaim the Good News to the poor and how to make Jesus Christ present through one’s own life ».
A moment of silence and singing allowed these words to resonate before the meditation continued.
«We must bring our minds, hearts and actions into harmony»
During the vigil, participants were invited to reflect on Antoine Chevrier’s teaching on the Incarnation: «And the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us.»
For Father Chevrier, following Jesus Christ could not be separated from the whole of human existence. The Gospel life is received and gradually built up through one’s relationship with Christ and through docility to the Holy Spirit. It engages the mind, the heart and one’s actions: « We must bring our minds, hearts and actions into harmony. »
The vigil then offered an opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the humanity of Antoine Chevrier through several extracts from his correspondence. These texts revealed a man who was attentive to others in the simplest of gestures, but who was also aware of his poverty, his frailties and the need to entrust himself to God.
In a letter, he writes: « One must pass through the body to reach the soul… Love for the invisible manifests itself through love for the visible, for the tangible. »In another, he humbly acknowledges his fears and temptations: «" I am so poor, so wretched… »
Other letters revealed his concern for formation, his support for the Sisters of the Prado, and his call to move towards a single goal — to know Jesus Christ and his Father, and to make him known — as well as his very practical concern for the poor.
A spirituality that is passed on through life
The vigil also featured several testimonies about Antoine Chevrier, notably those of Sister Véronique, Father Ancel and Saint John Paul II. Through these words, a common conviction emerged: proclaiming Jesus Christ means striving to live out the Gospel oneself. Father Ancel thus reminded us that proclaiming Christ cannot be separated from personal conversion and a life truly shaped by an encounter with him.
John Paul II, in his address on 7 October 1986 at the Prado Chapel, for his part, reflected on the figure of Antoine Chevrier, his passion for Jesus Christ and his desire to evangelise the poor. He urged the Prado family to continue this mission with courage, in simplicity and evangelical poverty.
The women and men of the Prado today
Following this insight into the life and writings of Father Chevrier, five members of the Prado’s spiritual family — Marylène, a sister of the Prado; David, a consecrated layperson; Alice, a consecrated layperson; Dominique, a priest of the Prado; and Nadine, a layperson — spoke of what had drawn them to the spirituality of the Prado and of what continues to sustain them on their journey.
After each testimony, a moment of silence was observed. Each witness came forward to place a small candle before the reliquary of Blessed Antoine Chevrier, as if to entrust to his prayers the various paths of vocation and commitment that had been spoken of during the evening.
These testimonies have highlighted the diversity of vocations within the Prado family and the way in which, even today, everyone can draw something from the spiritual journey proposed by Antoine Chevrier.
Learning from Christ’s example
The vigil continued with a time for personal reflection. Participants were invited, as far as they were able, to move around the chapel to pray before one of the three pillars that embody the spirituality of the Prado — the nativity scene, the Calvary and the tabernacle — or before the reliquary of Blessed Antoine Chevrier.
A simple moment of prayer to allow oneself to be personally touched by what had been heard and shared.
Finally, four guidelines given by John Paul II to the Prado family, in this very chapel on 7 October 1986, were reiterated: to reach out to the poor and make them true disciples of Jesus Christ; to live in simplicity and poverty; to speak of Jesus Christ with passion and simplicity; and always to rely on Jesus Christ and the Church. These four calls continue to be proposed as a path for the Prado family.
The vigil concluded with a prayer by Antoine Chevrier, «O Word! O Christ!», sung as a prayer of surrender and a longing to know, love and follow Jesus Christ: « Grant, O Christ, that I may know you and love you! »
In the silence of the Prado Chapel, this prayer brought the evening to a close by returning to what really matters: to learn from Christ, following in the footsteps of Blessed Antoine Chevrier, so that our whole lives may make Jesus Christ present.
