Sunday, February 02, 2014

A well deserved anniversary.

This is the portrait of L'Abbé Pierre, a vary famous French clergyman who died in 2007 and who is famous for a call he made exactly 60 years ago, during winter 1954 after a woman had just died of cold in the streets of Paris. He urged the Parisians to bring him blankets, tents, garments... anything that could help the homeless to go through the very cold winter of that year. He then created an association called Emmaus which aim was - and still is - to help the needy. 60 years after he is still remembered as a hero! He even has his portrait in many places in France, including this one that I photographed off l'avenue de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement.

7 comments:

  1. Petrea is right. It's good that Emmaus continues his mission.

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  2. Southern hospitality was very much in evidence during our recent bout with ice and snow, which arrived very quickly and made roads impassable, preventing people from getting out of school and work in time to get off the expressways and able to get home. Along exit points and even from their back yard, people were carrying out food, blankets and such to those stranded in cars, school buses and trucks, and restaurants along the way opening their doors with free food for those who could get to them. Bear in mind also, that at the same time, the West Coast has been having a mid-winter heat wave and is undergoing the worst drought in many, many years.

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