Aleteia: "The homily at Geneviève de Galard's funeral".

The funeral of Geneviève de Galard, a military nurse nicknamed "the angel of Diên Biên Phu" - in spite of herself! - because of her dedication during the Indochina War, were celebrated on Friday June 7th in the cathedral of Saint Louis des Invalides, in the presence of numerous military personnel. For Mgr de Romanet, Bishop of the French Armed Forces, "the fact that Geneviève has received so many distinctions is simply the human expression of an active, living faith, nourished by prayer, the Gospel and fraternal life". A faith, the bishop affirmed in his sermon, "that passes through the heart to become incarnated in the service of her brothers in the most beautiful of ways."

Dear Friends,

This afternoon, as we gather to pray for Geneviève de Galard, we are in sorrow, but above all we are in thanksgiving and trust. Thanksgiving for Geneviève's life among us. Radical confidence in eternal life, through Jesus Christ, who died and rose to open the gates of Heaven to us. Through her life, Geneviève leaves us a spiritual testament, a testimony of faith, hope and charity. This is undoubtedly what she wanted most in the world to share and pass on to you, her dear children and grandchildren, and to all of us. She was a woman of God, a woman of prayer, a wife and mother under the gaze of Christ. This sheds light on her life, a life unified by a strong, constant and serene bond with the Lord.

I especially salute with respect and affection her husband, Jean de Heaulme. You married Geneviève in this church of Saint Louis des Invalides on June 14, 1956, 68 years ago. And for 68 years, you've shared Geneviève's life as a Christian, in the light of the Risen Christ. The music, the songs and the Word of God for this celebration were chosen by the two of you together some twenty years ago.

I would also like to greet François, Véronique and Christophe, the children of Geneviève and Jean, who shared with them the affection and Christian faith that marked their lives.

Geneviève, exemplary in her devotion and simplicity. Geneviève, the feminine embodiment of bravery under fire and a sense of mission in the service of others. Geneviève, the angel of Dien Bien Phu. Geneviève became an icon, in spite of herself. Geneviève, a former air conveyor turned Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.

A very ordinary Christian's destiny meets the extraordinary of a historic page in our country's history.

In evoking Geneviève, her human and spiritual heritage, her ancestral and family roots, I want to express my infinite respect and immense admiration. However, enlightened by her own words and those of her family, I believe that the most beautiful tribute we can pay her, the most beautiful testimony she can leave us, is that of a Christian who only fulfilled her duty.

Between March 28 and May 24 1954, Geneviève found herself in a veritable hell. Dien Bien Phu. The longest, fiercest, deadliest battle of the post-World War II era. 15,000 French soldiers. 3,000 dead on the spot. 12,000 prisoners, 8,000 of whom perished in appalling conditions. 4,000 survivors to bear witness to the absolute horror of this deluge of fire, iron, mud, blood and tears.

On April 29, 1954, when he made her a knight of the Legion of Honor, General de Castries said the most important thing: "She won the admiration of all for her quiet courage and smiling devotion. With her unrivalled professional skills and unfailing morale, she was an invaluable assistant to the surgeons and helped save many lives. For the combatants of Dien Bien Phu, she will remain the pure embodiment of the heroic virtues of the French nurse.

On April 30 1954 she was made an honorary legionnaire 1st class. And on May 24 1954 she was evacuated to Hanoi against her will. On her return to Orly she was acclaimed and made the cover of Paris Match, and on July 29 1954 she received the Medal of Freedom at the White House after a memorable parade through the streets of New York.

Geneviève, who became an icon as the "Angel of Dien Bien Phu", was no fool. She declared: "Never in the entrenched camp did it occur to anyone to give me that ethereal nickname. Receiving these honors really bothers me, when all I've done is my duty".

Madam, what an honor, what dignity, what class! You who have received so much, from God, from your family, from your country, yes, you say it magnificently, you only did your duty, as thousands, millions of nurses, wives, sisters, mothers... would have done in such circumstances.

In the 19 x 5 kilometer entrenched camp of Dien Bien Phu, we ended up lacking everything except courage. And you put it beautifully: at the heart of this drama, I was a bit like a mother, a sister, a friend. You did everything possible to relieve the wounded and accompany the dying. You gave the best of your heart, your affection, your humanity, to each and every person whose steps you crossed, and whose neighbor you actively made your own.

Madame, what you have done is admirable. Countless women have done the same over the centuries. Countless are the women who, in the dereliction of the armed conflicts of yesterday, today and always, have, like you, given the best of themselves in a gift without limit or reserve. And just as there is the Unknown Soldier, in France there is the Air Conveyor Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor, who in a few minutes, in the courtyard of the Hôtel National des Invalides, will receive the homage of the Nation.

Madam, you knew only too well that through you, all those admirable women who, in the secrecy of everyday life, offer their lives in the service of their brothers and sisters are honored, recognized and thanked today.

Legend has it that you were the only woman among 15,000 men. It's true that you weren't given a warm welcome at first. You were even treated rather badly! A woman, don't you think? But things being what they are, the plane out of action, the evacuation impossible, you were left to carry out your mission of supporting troop morale in the face of immense losses.

But you weren't alone. About twenty women were in the camp. Everyone knows about it, but nobody talks about it. Vietnamese and North African prostitutes, who helped care for the wounded with remarkable dedication and courage, right up to their own massacre. These women behaved with admirable dignity. And you, Madame, have never ceased to fight for these women to be posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Military Medal. Your son François continues to do so, in keeping with your memory.

Your unwavering concern for the 20 women in the camp reflects your openness of heart, your humanity, your kindness, your solidarity, and your full understanding of the realities of life. Far from wanting to hog the limelight, you wanted to use the circumstances to shed light on these women, who have become your sisters... who shared hell with you.

Dear Geneviève, yes, magnificently, humbly, lucidly, you only did your duty. And after 1954, you returned to the anonymity of your days, following your husband's military postings, as an attentive and devoted wife and mother.

It was President Giscard d'Estaing who, in 1980, brought you out of this anonymity and made you an icon of our time. As a Paris councillor for 18 years, you showed equal altruism in times of peace and war, fulfilling your voluntary duties with equal conviction, whatever the light or shade, because what illuminates your life is your living relationship with the risen Christ. He alone is the way, the truth and the life. The same was true of your husband, who was involved with the Little Brothers of the Poor for many years.

Yes, with your husband, from start to finish, you did nothing but your duty, as a Christian, animated by a living faith, a daily prayer life, active charity and vibrant hope.

Geneviève's life offers us an illustration, as simple and modest as it is glorious and incandescent, of what it means to live a life carried by something greater than oneself. "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:3).

Geneviève's life is that of a Christian. At once ordinary and extraordinary. Normal and exemplary. Because every baptized person is called to holiness. Because every human being carries within him the aspiration to be the best. Because each of us must fight this battle with a clear vision of the meaning of our existence.

Hélie de Saint Marc, who urged Geneviève to write her memoirs, summed it up in a striking phrase: "If one day we can no longer understand how a man could give his life for something beyond him, it will be the end of an entire world, perhaps an entire civilization.

The fact that Geneviève has received so many distinctions is simply the human expression of an active, living faith, nourished by prayer, the Gospel and fraternal life. It's a faith that comes from the heart, and is embodied in the service of her brothers and sisters in the most beautiful of ways.

This was his way of following Christ. May it inspire each and every one of us, for the glory of God, the salvation of the world, and the salvation of each and every one of our souls.

Geneviève was accompanied to the end by the sacraments of the Church. Two days before she passed away, she received the last sacraments, surrounded by the immense affection of her family.

We know that throughout her life, Geneviève wanted to love, with her temperament and her heart - and we know that the Lord of all grace and goodness welcomes everyone as they are: "in my Father's house many can find their dwelling". We also know that his life, like every human life, needs to be forgiven, purified and transformed before God. But we also know, above all, that the Lord is tender and merciful, that his love for those who fear him is for ever and ever.

The only question the Master of the Universe will make us ask ourselves at the end of our earthly lives can be summed up in a few words: "Did you love me? But Lord, how can we do this? Lord, we too would like to love with all our lives, and we feel how difficult this is for us. Lord, how can we know the way? "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one goes to the Father without passing through me", Jesus tells us.

Geneviève had a great devotion to Saint Joan of Arc. She left this world on the feast day of this great saintly figure.

Geneviève had an immense devotion to the Virgin Mary. She said and lived the Hail Mary. And Mary accompanied her to her last breath in the peace and light of her Son. "Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

"Now and at the hour of our death. So that in our lives, on this earth and hereafter, nothing ever separates us from God's love.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

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By Aleteia Editorial Board

Published June 8, 2024