Notes from Normandy

 New mission, new branch, new assignment, 
new part of France to explore.

We are in Normandy!

We are in Cherbourg Branch, which is a long way from Rodez

Brief outline of our latest changes:

• Our original mission call was to France-Lyon, but as of 1 July 2026, our call was changed to the new mission being formed, called France-Paris South. Its headquarters are in Antony, a Paris suburb, and it includes sections to the south and west of France. 
• We traveled to Frankfurt Germany to spend some weeks in the Europe Central Area office with others on the Church History team. 
• With visits scheduled for Belgium and northern France, we requested a transfer from Rodez, and were asked to help in Cherbourg Branch, which is how we ended up in Normandy.
• We noted historical markers and American flags everywhere we looked, because this area is rich with reminders of WWII and how it changed the lives of everyone in Normandy.
• When an apartment was not ready for us in Cherbourg, we first stayed in a hotel near the port for two weeks, then moved to a small house in a nearby town called Sainte-Mère-Église (see its story below). 

Remarkable Normandy places:

1. Cherbourg is the location of the largest artificial harbor in Europe, the 2nd largest in the world. Its massive breakwater that was built in the 1800s is a marvel of civil engineering. When Germany captured France in 1940 the Germans made it a heavily fortified naval base to control the English Channel. After the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, the Allied forces were able to recapture Cherbourg by June 30, after fierce battles.

Cherbourg's  port facilities were heavily damaged during the battles but after the German surrender they were quickly repaired and Cherbourg became the main supply gateway for Allied troops advancing through France.

2. Utah Beach and Omaha Beach were code names used when the Allied forces were planning to overtake the powerful German army that was in control of France. The story was told that General Omar Bradley looked at a map for their sites of attack, and asked two nearby soldiers where they were from. One said "Utah" and the other said "Omaha" so they used those two names. France has now adopted those as official names for the towns. 

On 6 June 1944 the Allied forces landed on Utah and Omaha Beaches and were successful in routing the Germans, despite heavy casualties. Known as the largest seaborn invasion in history, this famous Normandy Landing [also referred to as D-Day] marked the start of France's  liberation and Hitler's defeat. Commanded by General Eisenhower, nearly 160,000 troops from America, joined by Canadians, British, Australians, and New Zealanders defeated the 50,000 Germans on the peninsula. Hitler had apparently anticipated attacks at Cherbourg and Calais, so more of his troops were stationed in different areas. 

3. The Normandy American Cemetery near Omaha Beach is the site of an impressive memorial, and the resting place for over 9000 who gave their lives in 1944, plus names of over 1500 who are missing.

 

4. Sainte-Mère-Église was the location of a parachute drop on D-Day. About 2000 paratroopers landed near the town, with about 30 of them descending on the town square. Many were killed by Germans, because a nearby housefire lit up the sky making them visible. One notable paratrooper was John Steele whose parachute caught on a spire of the local church. He pretended to be dead for 2 hours before the Germans cut him down and took him prisoner. 

The Allies in surrounding areas were soon able to overtake the Germans and John Steele was freed. He survived the war and later returned to Sainte-Mère-Église where the town honored him as a hero. He was also able to attend the premiere of the 1962 film The Longest Day, depicting the incident. The town has local landmarks such as an inn and a pub named after John Steele. A parachute with a soldier mannequin still hangs on the church as a memorial, and the nearby Airborne Museum recounts the event's history.

5. Saint-Lô is a small inland city that the Germans captured in 1940, as it was an important crossroads on the way to the critical port city of Cherbourg. The townspeople were miserable under control of the Germans, who cruelly melted down two beloved statues to make cannons. On D-Day, when Allied forces bombed the town heavily to rout the Germans, the local people had mixed emotions. On the one hand they were immensely grateful to see the Germans being defeated, but at the same time their city was damaged so badly, it was later called the "Capital of the Ruins" with 95% of buildings destroyed.

 The city received postwar honors for heroic calm during the bombardment.

Although they rebuilt most of the city,
many damaged buildings remain as memorials.

Original cathedral:

Now rebuilt only partially:

 The U.S. built a modern hospital there, and one of the destroyed statues was replaced.

And one more town in Normandy, 

this one named NEVILLE

and the town's cloister needs your support, according to this sign

CHURCH HISTORY MOMENT

Here is the story of one sister who grew up in Cherbourg and became an influential YW leader:

Laurence first encountered the Church at age three when her mother was baptized in Nîmes in 1969. Because her father served in the Navy, the family moved frequently, eventually settling in Cherbourg around 1973. There, Laurence developed a strong personal testimony as a young child. The Cherbourg branch was very small, meeting in a house with a garden, and lacked formal youth programs. As a result, Laurence spent her adolescence without the standard Young Women organization or seminary, participating instead in the Saturday youth group known as the SAM [MIA in the U.S.]. Despite limited resources, she formed lasting friendships and attended regional youth camps, which became formative spiritual experiences.

As an adult, Laurence moved to Bordeaux after marriage and became deeply involved in the Young Women program in the Eysines Ward. Around 1988–1989 she served as Young Women president, helping implement the newly introduced Beehive, Mia Maid, and Laurel programs. She emphasized personal interviews, spiritual lessons, and the Young Women theme—especially the principle of divine nature. Laurence organized musical activities, performances, service projects, and social outings to strengthen unity among the young women. She also worked to adapt U.S.-based Church programs to French cultural realities, guiding the girls through challenges such as peer pressure, modesty, and media influences.

Laurence describes her years in Young Women leadership as profoundly meaningful. She developed close relationships with counselors and young women, many of whom remained active and became lifelong friends. She even completed the Personal Progress goals herself and privately awarded herself the Young Woman medallion, seeing it as a way to “catch up” on what she had missed in her youth. Her service included humanitarian activities, youth conferences, and multicultural events, and she recalls moments—such as being asked to pray at a former young woman’s wedding—that deeply touched her. She concludes that her Young Women calling was the most important and spiritually enriching role she ever held.

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