At 32 years old, Ludovic Duée, captain of the Saint-Nazaire volleyball team, ends his sporting career to serve God.
Photo: Wikipedia
Essay (01/05/2024 17:39, Gaudium Press) Ludovic Duée, 32 years old, captain of the Saint-Nazaire volleyball team, which recently won the title of French champion, made a bold decision to radically change his life.
From the height of his professional sporting life, Ludovic will leave the courts behind to live within the austere and sacred walls of a monastery, where he will enter the abbey of Santa Maria de Lagrasse.
On April 28, Ludovic received awards and trophies for his outstanding prowess in the sport that took him to the top in France. However, God’s inner call was more powerful: “This is a decision that comes from the depths of my soul,” he declared.
Despite coming from a ‘practicing’ family, the former athlete says that his religious practice was minimal, until he met Lagrasse’s regular canonicalists during the Covid pandemic: “they were very welcoming and answered all my questions”.
In his conversations with the monks, devotion to the Mother of God had a special place. “I discovered that God loved me and that He expected one thing: that I loved Him too.” Now he will feel his love at the Lagrasse Abbey of the Augustinian monks, which dates back to the 7th century and is located about 400 kilometers from Paris.
“For the next few months I will live and breathe normal canonical life. I will experience it all to gain a deeper understanding of the community and determine if this is the best long-term option for me and them.”
Ludovic therefore begins a journey that will inevitably have its challenges. Without a doubt, he will have the prayers of the community.
