Paris Mass for life remembers Christian scientist, Jerome Lejeune.

Paris, France, Mar 16, 2006 / 22:00 pm

Catholic Officials have announced that a Mass for life will to be celebrated in Paris next month in honor of renown Christian scientist and professor, Jerome Lejeune.

Bishop Jean Laffitte, who is vice-president of the Pontifical Academy for Life will preside at the annual liturgy, held each year on the anniversary of his April 3rd death. It is being organized by the Jerome-Lejeune Foundation.

Professor Lejeune has been hailed as the father of modern genetics and, according to Jean-Marie Le Méné, Président of the Lejeune Fondation, is known as a world-renown scientific who profoundly shaped humanity by his personal engagement at the service of mankind.

Since his death in 1994, he has inspired many vocations of Christian doctors and scientific researchers.  Pope John Paul II spoke of the “truly shining testimony of his life as a man and as a Christian.”

“His example”, added Le Mene, “should still be compelling and in his following, many young people join him as servants of Life.”

In the same year as his death, LeJeune was appointed head of the Pontifical Science Academy, of which he had been a member since 1974.

Since 1994, the Jerome LeJeune Foundation has been dedicated to perpetuating his work in all its dimensions.

Its three main aspects are research, healing and the defense of human life. “Trying to heal without defending life and without research would be betraying; researching without defending and healing would be failing,” stressed Le Mene.
The Foundation is a primary source of funds in the research of Downs Syndrome and currently funds more than 100 programs on genetic diseases throughout the world.