It was said of Christ: "a virtue emanates from him". This was also true of Father JOËSSEL.
From the first contact, one was seized.
      As an artillery lieutenant in the 2nd group of the 30th Artillery Regiment, his influence went beyond the limits of his group and extended to the whole regiment. He was - and this in no way diminishes the value and merits of his fellow soldiers - the most listened-to priest.
        His influence on the officers was unquestionable. You had to hear those in his group talk about him! Those in other groups looked for an opportunity to have him frequently among them. He was really the chaplain of the regiment, a chaplain of whom we were proud.
        During the regimental celebrations, there was only room for him from the religious point of view, and at the wish of his leaders. Examples? The colonel of the regiment was transferred. He wanted the last mass he would attend to be celebrated by Father JOËSSEL and the divisional chaplain was asked to abstain so that the ceremony would keep a family "character" (sic). At Saint Barbe, the divisional chaplain was asked to let Lieutenant JOËSSEL officiate and speak.
         The same hold over the men: the first one, he had organized a study circle in his group, very quickly, at the request of all, he had to create some in the other groups.
        The men in his battery adored him, and were full of praise for his spirit of justice and his charity. He knew them by their first names and never lost sight of them.
        And yet this priest was humility itself. He denied having any influence and always considered himself inferior to his task. How many times did I have to wind him up because he had moments of depression because he thought he was inferior to his task as a priest. He did not want to admit that he had a profound influence on all those around him. He wanted to organise a retreat for the officers, but he did not want to preach it himself, despite the exhortations of the chaplain who considered him the only one capable of doing a good job.
         What can we say about his delicacy! At the beginning he did not want to organise a friendship circle in his group, so as not to appear to favour those who would come there, or who would have come there with a self-interest. He wanted to be fair and impartial, to be a priest for all, whoever they were, to be an officer and to do his duty, to serve if necessary without sparing his best Christian militants.
           He did not want to confess officers or soldiers of his battery or even of his group out of delicacy and called on his confreres or the chaplain.
         His sole aim was to win souls for Christ. He was the first to organise, as we have said, a friendship group, with prayer vigils. He wanted beautiful, lively masses with beautiful songs, and last may his joy was to be able to present a very beautiful choir and, for Pentecost Sunday, he had prepared a solemn mass with a magnificent musical program. On Pentecost Sunday we were in Belgium.
          Always ready to help. If the divisional chaplain was annoyed, caught short of being able to provide the sunday masses, he would go and find Father JOËSSEL and always obtained his help.
          This assistance he lent to all the parish priests of the parishes where his regiment was stationed. Let us question on this subject the Fathers of Hazebrouck (St Eloi or Notre-Dame), of Cléty and Quesques (Pas de Calais).
         His relations with his confreres were full of cordiality. The lieutenant no longer existed, he was the comrade, or rather the big brother. He also held frequent meetings between priests and seminarians of the regiment. He personally needed them because he was prone to bouts of « blues »; but a little thing, a visit, a bit of conversation would cheer him up.         

« Come back, you've done me good... tell the confreres to come and see me to chat a little, they comfort me. » In fact, chaplains and confreres received much more from him than they could give him.
          He did not forget his beloved parish of Asnières. He spoke of his parish works, of his oldest children, especially of his YCWers. He wanted all these children, those of the regiment and those of St Geneviève, to have a communion of prayer and thoughts. The children of Asnières would make sacrifices for their mobilised elders, and the latter in return would offer their miseries for the parish works of their lieutenant-priest.
       On 10 May... He was preparing, as I said above, a splendid party for Pentecost... The division went up to Belgium, north of Antwerp, then suddenly came down on Landrecies, his group was separated from his regiment and could not withdraw with it.
          Everyone was worried. What has become of Father JOËSSEL? This was the question on everyone's lips. No answer could be given. We were still hoping. One could not believe that the most eminent priest of the division had been killed. Alas, we had to face reality. And since then, the letters that arrive tell us of the pain felt at the announcement of the sad news, all of which repeat the supernatural influence exercised by this priest.