"I offer this sacrifice especially so that there may be priests who will replace me and who will also
try to bring souls to the true Kingdom of Charity."
Daniel JOËSSEL
François Veuillot,
Un vicaire de banlieue, L'abbé Daniel JOËSSEL, p.188
In 1953, 13 years after the death of Father JOËSSEL, a death he had offered as a sacrifice so that there would be priestly vocations, Father JOËSSEL's sister received a letter from an elder of the Asnières patronage. In a few sentences, he expressed all the fruitfulness of Father "Jo". There were other vocations afterwards.
The fecundity attributed to Father JOËSSEL is due to his sacrifice. But it was his whole life that was offered as a sacrifice.
Daniel JOËSSEL's remark about Cardinal VERDIER can no doubt be applied to him:
"He was a priest first and foremost and that explains his enormous influence."
Letter from Father Marcel LAFITTE to Mrs TOUVET
Madam,
​
Mgr VEUILLOT gave me your address because I did not want to become a priest without thanking Father Joëssel's family. You are, I believe, the sister of Father "JO". I think you will be pleased to know that Cardinal FELTIN will ordain a former boy from the Patronage of Asnières as a priest on 29 june in N.D. de Paris. I come after already four priests and will be followed by two others who owe their vocation after God to Father « JO ».
I always pray for Father JOËSSEL, but above all I pray to him. It is his photograph that will mark the pages of my ordination manual. He knows that I thank him and how grateful I am. Since I cannot tell him otherwise, I turn to his family to show the fruitfulness of his sacrifice. Father JOËSSEL had given his life so that there would be priests to replace him in leading souls to the true Kingdom of Charity. These are his words, I believe. His sacrifice was accepted and it bore fruit.
I would like to ask you to unite yourselves to his prayer in Heaven to deserve a priesthood as fruitful as his.
I am grateful to you once again, Madam, and I regret that I am unable to bless you and your family.
Please believe that I will have a thought for you and for your family when I go to recollect myself at the tomb of Father JOËSSEL after my first mass on tuesday evening at 7.30 p.m. in the church of Notre Dame du Perpétuel Secours where his body rests while awaiting the blessed resurrection where we will find him alive again forever.
Respectfully.
Marcel LAFITTE