© 2018 Georges Michelson-Dupont
© 2018 French-speaking Association of Readers of the Urantia Book
By Georges Michelson-Dupont
Reclosed (France)
Jean Royer left us for the world of houses on the evening of February 5, 2018 at the Avignon hospital (South of France) at the age of 78.
The Urantia Book and its teachings entered Jean’s life in the early sixties and since then he has been a fervent advocate of the revelation. He corresponded early on with Jacques Weiss about the French translation and offered him many corrections. In the late sixties he made contact with my father, Jacques Dupont and the two became very close, visiting each other, sharing teachings, writing articles and organizing study groups in their respective environments.
In the seventies, increasingly frequent and deepened friendly relations were established between a small group of French readers and the Urantia Foundation / Urantia Brotherhood; Jean attended several meetings in Recloses at the time of the pioneers of the revelation such as the Kendals, the Hales, Martin Myers, Berkeley Elliot, the Begemans and many other Americans on the occasion of their visit to the Weiss or the Duponts. It was during these meetings that Marlène and I met Jean and since then, a solid friendship has developed between us.
In 1978, Jean joined forces with Jacques Dupont and Fernand De Vink to form the team that would work on the revision of the French translation that would be published in 1994. Following this collaboration, a true brotherhood was born between these three men. The revision was an opportunity for them to share at the soul level, their understanding of the meanings and values that the revelation brought into their everyday lives, supported in this by the Spirit of Truth and their respective Thought Adjusters. Very far from each other, Jean living near Avignon (France) and Fernand near Brussels (Belgium) they met at my father’s house, halfway, every quarter for sixteen years to discuss problems that could not be resolved. Decisions were always taken by consensus.
In the late eighties, I had the chance to join the team and I really appreciated this authentic brotherhood marked by respect and mutual love.
In the early eighties, Jean became a member of C.E.R.D.H., the first French readers’ association (1978-1994). He contributed numerous articles and in-depth studies to the quarterly newsletter La Lettre, published in French and English. C.E.R.D.H. was also the distributor of the Urantia Book in Europe until the creation of the French office of the Urantia Foundation in 1994.
Jean actively participated in the planning and preparation of the various international conferences organized in France by the C.E.R.D.H in the eighties and nineties. He was both the translator of the study texts and the French-English interpreter during the plenary sessions and workshops.
In 1996, the C.E.R.D.H became the A.F.L.L.U., the French Association of Readers of the Urantia Book of which Jean was one of the founding members.
An English teacher by profession, Jean was a great connoisseur of the Urantia Book; he participated in the translation of the two red books of William Sadler Jr. (A Study of the Master Universe and the Appendices to the Study of the Master Universe) and made numerous translations for the Urantia Association bulletin in French (or English) as well as other Urantian publications.
On a personal level, Jean was a “Bon Vivant”; he loved to smoke a pipe and drink good wine. Endowed with a legendary and much-appreciated sense of humor, he was nonetheless modest and reserved. He was also very popular in study groups because his deep knowledge of the Urantia Book and his intuitions were authoritative. He never spoke for the sake of it. Erudite, multi-linguist, educated in astronomy and science, he remained a true student of The Urantia Book, always open to the ideas of others. For many of us, he was a valuable resource person.
John had a balanced temperament, never impatient or angry, always showing interest and empathy for others. Weakened by illness, he never complained, but asked to leave this world for the next with dignity, which he did.
With his passing, we lose one of the last pioneers of the French Urantia movement.
Thank you, Jean, for being such a loving and inspiring brother. See you soon.