This week, Notre-Dame of Paris’ spire is back in all of its glory, and the Comité Tricolore welcomes a new Member the "American Friends of Chartres", who is instrumental in the preservation of this great French cathedral.
- New Year, New Board, New President
- Spotlight on a member: American Friends of Chartres
- Did You Know? The American who saved the Cathedral of Chartres
- Personal Corner: a new dedicated space
- Expression Française : "Ce n’est pas une Sinécure"
- Save the Dates!
New Year, New Board, New President
First let’s welcome the Comité Tricolore’s new Board, elected during its Annual General Assembly Meeting on January 31st.
Eve Chauchard who has been President of the Association for the past five years, was warmly congratulated for all of her efforts and accomplishments at the head of the organization.
Yahne Miorini, who has held this position previously, has agreed to take on this responsibility again and is our new President.
YAHNE MIORINI
President
Yahne Miorini, is principal of Miorini Law, PLLC, an estate planning, international tax, and elder law firm. She has been involved in the French Community for many years.
EVE CHAUCHARD
Vice President in charge of Communication and Development
Eve has been an active member of the Francophone community for more than 25 years and the president of the CT from 2019 to 2023.
JEAN-PHILIPPE KRUKOWICZ
Vice President in charge of Events
Jean-Philippe Krukowicz is President and CEO of Garnier Thiebaut Inc. He was the co-founder of ’Chefs on Bike’ a gathering of more than 100 Chefs de Cuisine who came to ride at the benefit for ’Share Our Strength’.
FREDERIC ROCHE
Vice President in charge of Solidarity
Dr. Frédéric Roche’s practice Kconsulting4U, LLC offers stress management consulting and psychological support. He founded DAPHNE to support French citizen in crisis abroad.
FRANCOIS NANKOBOGO
Treasurer
François Nankobogo is in financial and private sector development at the World Bank.
MICHEL LAUDIER
Treasurer adjunct
Michel Laudier has been Treasurer of the Tricolore Committee from 2017 to 2023. He is a real estate agent with Fairfax Realty of Tysons.
NOE WALTER
Secretary
Noé Walter is the pastor of the French Protestant Church of Washington DC since September 2021
ANNIE SEYS
Board Member
MARIE-HELENE ZAVALA
Board Member
Honorary Chair
CAROLINE MONVOISIN
Consule Générale de France à Washington DC
American Friends of Chartres
American Friends of Chartres (AFC) is a non-profit organization founded in 2005 to assist in the restoration and preservation of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres, a priceless example of medieval art and architecture.
Designated as a monument of paramount cultural significance on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the cathedral is a historic site of unparalleled artistic, intellectual and spiritual influence.
Restoration efforts of the Cathedral continue and AFC is a significant contributor. The restoration is winning high praise for bringing back Chartres’s luster, long obscured by centuries of accumulated grime and soot.
The restoration of the south transept was completed last June.
The restoration of the north transept started in late August. AFC is financing the restoration of two windows (117 and 125). The work will be completed by the end of 2024.
Click here for more on the cathedral, including free lectures.
2024: Millennium of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres!
This year will mark the millennium of the crypt of the cathedral which is one of the largest crypts in the world.
On March 19th the AFC is organizing a celebration to launch the 2024-2025 series of insightful online lectures.
The inaugural lecture will feature distinguished speakers, including H.E. Laurent Bili, Ambassador of France; Ms. Dominique Lallement, President American Friends of Chartres; Mrs. Anne Embs of the French Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Culture; Monseigneur Philippe Christory, Bishop of Chartres; and Ms. Cora Bern-Klug, graduate student, Washington State University.
The American who saved the Cathedral of Chartres.
On August 16, 1944, an American soldier, Colonel Welborn Barton Griffith, Jr., prevented any destruction of Chartres Cathedral; he died a few hours later on the battlefield.
Colonel Griffith was part of the “Twentieth Corps”, which commanded the operation for the allied liberation of Chartres. On August 15th, 1944 he went on reconnaissance to the cathedral, knowing that the Germans who were holding the city, were likely to have positioned snipers in the church’s steeples.
The battle for Chartres was fierce and U.S. Army policy was to systematically destroy the steeples as a first measure in every town they reached.
Having found no German snipers in the cathedral that night, Colonel Griffith was astonished the next day when he returned to the cathedral and saw that the 7th Armored Division’s riflemen and artillerymen were ready to fire at the cathedral. The Germans had sent some snipers in the morning who had already departed.
Running towards the riflemen he convinced them to hold their fire until he had a chance to go up alone and verify the Germans had left. He reported that the cathedral was clear of enemy troops and loudly shouted "No Snipers- No Snipers". The order to destroy the towers was withdrawn. Sadly Griffith was killed in action on 16 August 1944, a few hours after having saved the cathedral from any damage. Chartres was liberated three days later.
Of Spires and Steeples
This week, on February 12th, the restored spire of Notre-Dame de Paris was unveiled. Five years after it was destroyed by the fire that luckily left the two towers mainly intact, the scaffolding of the spire were finally dismantled.
Steeples and towers (in French: clochers et tours) house the bells; spires (flèches) are decorative additions. In Chartres, the spires are part of the steeples that rise on top of the two towers.
Click on the image to see youtube euronews video of the reveal.
This is a new dedicated space within our newsletter where we celebrate the heartbeat of our organization and get to know the amazing individuals who make up our community, the behind-the-scenes glimpses of our events, and the stories we share.
- Our Story
Talking of stories, here is ours. Today, we’re excited to unveil a brand-new section of our website: "Our Story."Go to https://www.comite-tricolore.org/Our-Story to find out everything about the creation of the CT as related by its founder Jean-Yves Defay, Consul General of France in Washington DC in 1990.
Together, we will continue to write new chapters of "Our Story."
-
Congratulations to Jean-Philippe Krukowicz who was inducted at l’Académie Culinaire de France (ACF) in February, becoming a member of the great family of talented chefs of the ACF Chefs USA - Académie Culinaire de France.
Jean-Philippe is a pillar of the Comité Tricolore. As VP in charge of Events he is instrumental in the organization of our Solidarity Dinners and our Bastille Day fundraising event.
As we bid farewell to 2023, we couldn’t resist the urge to hit rewind and relive some of the incredible moments that made this year unforgettable. For a glimpse of the fabulous events we organized last year, grab your popcorn, sit back, and watch this video:
Les Expressions Françaises
"Ce n’est pas une Sinécure"
It is not an easy job
A sinecure is a job where you get paid to do nothing. If it is not a sinecure, it therefore requires work! The word comes from the Latin sine cura - no work and/or no worry.
In the Middle Ages, sinecure holders, usually ecclesiastics, enjoyed income and benefits without having to assume any duties and responsibilities associated with their position.
The builders of these magnificent cathedrals did not have a sinecure!
Click here to check out the four course menu and to reserve.
- On March 7th celebrate Bonnard at the Phillips organized in partnership with the Embassy of France, with tours, tastings, art activities, and more. Enjoy jazz in the Music Room by Frederico Peña (piano), Mark Prince (drums), Michael Bowie (bass), and Marshall Keys (saxophone).
- Follow us on Facebook @Comite.Tricolore.org and/or on Instagram at comitetricolorewashingtondc as we announce new dates and events.
