Getting to know ..... Celine Faucher

Morag Jordan speaks with Celine Faucher about Holy Trinity and her life here as a Christian.

Holy Trinity Chaplaincy Council recently welcomed its newest, and possibly its youngest ever member, Celine Faucher. For some months now, Celine has been a familiar face to those who attend Holy Trinity services.

She started assisting on the altar as a 'Thurifer', carrying the censer and filling the church with incense, then since last November she has been serving the wine alongside Isabelle during the Eucharist ; she often delights us with her exquisite singing voice too!

Born in Cuba, Celine moved to France as a child and grew here up on the Cote d'Azur where she settled permanently with her mother in Nice. Celine grew up speaking French and Spanish then learnt English from the internet, before joining the International Programme at Valbonne Campus where some subjects were taught in English.

Although baptized a Catholic, Celine did not grow up in a church-going family. However, she was always very aware of having been baptized and always wondered what this meant for her personally. Curious about what religion had to offer, Celine was inspired by monastic devotion and was profoundly moved by an interview she heard with a nun, who stated that “ loving God is enough”. And yet while growing up she struggled to reconcile her spiritual longing with the Catholic church and its positions.

Celine assisting Fr Jeremy at the Easter Vigil

Whilst at university studying history and desiring to get closer to God, Céline explored the diversity of church traditions and this led her to seek an English-speaking Anglican church. Attending a spiritual retreat at Laghet sanctuary was a turning point for her as she decided then to enquire about getting confirmed and so it was that in February 2024, just after Fr Jeremy had arrived, Celine walked into Holy Trinity, Nice. Celine remembers calling her mother afterwards to tell her “this is what church is supposed to be like”; she felt immediately comfortable and at home at Holy Trinity and has been part of our community ever since.

Over the past two years, Celine’s faith has deepened and widened, becoming the foundation and structure of her life. She says "my friends and family were not at all surprised by this as they had always seen it coming”! On November 30th, Celine was confirmed by Bishop Robert along with thirteen other candidates; this was a joyous occasion for her as she felt that she "had truly come home".

Although Celine still has another year to go before completing her Master’s degree, she has been starting to explore her calling to serve in the Church, and is hoping to start the process of discernment for the priesthood in the Church of England, should this prove to be the right path for her. However, for the time being she is firmly committed to serving God here at Holy Trinity where she will continue to be a highly-valued member of our community.

Celine singing during communion

Celine strongly believes that the universal church “should be a place where young people feel more welcome and more affirmed”. Celine hopes that as a younger person who is fulfilled in the church, she can show other younger people that there is a place here for them and that she can help dispel the idea that church is for older people: “Everybody is so welcoming at Holy Trinity, they are thrilled to have younger people in the congregation”.

We are blessed that Celine with her many talents (which also include repairing vestments) is so devoted to Holy Trinity and we are grateful for her devotion to her faith, her youthful energy and enthusiasm and also her exquisite singing.