Rev Christine Benoit (right) at her
ordination [photo: Patrick Joubert
WR413/13 SEY06DJ-1]
SEYCHELLES – “I felt that God was calling me to ministry while I was still at school, but being a female was an issue,” says the Rev Christine Benoit who last year became the first woman to be ordained as a priest in Seychelles. “But I did not give up – I believed deep in my heart that if it was God’s calling he would open the right doors at the right time.
“I prayed daily that God’s will would be done in my life and I believe that is why I am a priest now. I humbly believe that God had a plan for me before birth, and this is what I felt prior to my studies to the ordained ministry. The Scripture that I felt was talking directly about that is Jeremiah 1:5: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you’ (English Standard Version). “I am the first Seychellois woman to be ordained in Seychelles but the second Seychellois woman priest – the first one, the Rev Rosemia Brown, was ordained in England, where she now lives.” Until recently Ms Benoit, 34, was Coordinator of the Kreol Seselwa Old Testament translation project, but her new responsibilities have meant that she has had to step down. “I have really enjoyed being involved in translating the Word of God into my own language,” she says. “Growing up I was encouraged by my parents to pray and to read the Bible daily. This built me up into the person I am today. For me, the Bible is like a manual. I study it daily and it makes me so joyful, because there I find the reason for living. “My hope and dream for my country is that all Seychellois people turn to God and answer his calling. And particularly for those who feel anxious about rejection, as I did, I pray that they find strength in the promises in the Bible. 1 Peter 5: 7-11 really kept me going.”
(WR 413/13 - 07.07)[1 photo]