Testimony of faith. And why not me?

I have always been very religious. Born in the Basque Country, I had a father for whom the Catholic religion was of great importance. But my mother considered it out of the question for me to be baptized. So I wasn’t. For a long time, I have been entering churches to pray, alone. My arrival as executive assistant in charge of early childhood at the Apprentis d’Auteuil foundation, in Paris, three years ago, accelerated my spiritual evolution.

Where I work there is a sanctuary dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, where her relics are venerated. I like going there. Inside is the tomb of Blessed Father Daniel Brottier, a Spiritan priest, who was director of the foundation and had great devotion to “little Thérèse”. He credits him with never having been injured during the Great War, during which he was mobilized. I too love Thérèse immensely.

Four years ago, my son Nicolas, 26 years old today, told me that he wanted to be baptized. When I found out, I hugged him. I felt moved and proud. Deep down, I wasn’t surprised, he always had that in him. He began a catechumenate course and was baptized in 2023. This acted as a trigger: and why not me? I started attending the Parisian parish of Saint-Eugène-Sainte-Cécile, where he goes. I go to mass in both rites but I have a weakness for the ancient liturgy, its chants in Latin, the silence, the meditation.

And there was this very beautiful mass, at the Apprentis d’Auteuil, in the Sainte-Thérèse chapel. To mark the hundred years of the presence of the Spiritan fathers within it, the Central African Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Archbishop of Bangui, came in person to celebrate it. His charisma and his smile impressed me. His words were calming, full of wisdom and kindness. Even my colleague, who took the event a little lightly, burst into tears, touched to the heart.

Following all these events, I made the decision to enroll in a catechumenate course. I started last September. Our group has twenty-five adults, with an average age of less than forty. Not really having a Christian culture, I have everything to learn. So I go there with passion!