Deeply rooted in the Catholic Church, the faith of the Duverney-Guichard family transcends denominational barriers. Élie laughs as he admits that he has “somewhat surprising parents.” In addition to Sunday Mass, the boys are also immersed in evangelical gatherings: the Gospel Center in Annecy and Oron, the AIMG, the Présence meetings in Malley, and the Jeunesses Actions Bibliques (JAB). “What's beautiful is that my parents took us everywhere Christ was. They showed my brothers and me that Jesus was among evangelicals as well as Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and so on. What mattered was not the form, but truly the substance.”
Welcome to the Evangelicals
Having been immersed in unity from a young age, Élie is inspired by Evangelical practices. He admires and borrows from Protestant rituals their closeness to the Word of God in everyday life: “If I don't read the Bible, I feel like I haven't eaten.” Élie has also participated in Holy Communion several times during Protestant services, invited by his best friend. When discussing worship, Élie does not hesitate to share his admiration for the evangelical style: ”There are Catholic groups that know how to worship beautifully, but it's not necessarily very present. It's a richness that I discovered in the evangelical church and that I try to bring, in my own way, to the Catholic Church." Not to mention the dynamism of evangelical preaching, with anecdotes and real-life stories that nourish the young carpenter's faith.
Monks' Heads... Orthodox
Elie speaks fondly of his unique experience with the Orthodox Christians on Mount Athos. Located in northeastern Greece, 130 km from Thessaloniki, this mountain, which is a peninsula, has been home to two thousand monks for over one thousand years. They are now spread across some twenty monasteries. Reserved for men, the Holy Mountain gives priority to Orthodox visitors and each year reserves a few places for Christians from other churches, with whom Élie was able to join.
During his visit, Elie was struck by the Orthodox sensitivity to the miraculous. “One day, there was no oil or flour on the island, so the monks prayed, and the jars were filled!” The young man was very impressed by the iconography, which is part of Orthodox ritual. " I know that this can be frightening for Evangelicals, and we don't experience this in the Catholic Church either, but for the Orthodox, each icon is a mirror of God or a saint on earth.“ He continued, ”This has nothing to do with esotericism; the monks do not perform occult rites. It's very beautiful. I believe that God reaches each of us through our own sensibilities."
The monks of Mount Athos practice an ascetic lifestyle, fasting completely or partially for more than 200 days a year. This way of renouncing certain comforts in order to seek God greatly inspired Elie.
Unity is Essential!
Elie feels that , “We are the body of Christ! It's not just Catholics, Evangelicals, and Orthodox Christians, but everyone who believes in Jesus!” The young man explains that this is what drives the Trinity association, to draw on the riches of each Church. "When we go to the Evangelicals, we become Evangelicals. Like Saint Paul when he went to the pagans and certain peoples, he made himself like them to better share the Word of God.
For men, Elie’s continues, “The important thing is to have your own identity, to feed on what you have experienced or received from others, to take the best, and with that, to follow Christ.” The young man invites us to leave our Sunday churches to discover the faith of others, adding, “We can't agree on everything, but it doesn't really matter. The most important thing is to put God at the center and worship Him in Spirit and Truth.”
Celebrating 2,000 Years of the Resurrection
Élie hopes to be part of the celebration and dares to dream of a common date for Easter, uniting the Church to give a common witness. Mass being the high point of his faith, Élie would like to celebrate in this way, in a form that suits everyone. The young man is clear-headed and aware that there is still much work to be done in unity to make this possible.
In the meantime, he would like to see the whole world pray the “Our Father” at the same time so that the world may know that Jesus is risen.
Aurore Girardet
Juin 2025
Are you walking with Jesus to celebrate the 2000th anniversary of the Resurrection?
