Christine Benoit (born 13 August 1972) is the first woman in the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...

to be ordained as an Anglican priest.

Early life

Christine Benoit was born on 13 August 1972.

Education

She earned a Diploma in Business Studies and Accounting from

Seychelles Polytechnic Seychelles Polytechnic is a government-owned tertiary institution located in Anse Royale, Mahé. The institution currently offer three programme areas in Business & Secretarial Studies, Visual Arts and the Manchester Twinning Programme, a first-y ...

in 1993. In 2002, she earned a Diploma in Theology and Diplomas in Ministry with distinction, from the

College of the Transfiguration The College of the Transfiguration in Makhanda, Eastern Cape, is the only provincial residential college of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, offering a contextual approach to theology studies. The college opened in 1993, following the amalg ...

Grahamstown Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana Loc ...

, South Africa.

Career

From April 1993 to January 2000, she worked in the Internal Audit Division of the Seychelles' Ministry of Finance. In 2004, Benoit became the first woman to be ordained as an Anglican deacon in the Diocese of Seychelles. On 26 November 2006, Benoit became the first woman to be ordained as an Anglican priest in the Diocese of Seychelles, during a consecration service that took place at St. Paul's Cathedral in Victoria, Seychelles, in a service led by Bishop

Santosh Marray Santosh Kumar Marray (born 1957) is the eleventh and current bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Easton. Before this, he served as assistant bishop for both the Diocese of Alabama (2012-2016) and the Diocese of East Carolina (2009-2012). Prior to ...

. In March 2017, she was named one of "14 inspiring women of Seychelles". In July 2017, she was appointed a member of the National AIDS Council of Seychelles. As of 2017, Benoit is the "only female Reverend in the Indian Ocean" and is based at Holy Saviour's Church at

Anse Royale Anse Royale () is an administrative district of Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 ...

, Seychelles.

References

Living people 1972 births Seychellois Anglican priests Women Christian clergy College of the Transfiguration alumni {{Seychelles-bio-stub