» Who we are » Key people of the Federation
Christine McGrievy was born and raised in the Lake District in the Northwest of England. She first came to L'Arche Trosly for a year straight after university where she studied Modern European and American history. Back in England, she qualified as a history teacher. Christine decided to return to L’Arche for another year but eventually stayed for more than twenty-five!
She was house leader for two years in Pierrefonds, working in the workshop for people with severe learning disabilities, and then moved to Cuise-la-Motte where she had the privilege of opening 'Le Surgeon', a home for people with severe learning disabilities. She has lived there ever since. During her years in L’Arche she has held different leadership roles: House Leader, Homes Coordinator, Community Leader, Regional Coordinator, and for the last six years Vice International Coordinator.
“Christine founded our house together with Sylviane and Jean-Luc 23 years ago. Since then, she has carried out several roles on different levels, but I feel that it is her house, her home and the relationships here, which give her the strength to carry her roles. Christine travels a lot; but what a pleasure to see her coming back home: Sylviane gets up to welcome her and as soon as she enters the room, Xavier asks her with great fidelity: are you alright, Christine?
Me too, I appreciate her presence in our house. The depth of her friendships with the members of the house, developed throughout the years, is touching and supports me in my daily life as houseleader.
The house comes together for prayer time at night and sometimes Christine invites us to pray for what happens in communities around the world. It’s a way for us to take part in her life. Sometimes though, it is just the quiet silence that links Christine’s everyday life with the one of the house.” (Katalin Polyak, Houseleader of “le Surgeon”, L’Arche Cuise-la-Motte)