Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Elder Gérald Caussé, 62, becomes the newest apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- A day later, he recalls feeling peace when President Dallin H. Oaks extended the apostleship call.
- Caussé, a native of Bordeaux, France, values music and diverse global church experiences.
SALT LAKE CITY — The newest member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Quorum of the Twelve Apostles says he can't remember a time he didn't have a testimony of Jesus Christ.
"My testimony has grown for sure, but I think a very defining moment in my life was at age 11 when I read the Book of Mormon," Elder Gérald Caussé said in an interview Friday. "I felt the spirit of it, and I knew that it was a true story of the people of God, and I developed a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through the scriptures."
Elder Caussé said his parents told him he was always singing when he was little, so they put him in piano and music lessons. At age 12, shortly after graduating from Primary, he was called back to Primary to serve as the Primary pianist. He also served for several years as his ward's pianist and loved participating in choirs.
"We are a musical family. It's part of expressing the gospel. The great advantage of music is you don't need to speak all the languages — everybody can understand it," he said.
Now 62, Elder Caussé is the newest apostle of the church, having been ordained as such on Thursday. While the call can be overwhelming, as "nobody ever plans that in their life," he said he felt a sense of peace when President Dallin H. Oaks spoke to him.
"I still see President Oaks with his very loving way of extending the call to be an apostle of the Lord. I thought I would die," he said with a laugh. "I felt his love and especially the love of the Lord, and I felt so peaceful that it was the right thing to do."
Elder Caussé said he feels grateful and humbled that the Lord trusts him to be an apostle. "Calling others to join the fold of Christ is a privilege, and I'm looking forward to it," he said.
After receiving the call, he called his family to tell them the news before it was announced publicly. Even though it was midnight in France, he was able to have an emotional call with his parents.
"I owe everything to them in terms of the gospel of Jesus Christ," he said.
His parents were baptized into the church just a few months after he was born in 1963. "That was a big decision for them. I'm sure they didn't know exactly what they were doing, but they felt it was right for them and for me ... and so I am grateful for that."
He also called his children, one by one, with the news. He said they all responded with their "unique personality," but they each expressed support for him.
Before the call to apostleship, Elder Caussé had been serving as the presiding bishop of the church for the last 11 years. He also previously served as a counselor in the Presiding Bishopric and as a General Authority Seventy.
Elder Caussé said he has enjoyed traveling the world while serving in the Presiding Bishopric and loved meeting members from all over. He is grateful he had the opportunity to help those in need through the calling and to see the diversity of people's backgrounds.
"The gospel message is the same all over the world: Everybody is a son or daughter of God. But the environment in which people live is diverse. ... I am looking forward to adapting my message, my testimony, to the understanding of everyone," he said.
Serving in the Presiding Bishopric meant that Elder Caussé frequently interacted with President Oaks when he served as first counselor in the First Presidency.
"I believe he is the most humble, and smartest, and most powerful person I know," Elder Caussé said. When he and his wife, Valerie Caussé, have traveled with President Oaks and his wife, Sister Kristen Oaks, it is just a joyful experience, he said.
Through serving with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and seeing them fulfill their callings, Elder Caussé said he's learned just how demanding being an apostle is.
"We know it's very demanding, time-wise, energy-wise, but what I look forward to is being with members of the church. Traveling the world and meeting some of the best people ... trying to minister to them and to strengthen their faith," he said.
Elder Caussé grew up in France, but because of his church callings, he has lived in Germany and the United States. Whenever he returns to France, he said he always makes sure to stop by a crêperie to eat his favorite French dish. Although he did say his wife makes some pretty fantastic crepes, too.
Elder Caussé is a native of Bordeaux, France. He was the third presiding bishop born outside the United States and the first for whom English is a second language, according to the church. He married Valérie Babin on Aug. 5, 1986, in the church's Bern Switzerland Temple. The couple has five children.
