Frère Marie Pâques

About Frère Marie Pâques

Brother Marie Pâques was born into a farming family. At 18, he left school to live his dream: to settle as a beekeeper, close to nature, with a few friends, in the country he loved and had chosen. In terms of faith, a model altar boy until the age of 14, he left the church to do all the possible and unimaginable mischief… let’s move on.

At 24, he rediscovered the presence of God in his life. He had a profound experience that God is a Father to him and decided to dedicate his life to Him. God led him to the monastery of Lérins, a year later, in 1985. Brother Marie Pâques was ordained a priest there in 1995.

Upon his arrival at Lérins, he took care of the maintenance of the monastery and today, he holds the position of steward. Brother Marie Pâques is currently managing several companies, particularly the marketing of wines from the Abbey of Lérins, which takes him around the world to China, Russia, and the United States. Thus, although immersed in business, thanks to the Gospel, he is also concerned about the well-being of those entrusted to him. This is why Brother Marie Pâques wishes to help give meaning to business, primarily at the level of leadership and its significance.

He has written a book on this subject titled “In Search of Meaning”:

“Reconciling the meaning of life, spiritual quest, and business has become all the more urgent.”

Foreword by Pierre Bellon, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sodexo, Founding President of APM (Association for the Progress of Management)

What is more unusual? That a monk writes about business or that a business leader writes the foreword to a monk’s book?

Both, undoubtedly. There is in Brother Marie Pâques’ book a praise of business that could not leave me indifferent. It is businesses and their personnel that create the wealth of a country. When the steward of the Abbey of Lérins writes “long live business and entrepreneurs”, he highlights a truth that I have shared for a long time but which, in France, does not always seem evident to those who lead us. We need strong businesses, businesses that progress, that create jobs.

That a monk emphasizes the importance of sharing is not surprising, but what is more surprising is that he reminds us that, to share, one must have something to share and therefore must create wealth; this common-sense statement deserves to be widely disseminated. Brother Marie Pâques, along with all the monks of Lérins, have understood well what a business is. I am not a specialist in the Rule of Saint Benedict, but I know that these monks have always placed work alongside prayer. They have a unique conception of management and relationships with others. They emphasize development, the importance of community, and consideration of the environment.

Brother Marie Pâques speaks at various seminars, but only on the island of Saint Honorat.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of themes that can be addressed: