Peter Watts: curé of Grimaud

Written by Riviera Reporter

But who does he pray for during the Six Nations?

When a parish is told a new priest has been assigned to them there’s always speculation about what he’ll be like. The good folk of Grimaud in the Var were rather surprised about a decade ago when their new curé turned out to be Welsh. “Surprised,” recalls Fr. Peter Watts, “but they were very welcoming, beginning with the mayor.”

But how does this loyal son of Pembrokeshire come to be officiating in the South of France? “I’d always wanted to be a priest when I was growing up in the Church in Wales – that’s the official name for the Anglican Church in the Principality. I read theology at university and was ordained in 1972. After some years in Welsh parishes I moved to Cornwall and it was during my ten years in Falmouth that I first really got a sense of my Welsh and wider Celtic heritage. It was also during those years that I began to feel uncomfortable with certain aspects of Anglicanism. Anyway, in 1994 I was received into the Roman Catholic Church.” But how did he become a priest in France? “Cornwall has close ties with Britanny and I went on holiday there and met Monsignor Madec who’s a breton and Bishop of Toulon. He invited me to join his diocese and eventually I became curé of Grimaud.”

How does that compare with being an Anglican parish priest in England and Wales? “In one essential point it’s very similar. Although the Catholic Church is not established like the CofE it has a unique historical legitimacy in France. People will turn to the curé in times of spiritual distress even if they’re rarely or never at mass.” So he’s happy here. “Indeed. One of the things I like is the great variety of people I have in the congregation, especially in the summer.” What does he miss about Wales? “Certain kinds of food, I’d say ... and just the distinctive ‘Welshness’ of things ... and I’ve a natural loyalty to the Welsh rugby team.” So does he pray for them? “Well, a few years ago the French bishops conference announced they were praying for les Bleus so why not?”

From Riviera Reporter Issue 126: April/May 2008

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