On Thursday morning, Nov. 6, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered in a regularly scheduled meeting. The First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, some General Authority Seventies and the Presiding Bishopric were in attendance. At the meeting’s conclusion, the Church’s presiding bishop, Gérald Caussé, was asked to stay behind.
Having served in the Presiding Bishopric since 2012, Bishop Caussé had met many times with the President of the Church — first with President Thomas S. Monson, then with President Russell M. Nelson and now with President Dallin H. Oaks. But Thursday’s opportunity to speak with the Prophet was different than any time in the previous 13 years. This time, Bishop Caussé, at age 62, would receive a new calling — a calling to serve as the newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
“I found myself in a little room, almost knee to knee with him. He expressed his love for me and extended the call, and he said it is on behalf of the Lord,” Elder Caussé said.
His answer to the invitation was no different than the answer he gave when he received his first calling at the age of 12. Having just concluded his time in Primary, Elder Caussé was called to be his Primary’s pianist in France. He grew up in Bordeaux, France, to parents who were the first members of the Church in their family.
Today, Elder Caussé lovingly remembers the efforts of his pioneer parents, whom he called at nearly midnight their time to share the news of his newest calling.
As someone who studied business in college, Elder Caussé said his calling as an Apostle wasn’t likely, based on sheer probabilities.
“The probability for this to happen to me is close to null, if not null,” he said in an interview on Friday morning, Nov. 7, in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
Knowing how rare this calling is has led Elder Caussé to both reflect on his upbringing and look forward to a future of testifying of the Savior.
“That fills me with a lot of humility,” he said. “It is clear to me that the Lord has paved the road, unknown to me.”
That road, as of the day before, includes a new role serving with the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the rest of his mortal life. Meeting with each of his new quorum members was both happy and heavy, he said.
“It was one of the most emotional moments of my life. You would expect that this moment is a big load on your shoulders. And it is true,” Elder Caussé said, adding that the feeling was “shocking” due to how unexpected it was for him.
Whether it was that first calling to play the piano for Primary children to sing along to or his newest calling to be a special witness of the Savior to the world, Elder Caussé said he is fulfilled by the chance to help the one.
“The most meaningful part is when I can minister to people,” he said.
He said he has seen the difference the gospel of Jesus Christ makes in the lives of those who accept Him and covenant to follow Him. And he shared words of encouragement to those making the decision to join the Savior’s Church.
“I would tell [new members of the Church] that is the best decision they will ever make in their life, but it is a continuing decision you have to make again and again and renew your covenant in sacrament meeting. The sacrament is an ordinance that is absolutely critical,” he said.
Elder Caussé said he knows what it is like to go through that journey of continuous improvement and refining of a testimony of God.
“My testimony of the Lord has never been so great,” he said. “When I was a young boy, I already knew Him. I knew who He was. I knew he was my Savior and Redeemer. But it is interesting how you can improve in something you think is sufficient. And the experience I had yesterday has only increased my love for the Savior and my desire to follow Him.”
The experience of accepting the call to the holy apostleship does not feel like a culmination to Elder Caussé, but instead he sees it as a new beginning for him.
“I am looking forward to improving, increasing, widening my understanding of what it means to be a special witness of Christ.”
Elder Caussé fills a vacancy left with the death of President Nelson, who then-Bishop Caussé answered to on a regular basis. He said he feels grateful to have learned from President Nelson and to have the chance to now show what he learned about the Savior from the Prophet.
“What a unique experience it is, when you report to the Prophet. And that was my case for seven and a half years,” he said. “I learned a lot from him.”
Elder Caussé said he admired the fact that President Nelson was able to love the world as a whole and “at the same time, being so intimate and being so personal and loving each one.”
While serving as the presiding bishop, Elder Caussé said, he was also able to see how the Church and its members work hard to care for those in need all over the world.
“The Church has always been addressing caring for those in need. It is part of the gospel. If you think of what we call the divinely appointed responsibilities of the Church, one of them is to care for those in need,” he said.
The efforts made by the Church to work together with organizations and governments around the world to help provide medical care, alleviate suffering, provide educational opportunities and otherwise help uplift those who need temporal support are largely under the care of the Presiding Bishopric.
“As presiding bishop, I was part of the Welfare and Self-Reliance Executive Committee of the Church, working directly with the general Relief Society presidency,” Elder Caussé said. “Those sisters are fantastic. Together, we have led the work of caring for those in need in a way that it has increased and progressed.”
Ultimately, the work of the Church involves bringing people closer to their Savior, Jesus Christ, and helping them be prepared for His Second Coming, Elder Caussé said. And events occurring around the globe underscore how important that preparation is and show how close that day may be.
“A lot of things are happening. I recognize that this is the Lord hastening His work. He has His plans and His timing, and we have to be ready for it,” he said. “We know that the purpose of the restored Church of Jesus Christ is to prepare a people for receiving the Lord when He comes back.”
The preparation ongoing in all parts of the world is particularly important to Elder Caussé and his wife, Sister Valérie Caussé, because they have family on both sides of the planet. When he was called to serve based in Salt Lake City 17 years ago, three of their five children stayed in France to build their families there. Two others came with the Caussés to Utah.
“Those who stayed accepted the sacrifice that they would not have their parents around them and built their families without us around,” he said. “And the other two accepted to go where the Lord wants you to go, and they settled in a new country with a new language. That consecration has been an example to us.”
Following his remarks on Friday morning, Elder Caussé mentioned his love again of his parents for their decision to become pioneers and for their perseverance that shined as an example to him. He paired their example with that of the pioneers of the Church and expressed his admiration for them.
Only a few feet away from him in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building was a grand piano. Elder Caussé sat down at the piano and began to play a hymn, first with a single finger, then both hands, then with his whole heart with the high standard that only a classically trained pianist can exhibit.
The William Clayton hymn “Come, Come, Ye Saints” covers the simplicity and the complexity of emotion and effort and testimony that come in each person’s life, and that is part of why Elder Caussé said he loves to play that hymn.
Just as that hymn covers a spiritual and mortal journey, Elder Caussé said he feels he is ready now for the chance to prove his testimony of the Savior.
“I am grateful for the opportunity — for the incredible privilege it is to be a servant of the Lord until the end of my days,” he said.
