Charles de Foucauld

Charles de Foucauld was born in Strasbourg, France on September 15, 1858. He was baptized two days after his birth and raised by his grandfather in a Christian home. He lost his faith as an adolescent and became a self-indulgent and worldly young man. He pursued a military career and served as an officer in Algeria. He also undertook a risky exploration of Morocco, where he was impressed by the faith of the Muslims. He began to search for God and rediscovered his Catholic faith in 1886, under the guidance of Fr. Huvelin. He decided to live for God alone and to follow Jesus in his life at Nazareth. He spent seven years as a Trappist monk, first in France and then in Syria. He then moved to Nazareth, where he lived as a hermit near a convent of Poor Clares, praying and adoring the Eucharist. He was ordained a priest in 1901 and left for the Sahara desert, where he wanted to be among the most abandoned and share the human condition with them. He settled first in Beni Abbès and then in Tamanrasset, among the Tuareg people of the Hoggar. He learned their language and culture and respected their faith. He wanted to be a brother to all and to proclaim the Gospel with his life. He wrote several rules for religious life, hoping to share his vocation with others, but he remained alone until his death. On December 1, 1916, he was assassinated by a band of marauders who attacked his hermitage. He was quickly considered a martyr of faith and a witness of charity. His spiritual writings and his influence on various religious communities and associations of the faithful inspired by his example have made him a significant figure of the 20th century Catholic spirituality. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on November 13, 2005 and canonized by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022.