Saint Charles de Foucauld 19th C. French Priest

Saint Charles de Foucauld 19th C. French priest born on September 15, 1858, he died on December 1, 1916, at age 58. Saint Charles de Foucauld was a French soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnographer, Catholic priest, and hermit who lived with the Tuareg people in the Sahara in Algeria. He was murdered in 1916. On December 1, 1916, Saint Charles de Foucauld was killed by a bandit at his hermitage. He was quickly considered to be a martyr of faith. He founded many religious communities inspired by his example, such as the Little Brothers of Jesus. He was canonized by Pope Francis in 2022. Have you ever heard of him?

Saint Charles de Foucauld Biography

Saint Charles de Foucauld’s family was part of the old French nobility; their motto was Jamais arrière (“Never behind”). Several of his ancestors took part in the crusades, and he had a great-great-uncle who was an arch bishop. He was one of four children, though his oldest brother died at one year old. He was orphaned at the age of six and was taken in by his maternal grandparents. Saint Charles de Foucauld wrote of him: “My grandfather, whose beautiful intelligence I admired, whose infinite tenderness surrounded my childhood and youth with an atmosphere of love, the warmth of which I still feel emotionally.”

Saint Charles de Foucauld studied at the Saint-Arbogast episcopal school and went to Strasbourg high school in 1868. At the time, an introvert and short-tempered, he was often ill. A common theme for those who became saints. He spent the summer of 1868 with his aunt, Inès Moitessier. She was very religious and close to the young Charles. He fled the Franco-Prussian War to Bern, Switzerland. After the French defeat, he moved to Nancy in October 1871.

In October 1873, when Saint Charles de Foucauld was 15, he started to distance himself from the faith and became agnostic. He later said, “The philosophers are all in discord. I spent twelve years not denying and believing nothing, despairing of the truth, not even believing in God. No proof to me seemed evident.”

Saint Charles de Foucauld was sent to the Sainte-Geneviève school in Versailles. The school was run by the Jesuits, at that time located in the Latin Quarter of Paris. He was preparing for the admission test for the Saint-Cyr Military Academy. After graduation, he was in the French cavalry school at Saumur. He continued to lead an extravagant lifestyle. He was posted to the 4th Regiment of Chasseurs d’Afrique in Algeria. Bored with garrison service, he travelled in Morocco (1883–84), the Sahara (1885), and Palestine (1888–89).

He must have found faith because on January 14, 1890, Saint Charles de Foucauld entered the Trappist monastery of Notre-Dame des Neiges, where he received the religious name Marie-Albéric on the feast of St. Alberic, January 26. In 1897, he left the order and began to lead a life of prayer near a convent of Poor Clares in Nazareth, where he worked as a porter and servant. After some time, it was suggested to him that he be ordained, so he returned to Akbès for some time in order to prepare for the ordination to the priesthood. On  June 9, 1901, at the age of 43, he was ordained.

After that, he went to the Sahara in French Algeria and continued to live an eremitical lifestyle. He adopted the religious name Charles of Jesus. He moved to be with the Tuareg people in Tamanghasset in southern Algeria. Living close to the Tuareg and sharing their life and hardships, he made a 10-year study of their language and cultural traditions. He learned the Tuareg language and worked on a dictionary. His dictionary manuscript was published posthumously in four volumes and has become known among Berberologists for its rich and apt descriptions.

On December 1, 1916, Saint Charles de Foucauld was dragged from his hermitage by a group of tribal bandits, who were connected with the Senussi Bedouin. They intended to kidnap him. However, they were interrupted by two Méharistes of the French Camel Corps. One startled bandit (15-year-old Sermi ag Thora) shot de Foucauld through the head. The Méharistes were also shot dead. The French spent years trying to capture the murderers, and finally caught Sermi ag Thora in 1944.

Conclusion

We have yet another obscure saint. This Frenchman traveled to, and died in, North Africa. He was noted for writing a grammatical dictionary of the Tuareg people. Saint Charles de Foucauld was an agnostic for a long time, and he shows that it is possible, even at an advanced age, to find great faith. In this way, he is an example for us. It was an unfortunate thing that he was murdered, and it was uncommon that his killer was apprehended almost thirty years after his death.