Roman Catholic Saint. Born in Strasbourg to a rich family, he entered the Saint-Cyr Military Academy in 1876 after being expelled from school due to being both lazy and undisciplined, serving eventually in Algeria but leaving the army in 1882. By then, an already vouched agnostic, undergoing a risky exploration in Morocco, he rediscovered the gift of faith such that he joined the Trappists in 1890 only to leave seven years later, being yet still uncertain of his true calling. Sent over to the Holy Land by his superior to pursue his mission, he found employment amongst the Poor Clares as a servant at their convent in Nazareth. There he penned the "Rule of the Little Brothers." Being finally ordained priest at the age of 43 in 1901, he returned to Algeria, where he soon started leading a hermitical life, assuming the name of "Brother Charles of Jesus." Settling first in Beni Abbes near the Moroccan border, building a small hermitage for both prayer and hospitality, he eventually moved alongside the Tuareg people in Tamanrasset, spending his following years sharing their life and hardships, undertaking a ten-year study of their language and cultural traditions. He was shot to death by passing Marauders in his compound during an unsuccessful kidnapping attempt. Although he personally never founded any religious groups or associations, at least twenty spiritual families from all over the world identify him today as their founder, including the "Spiritual Family of Charles de Foucauld." Beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on November 13, 2005, and canonized by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022, his liturgical feast is held on December 1.
Roman Catholic Saint. Born in Strasbourg to a rich family, he entered the Saint-Cyr Military Academy in 1876 after being expelled from school due to being both lazy and undisciplined, serving eventually in Algeria but leaving the army in 1882. By then, an already vouched agnostic, undergoing a risky exploration in Morocco, he rediscovered the gift of faith such that he joined the Trappists in 1890 only to leave seven years later, being yet still uncertain of his true calling. Sent over to the Holy Land by his superior to pursue his mission, he found employment amongst the Poor Clares as a servant at their convent in Nazareth. There he penned the "Rule of the Little Brothers." Being finally ordained priest at the age of 43 in 1901, he returned to Algeria, where he soon started leading a hermitical life, assuming the name of "Brother Charles of Jesus." Settling first in Beni Abbes near the Moroccan border, building a small hermitage for both prayer and hospitality, he eventually moved alongside the Tuareg people in Tamanrasset, spending his following years sharing their life and hardships, undertaking a ten-year study of their language and cultural traditions. He was shot to death by passing Marauders in his compound during an unsuccessful kidnapping attempt. Although he personally never founded any religious groups or associations, at least twenty spiritual families from all over the world identify him today as their founder, including the "Spiritual Family of Charles de Foucauld." Beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on November 13, 2005, and canonized by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022, his liturgical feast is held on December 1.
Bio by: Eman Bonnici
Inscription
Je veux crier l'Évangile par toute ma vie.
Gravesite Details
3 rd Grave - moved approx. 1927
Family Members
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