[Sundaycommunity] December 1: Feast Day of St. Charles de Faucauld

[Dean Riley]

Greetings to all on this first week of Advent!

Nine years ago, a retired bishop here in the Dominican Republic (Monseñor Rafael Leonidas Felipe Núñez) spent  a year as administrator of our diocese of San Pedro de Macorís - during the interim after our former bishop was appointed Archbishop of Santo Domingo, until Pope Francis finally got around to naming a successor as bishop in our diocese.

Monseñor Rafael was keenly interested in the work we were doing with Canadian groups of high school students and teachers. He would spend time visiting with each group where he shared his deep admiration of Charles de Faucauld. Our visiting groups were profoundly impacted by Monseñor Rafael’s sharing. 

As today is the feast day of St.  Charles de Faucauld, I thought I would share a bit on his life.

Blessings on us all during this season of Advent!

Dean. 



Saint Charles de Foucauld (1858–1916) was a French soldier, explorer, geographer, and ethnographer who became a Catholic priest and hermit, living among the Tuareg people in the Algerian Sahara. He is recognized as a saint in the Catholic Church and is often referred to as the "Universal Brother". 

Key Aspects of His Life
Early Life and Conversion: Born into an aristocratic family, Foucauld was orphaned at age six and, as a young man, drifted into a life of indulgence, rejecting his faith. His turning point came during an exploration of Morocco (1883-1884), where the sight of devoted Muslim believers sparked a spiritual reawakening. He returned to the Catholic faith in 1886.

Vocation and Priesthood: After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he felt a calling to follow Jesus in a life of humility and poverty, inspired by Christ's hidden life in Nazareth. He spent seven years as a Trappist monk in France and Syria before leaving the order to live a life of prayer and adoration as a hermit in Nazareth, working as a gardener and sacristan for the Poor Clares. He was ordained a priest in 1901.

Life in the Sahara: 
He then moved to the Algerian Sahara, first to Béni Abbès and later to Tamanrasset, to live among the Tuareg people. His goal was to live as a "little universal brother," offering a witness of friendship and love rather than actively seeking converts. He learned their language (Tamasheq), studied their culture, and created a dictionary and translations of the Gospel.

Death and Legacy:
Foucauld was assassinated by a band of marauders at his hermitage on December 1, 1916. Though virtually unknown at the time of his death, his writings and example led to the founding of numerous religious communities and associations, such as the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Little Sisters of Jesus, who continue to follow his spirituality of living the Gospel through a simple life among the marginalized.

Canonization: 
He was beatified in 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI and canonized as a saint by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022. His feast day is celebrated on December 1st. 

Charles de Foucauld's influential "Prayer of Abandonment" perfectly encapsulates his spiritual surrender: "Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will... Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.”

One of Faucauld’s well known mottos is: Iesus Caritas … Jesus Love. The word caritas portrays a Christian love for humankind that moves beyond sentiment and even beyond charity… into a new way of being in a relationship of solidarity with those who suffer… transforming an individual into an active instrument of God’s love. 





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