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

[Paul M]

Hi Dean
Thank you for the information about St. Charles de Foucauld. I have always
loved his example and spirituality. His “prayer of abandonment” is very
similar to that of Ven. Fr. Francis Libermann (re-founder of the Spiritans)
who wrote:

“Divine Spirit, I wish to be before you as a light feather, so that your
breath may carry me off where it wishes and that I may never offer it the
least resistance.”

Paul

Sent from Gmail Mobile


On Mon, Dec 1, 2025 at 6:47 AM Dean Riley via Sundaycommunity <
sundaycommunity at lists.integralshift.ca> wrote:

> 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.
>
> [image: image0.jpeg]
>
> 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.
>
>
> *[image: image1.jpeg]*
>
>
>
> *[image: image2.jpeg]*
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>
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