A Prophet for our time
Pope Francis speaks of him as a prophet for our time. So how is he a prophet for us today, for you and me?
What relevance has he for our lives at a time so different in every way from his? 

Charles was born into an aristocratic French family in 1858. He and his sister lost their parents at an early age which had a deep effect on his affective growth as a child although he was brought up by a very loving grandfather. He and his friend Gabriel both lost their faith at the age of 16 while at school with the Jesuits in Strasbourg.

They had become fascinated by the philosophies of the day and as Charles would say later ‘he forgot how to pray’. He entered military school in 1876 and wasted an inherited fortune on a frivolous life. In 1881 he was sent to North Africa on a military campaign. A gradual change was taking place in his life: he got on well with the soldiers and thrived in the tough and disciplined life. However, in 1982 he resigned from the army refusing to send home his mistress.

He then decided to explore Morocco, at that time a completely closed country. Disguised as a Jewish Rabbi he was accompanied by a widely travelled religious Jew called Mardochee. On his return he was awarded in Paris by the Geographical Society for his scientific observations.

Back in France he searched for instruction in the Catholic faith and in October 1986 he experienced a complete conversion and decided to give his life to God without reserve.

After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land he joined the Trappist monks in 1890 and was sent to Syria. However, he still had not found his path and left the Trappists in 1897 seeking to follow ever more closely the ‘workman of Nazareth’. He went to live in Nazareth for 3 years working as a sacristan and gardener for the Poor Clares where he deepened his call to follow Jesus of Nazareth and an intimate relationship with him.

He was ordained priest in 1901 and left once again for north Africa for a little oasis village of Beni Abbes not far from the Moroccan border where he became a brother to all.

In 1905 he left Beni Abbes to go south to Tamanrasset where he lived alone among the Tourareg, becoming their friend learning their language and recording their culture. On the 1 December 1916 he was shot in an attempt to take him as a hostage, part of the intrigues of the 14-18 war. 

His Youth: It is clear having lost his parents at an early age had a deep effect on him

Even his seemingly negative experiences at school enabled him to feel for others, to know what they were going through. He was sensitive and understanding.

Certainly, the support of his family was precious and especially his relationship with his cousin Marie.

The awakening of God in our conscious self can sometimes make many twists and turns and God has the capacity to fashion his image within us through surprising means. It is also interesting to note that Charles because of the sequence of his life in a certain manner could be free from his own culture and background and even his education to embrace another culture. He could be open to what is new and different and appreciate new values

Exploration of Morocco: It was witnessing Muslims at prayer that really moved him and got him thinking again about God

The hospitality too that he received from both Jews and Muslims, often risking their life to save him because he was their guest, marked him profoundly. It was non-Christians that brought him back to God, those who were of another culture and religious background.

 think this is of great significance in our world of today. We need each other.

Conversion: Back in Paris his search continues. My God if you exist help me to know you

He encounters Father Huvelin who invites him to kneel down, to confess his sins and then receive the Eucharist. ‘As soon as I believed there was a God, I knew that I could not do otherwise than to live for him alone. My religious vocation dates from the same hour as my faith‘.

Nazareth: He fell in love with Jesus of Nazareth, with the mystery of the Incarnation

He joined the Trappists but finally he did not find what he was looking for. He witnessed while he was there the massacre of the Armenians by the Ottomans. It was a genocide. One day he is asked to go and pray at the bedside of a dying Armenian workman living just outside the monastery enclosure. He becomes aware of the inequality between these poor Armenian labourers and the protection given to the monks by the Turkish rulers because of their European nationality. It is another stepping stone on his journey. ‘I long for Nazareth’, he writes. He makes a concrete choice to identify with the poorest. He is seduced by the humility of God, the mystery of a God who chose the lowest place, whose friends were the little and the poor

So what does he mean by Nazareth? What is the Nazareth way?

It is giving value to the little things of life, finding God doing ordinary manual work sometimes heavy work which is the lot of so many people today, doing the less sort out jobs, finding God is the daily routine and not in a life of privilege, in the events of life that we take for granted… caring for a sick neighbour, a handicapped child, visiting an elderly person.

Pope Francis speaks of ‘the saint next door’. Jesus, Mary and Joseph spent 30 years in Nazareth being part of a small out of the way community. During these 30 years Jesus was also our Saviour.

Universal Brother: In Beni Abbes he built his simple brick dwelling near the Moroccan border

‘I want everyone, Muslims, Christians, Jews..to consider me as a brother a universal brother. They begin to call my house the fraternity and this makes me very happy. My apostolate is one of goodness’.

His idea was to have very small communities close to Jesus, present in the tabernacle, which would overflow with the love of Jesus. He wanted to be a brother to all people.

One human family: Yes, we are all one human family, all created in the image of God

If you turn on the news you mostly hear about wars and divisions among people or great injustices resulting in famine and hardship. Peace can only become a reality if every person on the planet is loved and respected and able to contribute their gifts.

Each one is unique in the eyes of God and dearly loved by him or her. We complete each other. Only when everyone is included will God’s kingdom come.

Thirst for Justice: Love for all and a sharing of life led him to thirst for justice

Charles spoke out against slavery in North Africa, which although illegal in most countries was still tolerated in North Africa. This theme of wanting to identify with the poorest marked every stage of his life. He emphasizes equality and reciprocity. At the end of his life there is a role reversal when his life is saved by the Tuareg during a time of severe drought and he is nearly dies of scurvy. They scour the territory to find a little goat’s milk which saved his life. Their generosity saved him. He is cared for by them.

Eucharist and Word

At different periods of his life Charles spends hours at the feet of Jesus in adoration and meditating on his word in the Gospels. But it is the same Jesus that he finds in the poorest, in every person who crosses his path

Tamanrasset

Charles leaves Beni Abbes to go down South to the Hoggar to live among the Tuareg. He becomes one of them. He learns their language; he makes a huge French Tamahac dictionary. He writes down their poetry, with great respect and love for their culture. He spends hours and hours on this task giving value to the history of a people.

At this time, it was the task for missionaries to go out and to convert a people.

Charles saw the value of living and sharing life. He made no converts. He carried the Church beyond its visible boundaries.

Charles loved the Tuareg to the end. As the war raged, he could have left to be a military chaplain but he stayed with the poorest who could not leave. His life illustrates how having no power, dying alone, with no visible results, no followers, no converts, no basilicas or institutions, being like Jesus on the cross, he is like the grain of wheat that has to die to bring forth fruit in abundance.

A whole spiritual family grew up after his death. Our task is to remain faithful and to be filled with Jesus so that he can work in and through us.

Companion and Guide: A sign of authenticity is his Joy

He wrote ‘My soul is always in Joy.’ Charles’ life can be summed up by two words – Jesus/Love. This is the essence of our faith and the beauty of human life – Love of God and Love of each other.



Please find this interesting youtube conversation about Brother Charles: To Be the Face of the Church: A Panel Discussion on Charles de Foucauld