Charles De Foucauld

by Jean-Jacques Antier, Julia Shirek Smith (Translator)

The popularity of Charles de Foucauld continues to spread around the globe as time goes on. Unknown during his lifetime as a solitary monk in the Sahara Desert, and assassinated by bandits in 1916, this former French playboy had a radical conversion to Christ that compelled him to live a deeply ascetical religious life that has had a great impact on the world since his death. This definitive biography by Jean-Jacques Antier, a renowned French author of more than 50 books, is the fruit of his exhaustive research on Foucauld's life, writings and correspondence. He was given access to the complete archive on the life of Foucauld from the Congregation of the Saints compiled for his beatification process. Antier also interviewed numerous witnesses resulting in a powerful, inspiring biography of this holy, 20th century figure, a "personality of fire".  Illustrated. "In seeking the true and the good, our contemporaries tend to prefer authentic and modest witnesses, symbols of the salvation of the human family. That was the intuition which guided Charles de Foucauld, a great man of God, who sought to show the Gospel in a hidden, laborious way, in the silence which God signifies his presence as if it were a gentle breeze."
—Pope John Paul II

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Biography

359 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1999

Reviews

[Paul LaGreca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated by the Lives of the Saints, and the haunting historical photos of Charles de Foucauld made him no exception. Curious about his life, I picked up Jean-Jacques Antier's heartfelt account. Without question, I understand this Saint of the desert in a deeper way. His prayer of abandonment says it all: "I abandon myself into Your hands; do with me what You will. Whatever You may do, I thank You: I am ready for all - I accept all." These words were lived to the fullest and ultimately ended in his murder in 1916 by the Saharan rezzous.

His example of humility, piety, utter devotion (even in the most dire of circumstances), and persistence in doing God's Will, resonates throughout the work. The reader cannot help but feel moved by his extraordinary life. While most would lament his tragic ending, they would also agree that his story ends in his glory; he was canonized a Saint for Pope Francis in 2021.

The writing of this book, however, can be challenging - the author is very emotional and the translation is often awkward. There are also huge "asides" that take the reader into politics and unnecessary detail. But don't let that discourage you. If you are interested in the life of Saint Charles de Foucauld, this can certainly be considered a definitive volume.

[Eapen Chacko · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first received this book in the mail, bought on the occasion of the canonization of Charles of Jesus in May 2022. This is a masterfully written biography, where the biographer does not crowd the stage. Rather, Charles De Foucauld himself emerges from the pages because the author deftly uses a vast archive of correspondence between Charles, his family, close friends, priests, bishops, and officials from the military and governments. With these M. Antier uses many other published resources, including the almost 400 page biography by Rene Bazin (1921) to add more support.

Charles came from a devout Catholic family which were long-time supporters of the faith, from the time of the Crusades through the tumultuous times of the French Revolution. His parents both died when Charles was young, and his maternal grandfather took responsibility for his care and upbringing. Charles had little interest in the faith, and his grandfather felt that enrolling in the renowned military academy at Saint-Cyr would be in keeping with the family heritage and good for his self-discipline. Although he completed his training and was a very adept cavalry rider and leader, Charles had other thoughts about living. Since his grandfather had passed away suddenly, he found himself with no paternal guidance, but with freedom and a large inheritance.

Charles became a real hedonist and womanizer, having at least two serious live-in relationships with women, all of which were unbecoming for a man of his background. Something else was always calling to Charles and he was easily bored, especially with formality and structure. So he decided to go off to Morocco, ruled by a king who had little real authority over such a vast and inhospitable land, which was controlled by warring tribes and organized bandits. Charles, along with one traveling companion, went on a mission to map the country!

All the tribes and bandits shared a common hatred of "ilfranj", the European Christian. Undeterred, Charles came up with a plan to disguise himself as an elderly Jewish rabbi. He learned Hebrew and Arabic in preparation, and he found a traveling companion, whom he paid to accompany him. He spent one year traveling the desert by camel, and taking detailed notes his route and markers. After his trip, these notes which provided details on theretofore unknown territories, were published as "Reconnaissance au Maroc," by the prestigious Geographical Society in Paris, which elected him a member.

Clearly, Charles had a robust physicality, great organizational skills, a facility for languages, and the fearless determination of great soldiers and explorers. With his wealth, family history and charisma, a life of fame, social prominence, and greater wealth were beckoning. Instead St. Charles De Foucauld became the wizened, toothless man in a ragged monk's robe who lived by choice on gruel, bread and water for most of his adult life. He slept a few hours a night, on the floor, when he was not praying alone in a makeshift chapel. How did this come to be?

Charles thought that he might draw closer to Jesus by living among Trappist monks in a monastery. The structure of monastic life bored him, and he felt that it was too comfortable and there wasn't enough time for prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament. So, he left. Then, his spiritual director suggested that he become a priest, because the combination of theology and learning with his austere lifestyle might attract people to the faith and deepen the faith of flaccid French Catholics.

Reluctantly, he went off to Rome to study and was very unhappy, not engaging with study without any ministry for several years. He left there also. As Charles speaks through his letters, I became reminded of Scripture passages. "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." Of course, if Charles wants to live his life in imitation of Christ, then he would not sleep on beds or in comfortable quarters! Charles knew from the life of St. Francis that the example of a person's life was often a better way to evangelize that with complicated words; so studying in Rome was not part of his call.

Fast forward the story, and St. Charles De Foucauld, by fits and starts, has heard his calling. Because of his perpetual fasting, simple diet, and preference for silence and contemplation, no brothers would want to join him, and so he becomes a hermit, with the approval of his bishop. In 1901, he begins life in a hermitage in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, near Beni Abbes, a crossroads for camel traffic between Morocco and Algeria. There is thought given to his evangelizing the Tuareg tribes.

Brother Charles begins to learn the Tuareg language, and using the backs of envelopes from his mail starts writing down words for a Tuareg-French dictionary to make for better relations between himself, the French Legion soldiers and the local people. Over time, he comes to realize that evangelizing this Sunni Islamic tribe, though not openly hostile, was not effective.

What was left then? The hermitage of Brother Charles had an open door for anyone to stop by, even if it interfered with his planned reading or contemplation. During this period, Italy, France, Britain and Egypt were dancing around each other thinking about territorial, colonial issues. Charles did take some trips to France for his own health and to get his family to increase their support in food and textiles to his mission. It was a dangerous time, even for a French priest who spoke Arabic and Tuareg and who was well regarded for the way treated everyone who visited the hermitage.

From 1905-1914, the hermit of the Tuareg has moved to more isolated area of southeastern Algeria called Le Hoggar, and Tamanrasset

[Mark Tedesco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am still reading this book. More later.
So far, the writing is distracting from the story.
Very badly written; partial sentences, exclamation points to show the author's shock, disconnected phrases.

The author, apparently, has a "fortress" mentality: Charles became an agonistic because he read the wrong type of books and didn't hang out with Catholics in his youth. The author seems to believe that people of faith, if they engage with the world, will lose their faith.

But I am interested in the figure of Charles de Foucauld, so I am continuing. About 1/3 through the books so far.

More later.

[Mark Tedesco · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like the book. It is a pietistic look at Charles de Foucauld that could be more grounded in history/research.
The figure it presents is not very appealing, in my opinion.
Basically, is presents Charles as someone who is starving himself to the point of being almost disabled, and is living in squalor. All this is presented as virtuous.

[K. P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

We need this now. fascinating life. A contemplative draw on the heart, daring us to love without visible reward.

[Shawn Minihan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Interesting read, especially in the context of psychology. Was he a madman, or was he a saint? Yes, yes he was.

[Fabrizio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Presupposto perché una biografia possa risultare più o meno interessante sono la vita e le opere del protagonista. Il libro di Jean Jacques Antier ci racconta della vita straordinaria di Charles De Foucauld vissuto dalla seconda metà dell’Ottocento fino al 1916 anno del suo martirio. Una vita in bilico tra santità, pazzia, ostinazione che lo hanno portato a vivere in mezzo agli ultimi nel deserto nordafricano. Divenuto santo per la chiesa cattolica nel 2022, De Foucauld ha dedicato tutta la sua vita alla disperata ricerca di integrazione tra popoli, costumi e religioni differenti. La sua esperienza rimane, a più di un secolo di distanza, un messaggio attualissimo delle difficoltà di dialogo tra le diverse civiltà che si affacciano sul mediterraneo.

[John Janaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blessed Charles de Foucauld's burning desire to follow Jesus by "taking the lowest place," by living and sharing the lives of the poorest, most forgotten, most destitute peoples, sowed the seed for the new evangelization of the 21st century. Today we are called especially to live in the deserts of the secular world with all its incomprehensible suffering, and recognize and love Jesus in persons who are starving for God's love and have never known Him. Blessed Charles gave himself to the end, never seeing the fruits of his sacrifice that have begun to bloom in the Church.

This is a good biography, though I recommend it primarily as a way of encountering Charles of Jesus, the "universal brother," and discovering the inexpressible charity that burns in the heart of the Church in the present epoch.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles was murdered in Africa in 1916 by the insurgents of that day. He sought solitude and a contemporary life something like Mother Teresa yet felt a call to serve those people in that land turned upside down. He went and was martyred. The book starts with his death and then goes back and talks of the man. It covers the time, the politics (Church and State) and way life was. "Charles of Jesus" was a totally dedicated brother to the Church, the people and most of all to God. There are not a lot like him around so the story is truly worth reading and the author does a good job. I probably should give it a higher rating because of the type of book it is it is very good.

[Matthew Villella · Rating 5 out of 5]

As hagiography goes, this book is fairly good. It gives as honest a portrayal of the man as facts reasonably support, it tries to fill in the gaps a little bit with some narration, but never goes too far, and it is mostly objective. We see Charles' conflict and struggles in a remarkably honest way. Charles was fairly extreme in his zeal, often naive in his expectations of others, and yet by the end of his life resigned to be God's invisible servant. He dreamed big and the only thing bigger was his love. The fact that this book is completely honest about Charles' flaws is important for our times. Saints are not perfect people, but rather ones who seek God in extraordinary ways.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is a man who lead quite an interesting and devout life, and left us with some incredibly beautiful writings on the nature of Christian faith. Tremendous.

[Erik]

Listed by Patrick Madrid in the Reading Plan of Search and Rescue in Phase 2 (Intermediate). ("inspiring account of a Frenchman who became a search-and-rescue apostle to Muslims in Northern Africa")

[Ephrem Arcement · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine introduction to the seeking spirit of this fascinating modern desert father. This isn't a straight-forward biography but a biography tending toward a re-imagined historical novel.