FOUCAULD CHARLES DE: (1858-1916) Foucauld was a former cavalry Officer in the French army, he ...

FOUCAULD CHARLES DE: (1858-1916) Foucauld was a former cavalry Officer in the French army, he would later become an Explorer, and finally a Catholic Priest. Foucauld lived as a hermit, among the Tuareg in the Algerian Sahara. In 1916 Foucauld was assassinated and is considered by the Catholic Church a martyr. The Little Brothers of Jesus were found after him. An excellent and rare A.L.S., `Ch. de Jes´ to the conclusion, also signing `Charles de Foucauld´ twice, and `Charles de Jésus´ to the last part of his letter, two pages, grid paper, 4to, Insalah, Algeria, 1st October 1906, to Abbott Caron, in French. To the upper left corner of the letter, Foucauld annotates `Jesus + [sketch of a heart] Caritas´, and refers to his proposals of preaching the Gospel with the natives, stating `...Quelle serait, dites-vous, la vie d´´ un prêtre avec moi? L´évangélisation directe est impossible en ce moment: la seule vie possible est celle de Nazareth, dans la pauvreté, l´abjection, toutes les humillations, l´adoration, des travaux manuels ou intellectuels ou mélangés selon les personnes, selon les nécessités et les possibilités... Une sorte de vie de trappiste avec plus d´adoration... Vie de Jésus à Nazareth, en pays infidèle et difficile... Il y a des relations avec les indigènes, et nombreuses, mais n´ayant pour but présentement que de les apprivoiser...´ (Translation: "What, you say, would be the life of a priest with me? Direct evangelization is impossible at this time: the only possible life is that of Nazareth, in poverty, abjection, all humiliations, adoration, manual or intellectual work or mixed according to the people, according to the needs and the possibilities... A sort of trappist life with more adoration... Life of Jesus in Nazareth, in an unfaithful and difficult country... There are relationships with the natives, and numerous, but only having the goal currently to tame them...") Further, Foulcaud makes a very interesting comment, saying `Je serai à Beni Abbes vers le 25 Octobre... J´y passerai peu de temps, puis je retournerai chez les Touaregs... Ayez la bonté de m´écrire toujours Mr. Charles de Foucauld et non "Charles de Jesus", afin de moins attirer l´attention... Les lettres peuvent être lues, le temps où nous vivons est comme celui des 1ers jours de l´Eglise...´ (Translation: "I will be in Beni Abbes around October 25th... I will spend a short time there, then I will return with the Tuaregs... Please always write to me Mr. Charles de Foucauld and not "Charles de Jesus", in order to attract less attention... The letters can be read, the time in which we live is like that of the first days of the Church...") VG

Max Caron was a French Canon, the Superior of the Versailles seminar, and author of multiple works such as Jesus Adolescent, a work which the Poor Clare sisters showed to Foucauld who was enthousiastic with the discovery. Caron´s works strongly influenced Foucauld.