On Wednesday 27th April, a meeting about the spirituality of Charles de Foucauld was organised for the Seminary community. The meeting was addressed by Fr Alex Cauchi, a member of the Gozitan Priestly Fraternity of Charles de Foucauld.
Fr Cauchi started with a brief note about the life of the saintly priest. He mentioned that Charles de Foucauld was a cavalry officer in the French Army, then an explorer and geographer, and finally, a Catholic priest and hermit who lived among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. De Foucauld was born on 15th September 1858 and died through assassination on the 1st December 1916. His inspiration and writings led to the founding of the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Little Sisters of the Poor, among other religious congregations.
Fr Cauchi continued the meeting with a personal note, sharing his encounter with the spirituality of de Foucauld. He also told the Seminarians about the Gozitan Priestly Fraternity of Charles de Foucauld and emphasised how important it is for priests to have fraternal moments with other priests.
Charles de Foucauld is considered by many faithful to be a martyr. His beatification process started in 1927, eleven years after his death. He was declared Venerable on 24th April 2001 by Pope John Paul II, then Blessed on 13th November 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI. On 27th May 2020, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis would declare de Foucauld a saint on 15th May 2022.
