Blessed Charles de Foucauld

Charles Eugenie de Foucauld was born in France in 1858. In 1890 he joined the Trappists, and was sent to study in Rome. But after three months it became obvious that his heart, head and spirit were elsewhere, and he was released from his vows. He made multiple pilgrimages through the Holy Lands on foot before returning to France to study for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1901, and moved to the Oran region near Morocco to establish a base and found an order to evangelize Morocco. He translated the Gospels into the language of the Tauregs, translated Taureg poetry to French, and spent years compiling a Taureg lexicon. In 1909 he founded the Union of Brothers and Sisters of the Sacred Heart to evangelize the French colonies in Africa.

He was killed in 1916 when caught in combat between French forces and Arab insurrectionists. He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on November 13, 2005, and is considered a martyr of the Church.