Charles de Foucauld

Paper Summary:

This paper is a biographical account of Charles de Foucald. It briefly recounts his childhood, his early adult years, and the adventurous life he lead before he became a religious mystic. The paper then looks at the effect time spent in Africa had on Foucald and how it later led to his spiritual conversion. His devotion to his religion, his beliefs, and his writings are also covered in this paper. Finally, the paper looks at the religious fraternities inspired by Foucald and how the members of these fraternities live their lives according to Foucald's tradition.

From the Paper:

"Charles Eugenie de Foucauld (1858 -1916) was a French Missionary in the Sahara who underwent a spiritual conversion in the desert. He was a religious mystic who followed the "negative" mode of spiritual awareness. This means that he reduced his self-importance or ego in the face of a complete devotion to God. This spiritual method is called "Via Negativa" and is well-suited to desolate areas such as deserts and involves a way of understanding God, stressing humility and supplication to Divine Will. His life and work, credited with being the inspiration of a religious group known as the Congregation of the Little Brothers of Jesus, continued the ancient tradition of Desert Spirituality into the 20th century."

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