He’d been a wealthy, dissolute French army officer before his conversion in 1886. After his death, his writings inspired several religious families, the Little Brothers and Little Sisters of Jesus among them. He was canonized in 2022. December 1 also remembers St Edmund Campion, the English Jesuit martyred at Tyburn in 1581.
Historical Context
A December 1 Prayer
Lord, as December begins and Advent opens,
I want to make room for you.
Like St Charles, help me live hidden and faithful,
loving the people around me without needing to be noticed.
Like St Edmund, give me courage to stand for the truth.
Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen.
From St Charles de Foucauld’s Prayer of Abandonment
Father, 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.
Let only your will be done in me.
For World AIDS Day
Lord, be with everyone living with HIV,
with the families who have lost loved ones to AIDS,
and with the doctors and researchers working for a cure.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer
- On 1 December.
- When lighting the first Advent candle.
- When you feel your work is unseen.
Scripture Connection
“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” — John 12:24
Charles de Foucauld died alone, with no followers. His fruit came later, in thousands of lives he never saw. Advent is a season for that kind of hidden hope.
Related prayers
For his full prayer, see the Prayer of Abandonment. For the month, the December Prayer Guide. For St Andrew, whose feast is the day before, the St Andrew Prayer.