Jacques Fesch (April 6, 1930,

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint-Ge ...

– October 1, 1957,

La Santé Prison La Santé Prison (named after its location on the Rue de la Santé) (french: Maison d'arrêt de la Santé or ) is a prison operated by the French Prison Service of the Ministry of Justice located in the east of the Montparnasse district of the ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

) was the

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

er of a French police officer, who became such a devout

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

while in prison awaiting

execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the State (polity), state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to ...

that he has been proposed for beatification.

Early life

Fesch's father was a wealthy banker of

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

origin, an artist and

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, distant from his son. Jacques was a young aimless dreamer. Brought up a Roman Catholic, he abandoned religion by the age of 17, after his parents divorced. He was expelled from school for laziness and misconduct. At 21, he married his pregnant girlfriend Pierrette in a

civil ceremony A civil, or registrar, ceremony is a non-religious legal marriage ceremony performed by a government official or functionary. In the United Kingdom, this person is typically called a registrar. In the United States, civil ceremonies may be performed ...

. He gave up a position at his father's bank, lived the life of a playboy, left his wife and their daughter, and fathered an

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

son with another woman. Disillusioned with his life, he dreamed of escaping to sail around the

South Pacific Ocean South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

, but his parents refused to pay for a boat.Luxmoore, Jonathan. "Strange tale of France's saintly killer', ''OSV Newsweekly'', June 15, 2008
/ref>

Crime

On 24 February 1954, to fund the purchase of a boat, he went to rob Alexandre Silberstein, a

money changer A money changer is a person or organization whose business is the exchange of coins or currency of one country for that of another. This trade was a predecessor of modern banking. The advent of paper money in the mid-17th century and the develop ...

, of

gold coin A gold coin is a coin that is made mostly or entirely of gold. Most gold coins minted since 1800 are 90–92% gold (22karat), while most of today's gold bullion coins are pure gold, such as the Britannia, Canadian Maple Leaf, and American Buffa ...

s. Silberstein was struck but not unconscious, and raised the alarm. Fesch fled, losing his

glasses Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples or ...

, and shot wildly at Jean Vergne, a pursuing police officer, killing him. Minutes later he was arrested. Murdering a police officer was a heinous crime and public opinion, inflamed by newspaper reports, was strongly in favour of his execution. The

Cour d'assises In France, a ''cour d'assises'', or Court of Assizes or Assize Court, is a criminal trial court with original and appellate limited jurisdiction to hear cases involving defendants accused of felonies, meaning crimes as defined in French law. ...

of Paris condemned him to death on 6 April 1957.

Religious conversion

At first Fesch was indifferent to his plight and mocked his lawyer's Catholic faith whom he nicknamed : "the panther of God". However, after a year in prison, he experienced a profound religious conversion, became very pious, and bitterly regretted his crime. He corresponded regularly with his family, notably his brother and stepmother, and kept a spiritual

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

. He accepted his punishment serenely and was reconciled to his wife the night before his execution. His last journal entry was "In five hours, I will see

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

!". An appeal for

clemency A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

René Coty Jules Gustave René Coty (; 20 March 188222 November 1962) was President of France from 1954 to 1959. He was the second and last president of the Fourth French Republic. Early life and politics René Coty was born in Le Havre and studied at th ...

failed, and he was

guillotine A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at th ...

Legacy

After his death his wife and daughter honoured his memory as an example of redemption. At first he was excoriated by the public, but with the work of Soeur Véronique, a

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

nun, and Father Augustin-Michel Lemonnier, the family effected publication of his writings, and from the 1970s these served as an inspiration to many. On September 21, 1987 the

Archbishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Parisiensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Paris'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France ...

, Cardinal

Jean-Marie Lustiger Aron Jean-Marie Lustiger (; 17 September 1926 – 5 August 2007) was a French cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was Archbishop of Paris from 1981 until his resignation in 2005. He was made a cardinal in 1983 by Pope John Paul II. His lif ...

, opened a diocesan inquiry into his life; the cause for his

beatification Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...

was formally opened in 1993. This has proved controversial, with those who feel his early crimes make him unfitting as a role model opposed to those who emphasize the hope of his final conversion. His writings have often been quoted in Catholic publications. ol. 22, No.12, February 2021, p.253-254, Magnificat Yonkers, NY. "The Powerful Leaven of Grace"/ref> His personal journal and letters to his mother and brother are often about mystical or theological matters.

Theatrical plays about Fesch

The story of Jacques Fesch remains relatively unknown in France. However, inspired by the true events of this "murderer turned Christian," the students of Ss Cyril and Method High School in

Nitra Nitra (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia, situated at the foot of Zobor Mountain in the valley of the river Nitra. It is located 95 km east of Bratislava. With a population of about 78,353, it is the fifth la ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

, under the direction of Maria Marthe Galová, wrote and performed a theatrical play,
Spomeň si na mňa
(Remember Me), which is based on the life and conversion of Jacques.The play premiered on March 11, 2018, in the Andrej Bagar Theatre,

References

Books about Fesch

*(In Spanish): El reflejo de lo oscuro. By

Javier Sicilia Javier Sicilia (1956, Mexico City) is a Mexican poet, essayist, novelist, peace activist and journalist in Mexico. He contributes to various print media such as the Mexico City daily ''La Jornada'' and '' Proceso'' magazine. He was founder and dir ...

, FCE, Mexico, 1997, * (In French) Gilbert Collard «Assasaint : Jacques Fesch, l'histoire du bon larron moderne » (Editions Presses de la Renaissance)

Bibliography

*Translation: Light over the Scaffold and Cell 18: The Prison Letters of Jacques Fesch. Alba House, 1996. * *Translation: In five hours I will see Jesus (spiritual diary) of Jacques Fesch.

Association

* Association ''"Les Amis de Jacques Fesch"''. Website in French : https://web.archive.org/web/20130113034221/http://amisdejacquesfesch.fr/

General references

* republished on Catholic Education Resource Center * by Fr. Oliviero Bruno, Catholic Chaplain in Poggioreale Jail in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fesch, Jacques 1930 births 1957 deaths Executed writers French diarists French Christian mystics French religious writers French Roman Catholics Executed French people People executed for murder Roman Catholic mystics Roman Catholic writers Venerated Catholics People executed by France by decapitation People from Saint-Germain-en-Laye Executed people from Île-de-France 20th-century French writers 20th-century French male writers 20th-century Christian mystics French Servants of God French people of Belgian descent French male non-fiction writers 20th-century diarists