René Voillaume (born 19 July 1905 in
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
; died 13 May 2003 in
Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...
) was a French
Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...
, theologian and founder of the
Little Brothers of Jesus in 1933, the
Little Brothers of the Gospel in 1956, and the in 1963. His spirituality is inspired by the life and writings of saint
Charles de Foucauld.
At sixteen, Voillaume read a biography of Charles de Foucauld by
René Bazin which changed his life. In 1923 he entered the Seminary of Saint Sulpice in Issy les Moulineaux near Paris and studied philosophy for two years before joining the
White Fathers at Maison Carree, Algiers.
[Charles de Foucauld website, ''The Pathway of Prayer'', by Jose Maria, page 11]
/ref>
He was ordained a priest on June 29, 1929; he then studied a doctorate in theology under the direction of Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange
Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language meaning "king".
Etymology and history
The name Reginald comes from Latin meaning "king" and "ruler" symbolizing authority and leadership. It comes from combining Latin “ rex” meaning ...
for two years.Sahara
The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
(then a French colony) in El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment[Jesus Caritas
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...]
, a secular women's institute present today on five continents. He also helped Magdeleine of Jesus in the consolidation of the Little Sisters of Jesus
The Little Sisters of Jesus are a community of Catholic religious sisters. Inspired by the life and writings of Charles de Foucauld, they were founded by Little Sister Magdeleine of Jesus (Madeleine Hutin).
Little Sister Magdeleine of Jesus ...
and celebrated her funeral in November 1989 in Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
.
Voillaume was also the author of ''Contemplation today'', in which he wrote: "''All the great Christian contemplatives are unanimous in their testimony: whatever the spiritual path, union with God is perceived by them as real, a more existential reality, more solid, more full of being and certainty than any other experience of the physical world. In this sense, it is true to say that contemplatives are the most realistic of men.''"
Family
His sister Marguerite became a White Sister in 1921.
Writings
* ''Retraite au Vatican'', Paris, Fayard, 1969, 277 p.
* ''Concerning Religious Life'', Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, 1975.
* ''Mitten in der Welt. Charles de Foucauld und seine Kleinen Brüder.'', Freiburg, Herder Verlag, 1960.
* ''The Need for Contemplation'', Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, 1972.
* ''Faith and Contemplation'', Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, 1974.ABE Books website, ''René Voillaume''
/ref>
* ''Christian Vocation'', Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, 1973.
* ''Living God'', Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, 1980.
* ''La Contemplation aujourd'hui'', Paris, Foi vivante, 1979.
* ''Brothers of Men'', Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, 1966.
* ''Silent pilgrimage to God: The spirituality of Charles de Foucauld'', Orbis Books, 1975
* ''The Truth Will Make You Free: Letters to the Little Brothers''
* ''L'Éternel vivant'', Le Cerf, 1978
* ''Source of Life: Eucharist and Christian Living'', Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, 1976
* ''Au cœur des masses : La vie religieuse des Petits Frères du père de Foucauld.'', éditions du Cerf, 1952
* ''Follow Me: The Call to the Religious Life Today'', Darton, Longman and Todd, 1978
* ''À la suite de Jésus'', Les Éditions du Cerf, 1965
* ''Truth Will Make You Free'', Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd, 1976
* ''Zeugnis für Christus in Armut'', Freiburg, Herder Verlag, 1964
* ''Botschaft vom Wege. Briefe weltnaher Bruderliebe.'', Freiburg, Herder Verlag, 1962
* ''Pregare per vivere'', San Paolo Edizioni, 2007
Notes
External links
*Father Jose Maria Recond
The Pathway Of Prayer
In The Life And Writings of René Voillaume
{{DEFAULTSORT:Voillaume, Rene
French Roman Catholic priests
1905 births
2003 deaths