Abbé Pierre’s “holy anger” drove him to fight for the rights of those sans-toit, without a roof over their heads. Take a moment to read about this great Frenchman, and thank you for sharing this post with a friend.
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TODAY’S WORD
le (la) sans-abri (sahns-ahbree) noun, masculine & feminine
: homeless person
“Sans-abri” means, literally, “without shelter”; les sans-abri = the homeless.
=> SDF (Sans Domicile Fixe) is also a term used for the homeless. Les SDF = The homeless
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A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE… by Kristin Espinasse
(This story is a re-run, in preparation for the next post…)
Day before yesterday, I watched and listened as the French mourned the death of their favorite personnage: l’Abbé Pierre, voted third greatest Frenchman after Charles de Gaulle and Louis Pasteur.
“Abbot Peter” was the short priest with the long beard, the white-haired legend in the black beret, the former Resistance fighter in a dark cape who now clutched a bleached wood cane.
Like his appearance, Abbé Pierre, who once broke his vow of chastity, yielding to the force of desire, was a man of contrasts. Humble and soft-spoken, he was driven by a “holy anger” and known for his passionate outbursts when speaking for the homeless. He once told Jean-Marie Le Pen to “shut up!” (Ta gueule!) after the president of the National Front implied that all of France’s ills stemmed from immigration.
His beliefs were sometimes unorthodox, as he felt that priests should be able to marry, that gays should be able to adopt, and that women should be able to be ordained. Above all, Abbé Pierre believed in the homeless and their unspeakable living conditions; caring for the sans-abri* would be his life’s mission.
While [ex] President Chirac was said to be bouleversé* by Abbé Pierre’s death, it was the thoughtful words of a homeless man that touched me the most as I listened to the midday news: “Sa mort, ça me fait plus mal que la morsure du froid,” his death, it hurts me more than frostbite.”
Frostbite and hunger were on Abbé Pierre’s agenda, made famous in 1954 when he stole into a radio station and demanded the microphone. It was a murderous winter for the homeless in Paris and an old woman had just been found frozen to death on the Boulevard de Sebastopol, an eviction notice still in her hand. Reaction to Abbé Pierre’s outcry was overwhelming and the French, both rich and poor, responded with blankets, coats, heaters and money as well as with rice, pasta, bread, chocolate and canned food. Charlie Chaplin (exiled in Paris at the time and made famous for his character the “Little Tramp”) handed over many thousands of francs, with the explanation “the money belongs to the vagabond I portrayed”.
It was in 1949 that Abbé Pierre founded the Emmaus Society with the idea to “travailler avec des pauvres pour des pauvres” to work with the poor for the poor. The poor that were to become his followers were also known as the “Ragpickers” by reason of the junk that they collected, organized and now sold in open-to-the-public warehouses throughout France. For this, Abbé Pierre was sometimes referred to as the “ragpickers’ saint”.
Activist for the poor for more than five decades, at 5:25 a.m. on January 22nd, at the age of 94, Abbe Pierre’s light went out, when he died in Paris after being hospitalized for a lung infection. The feisty yet humble Frenchman had requested that the following words be written on his tomb:
“Il a essayé d’aimer.” (“He Tried to Love.”)
COMMENTS
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Waiting for a hot meal in Paris. The sign says “Help us if you can.” To comment, click here.
FRENCH VOCABULARY
les sans-abri (mf) = the homeless
boulversé(e) = deeply upset
THE RACKPICKERS OF EMMAUS
The Abbé Pierre has tackled in France the problems of homeless people in a new way. First he bought a house and sheltered a few down-and-out men. Then he organized his ragpickers, combed the dust-bins and the dumps, and then the sewers, and sold the salvage. He bought land, put up huts; bought more land, till he had housed 180 families; the scheme is growing daily. He has now achieved a responsible community of workers in which the poor help the poor. This is not a sociological blueprint but a gripping human story of the lives he has saved.
AUDIO FILE
Listen to my daughter, Jackie, pronounce today’s word and read the French headlines — from the journal “l’Orient Le Jour” Download wav or Download mp3:
La mort de l’abbé Pierre, apôtre des sans-abri, bouleverse la France. The death of Abbot Pierre, apostle of the homeless, shatters France
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Vraiment une grande âme, une bougie qui a illuminé le monde.
Thanks, Kristi, for this story. I had always been on the point of looking up the man whose nice face looked out from the sign at Emmaus in Cabries. Please keep this blog alive, even if you have to reduce its frequency. It’s a format within which you have been able to flourish, even though I know you will need to find a different one in which to write about many, more personal, subjects on which you have only touched in these “pages.”
Kristy – thank you so much for this post – what a wonderful man, an example of a true humanitarian. May his light spread to the far corners of the world, and to the hearts of our calcified politicians and religious leaders.
He died January 22, 2007.
His words live.
Great story ; great man! You might enjoy also . . . . .
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5914183185974269714#editor/target=post;postID=1384643615164408780;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=9;src=postname
(Hope the link works)
He was a great man…hopefully, someone will follow in his footsteps.
Sandy
We all need to take up the cause of homelessness and help those less fortunate than us. There are always soup kitchens were one may volunteer and also donation centers where you can bring clothes and blankets, etc. In New Haven we have many homeless and one women and her family started bringing coats, blankets and food to the men and women and children at least once a week. Her children join her and she is teaching them how to “give and to help those less fortunate”.
There are many saints among us.
Kathleen
Thank you for reminding us of those who “try to love” like Abbe Pierre. Keep the blog going Kristi. You celebrate the beautiful persons and places we need to strengthen our hearts, something sadly missing from news and headlines. Bless your work!
..What a touching bio on this much loved Priest. The world needs a million like him more than ever right now! When I lived in Paris, the homeless in our ‘voisin’ would be regularly picked up by a bus and disappear for a week, then be returned to their’spot’ and they would be clean shaven, a haircut and clean clothes and bedding. I do not know why we cannot do the same for the homeless in America… it is a very civilized act of caring. Politicians , you are on notice! Judi Dunn, Tallahassee, Florida
J’ai fait une stage a Emmaus il y a quelques années. J’ai vécu a Pau. It is really a wonderful, amazing place to be. I met many good friends there. Que Dieu te bennisse, Abbe Pierre!
Thank you for this heartfelt post, Kristi. Toronto has been under many extreme cold alerts over the past couple of months, and we always worry about the homeless in the city. Thankfully, there are additional shelters that have been opened recently. Your post is an inspiration and a reminder to all of us to get up and do something for those in need.
Those of us who are more fortunate do often find it easy to ignore the needy ones among us. There are so many ways to help — donating money of course, but clothes, furniture, food, and time are just as important. If you are in France drop by an Emmaus “store” to see what wonders they accomplish. It’s truly amazing.
Thank you so much for this inspirational post. We need to be reminded how fortunate we are and how important it is to help those in need. Merci
We take things to Emmaus in Le Muy…Thank you for the rest of the story…
Kristi: a lovely story…a famous guy once said it is better to give than to receive..it really does set one free.
Thanks for the reminder of the homeless, Kristi. The weather in much of the country is so bad that no one could survive more than a short time. I fear for those who have nowhere to go.
May we all try to love…within our families and well beyond! Thank you for the touching story, Kristi. Please, please continue with this important outreach to all of us who love all things French!
Thank you for this, Kristi. I hadn’t heard of l’Abbé Pierre. How moving and humble what he wanted on his gravestone: “Il a essayé d’aimer.” Kaaren
An inspiring story…an exceptional man. And it seems that Pope Francis is carrying on Abbé Pierre’s legacy by embracing the same cause. If only everyone could respect the lives of others as these two have shown us.
Amen to all of the above! Joanne, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Here in lafayette, la., we have a “home” for the homeless as well as a soup kitchen for them.
Every town/city should have one!
Politicians? They have never made the poor and veterans a priority! Only the top 1%. It is up to us to make a difference in whatever way we can.
Thanks for this post.
Une histoire tres touchante! Merci pour toutes les contes que vous nous apportez, Kristi. Et les photos, etc. Vous avez un vrai don!
I wasn’t aware of l’Abbe Pierre or of Emmaus. Thanks for sharing him with your readers.
Is it boulverse ou bouleverse la France ?
Yes, where I live, winters are always cold and shelters for the homeless are a continuing topic. I was most proud of my own village when the local churches began to coordinate among each other to make shelters, and stop considering it someone else’s problem.
Abbé Pierre is a good inspiration.
Kristin:
A very moving post. When you think of all the treasure and talent that is wasted on the earth every day it’s sobering. I donate to a food pantry at my church but should do more.
What a wonderful man!
Edie from Savannah
I always learn something here. Merci, Kristin.
Hi Kristi,
Trying to love is something we all can do! Thanks for the post today!
Thank you, Kristin. We all need to be reminded periodically of how important it is to reach out to those less fortunate than ourselves.
Great story about Abbé Pierre and Emmaus. I used to go to the Emmaus outside of Laon, but never knew the story behind all the Emmaus locations. France has lost a remarkable man. Merci, Kristin for the background.
Thank you Kristi, I enjoyed reading up about Abbé Pierre-his life and passions. I live in Paris and often wonder about the people I see in the street begging. Where do they go at night? I have tried to find out but the ones I regularly come in contact with (one in particular I call The Rabbit Lady because she always has a little rabbit with her) feign ingorance when I try to find out where they stay.
Tthis is a heart-warming story and reflects the need for shelters for the homeless. However it is very incongruous that it should appear amongst ads for outrageously expensive vacation homes and such.
ABBÉ PIERRE, WILL LIVE FOR EVER IN OUR HEARTS, AS THE
SYMBOL OF LOVE AND CARE FOR THE LESS FORTUNATE. HE IS
MY HERO! MY INSPIRATION! TO CONTINUE FOLLOWING HIS
EXAMPLE. HE WENT DIRECTLY TO HEAVEN.
THANK YOU KRISTI.
MARTI
This is the first I have heard of this man. What an inspiration, especially considering the state of our world today! Un grand merci.
Our dear Kristi,
Thank you for this wonderful and moving story.It is not only a real inspiration to know that such people exist,but also for us to attempt during our lifetimes (for lack of a better description)unending random acts of kindness for others.
Thank You!
Love
Natalia XO
Thanks for the great memorial