30th of November 2025 on the eve of the liturgical memorial of Saint Charles de Foucauld, as celebrated on December 1st the memorial of his “birth into heaven” on December 1, 1916, the Fraternity of the Little Brothers of Hospitality donated an original icon of the saint to the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rome. This symbolic gesture, performed on the first Sunday of Advent, reaffirmed the profound spiritual bond between the saint and the shrine, where Charles de Foucauld consecrated himself to Mary on November 8, 1896.
During the icon’s giving ceremony, Brother Biagio Graziano, Prior General of the Fraternity, recalled how Charles de Foucauld, during a period of inner suffering and discernment, had sought refuge under the protection of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. While visiting the church of Saint Alphonsus in Rome, the saint renewed his dedication to Mary with a prayer of consecration. Brother Biagio quoted an excerpt from the letter Charles de Foucauld wrote to Father Jerome: “I remembered the heart of the Mother of Perpetual Help and entrusted myself to her as her son, as her property.”
Father Gianni Congiu, CSsR, the rector of the Church of Sant’Alfonso and the sanctuary, welcomed the icon and, in his homily, emphasized the timeliness of the message of Saint Charles de Foucauld: “His figure is an actualization of the words of Isaiah, who invites us to hope for a new world, without weapons, where swords become ploughshares and spears become pruning hooks.”
This admonition resonates with particular force in a time marked by tension and conflict, inviting the faithful to seek the Lord’s closeness during Advent.
The image, now kept in the sanctuary, represents a tangible sign of the spirituality of Saint Charles de Foucauld and his connection with Our Lady of Perpetual Help. It is a gesture that unites past and present, inviting everyone to live their faith with courage and hope, following the example of the saint who entrusted himself completely to Mary and Jesus.
The Fraternity of the Little Brothers of Welcoming is a religious community inspired by the spirituality of Saint Charles de Foucauld. Its members live a simple and welcoming fraternity, founded on prayer, communion, and apostolate. Their mission is to be “leaven in the dough”: through a hidden, humble, and contemplative life, they bear witness to God’s love among the poorest and most marginalized, living in trusting abandonment to the Father and unconditional acceptance of each person, as a sign of universal brotherhood.
Scala News
Watch the handing over of the Icon for the given link – video on the sanctuary’s YouTube channel
