Like a palm tree. Blessed Brother Henri Vergès
Read more about Br. Henri Vergès
« Comme un palmier. Bienheureux Frère Henri Vergès » (“Like a palm tree. Blessed Brother Henri Vergès”) is a book written by Br. Georges Cellier, in tribute to Br. Henri, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of his assassination in Algiers, on May 8, 1994. In the book, Brother Georges Cellier, from the community of Aubenas in the Province of l’Hermitage, collects memories of the years spent with Brother Henri, in France.
The book was recently presented, on the occasion of the meetings of the community superiors of the Hermitage Province, in Llinars del Vallès and in Notre-Dame de L’Hermitage.
Brother Henri Vergés, together with Sister Paul-Hélène SaintRaymond, an Assumptionist, was murdered on May 8, 1994, a Sunday afternoon, in Algeria, after 25 years of service. He was beatified on December 8, 2018, along with other martyrs who gave their lives in Algeria. Find more information and resources about Brother Henri Vergés, at this link.
We transcribe below the book’s presentation text by Br. Alain Delorme
“The Saints just have to be, their existence is a calling”
This conviction of the philosopher Henri Bergson is confirmed by the testimony of Brother Georges Cellier who, in his book, evokes some memories of his experience with Blessed Henri Vergès.
For six years, Brother Georges was his disciple-companion, and what his proximity reveals makes us think of the source from which an ever-new spiritual water flows.
According to Saint Gregory of Nyssa (Life of Moses), “Spiritual life never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end.”
This book appears at the right time, when the Church will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the death of the 19 martyrs of Algeria, on May 8.
May their lives, given to God and others, be an encouragement to follow Jesus, the only model.
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Brother Alain Delorme, Saint Paul-3-Châteaux, January 2024
