The Priestly Fraternity of Jesus Caritas has a history rich in evangelical names and dreams. From its beginnings under the leadership of René Voillaume in the abbey of Boquen (France) under the name of La Unión (The Union) to the date on which the 12th international meeting has just been held, seventy years of preparation for the Second Vatican Council and sixty post-conciliar years have passed, living the Gospel with the radicalism of the witness and seeker of truth that Saint Charles de Foucauld was in his time.
It is a matter of gratitude to remember Bishop Guy Riobé, the first General Leader, who, together with Pierre Cimitierre, Secretary General, took the first steps with the advice of René Voillaume. These were historic moments full of hope that saw their expression in the international assemblies of the so-called Iesus Caritas Fraternity of Priests and the proposals for the service of coordination and animation of the various regional assemblies that were emerging throughout the world:
1st. Palestine 1962 (Guy Riobé, France);
2nd. Lourdes 1965 (Pierre Loubier, France);
3rd. Lourdes 1970 (Peter Hunemann, Germany);
4th. Montefiolo 1976 (Jacques Leclerc, Canada);
5th. Algiers 1982 (Responsible: Gunther Lendbradl, Germany);
6th. Santo Domingo 1988 (Responsible: Tony Philpot, England);
8th. Cairo 2000 (Responsible: Mariano Puga, Chile);
9th. Sao Paulo 2006 (Responsible: Abraham Apolinario, Dominican Republic);
10th. Paris 2012 (Responsible: Aurelio Sanz, Spain);
11th. Cebu 2019 (Responsible: Eric Lozada, Philippines);
12th. Buenos Aires 2025 (Responsible: Carlos Roberto dos Santos, Brazil).
The fraternity is made up of diocesan priests, who are under the obedience of their bishop, usually in parishes. They form local fraternities that meet monthly to pray and review their lives. Their spirituality is based on the search for Jesus and their friendship with him, in line with the intuitions of Saint Charles de Foucauld, and has five fundamental axes: the spirit of Nazareth, the option and commitment to the poorest, adoration, the monthly day of desert, and the review of life in fraternity. They must observe the Month of Nazareth at least once in their lives.
The priestly fraternity is in coordination with the various fraternities that make up the spiritual family of Saint Charles de Foucauld, and in communion with the Pope and the universal Church.
The local, national, continental, and international leaders coordinate the development of the fraternities, without a hierarchical structure.
Currently, there are approximately four thousand priests in the Fraternity, dedicated to parishes, the peripheries, humble places, human development projects, prisons, and hospitals. They are always attentive to what the Gospel asks of us and eager to be at the bottom of the pile, as Saint Charles de Foucauld inspired us to be.
