Blessed Henri Verges was born on July 15 1930 in Matemale, Pyrénées-Orientales, France and died as a martyr on May 8 1994 at the age of 64 in Algiers, Algeria. We celebrate his feast day on May 8 every year in the Catholic Church.
Blessed Henri Vergès Biography |
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| Date of Birth | July 15 1930 |
|---|---|
| Place of Birth | Matemale, Pyrénées-Orientales, France |
| Profession | School teacher |
| Place of Work | Algiers, Algeria |
| Date of Death | May 8 1994 |
| Place of Death | Algiers, Algeria |
| Feast Day | May 8 |
| Beatification | Beatified by Pope Francis on 8 December 2018 |
Blessed’s Life History
Blessed Henri Vergès was born in France in 1930, in Matemale, Pyrénées-Orientales, France. He worked in Algeria from 1969 until his death in 1994, first as a teacher, and then as a librarian. Besides his ministry to young people, he was a very active member of Ribât al-Salaam, an Algerian organization that promotes dialogue and reconciliation between Christians and Muslims. Vergès ran a library in Algiers from 1988 to 1994, along with Sr. Paul Hélène, a French nun of the Little Sister of the Assumption.
In 1991, the Algerian Civil War broke out, in which fifty thousand people killed over ten years. During this time, Bl. Henri’s library was filled with children and young people every day, for whom the library was a safe place and a refuge from the chaos in the country.
Despite the violence, Bl. Henri and Sr. Paul Hélène stayed in Algiers to continue their ministry. On May 8, 1994, they were both gunned down in the library by the GIA, a militant Islamist group. The funeral Mass celebrated at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa and buried in Algiers on 12 May 1994.
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