Latest News
New Book Release by Fr Martin: Witnessing to the Gospel in Algeria - Blessed Henri Vergès
We are delighted to share the news that a new book written in French by Fr Martin McGee, of our community, has been published today: Bienheureux Henri Vergès: Témoin de la Fraternité en Algérie. The book explores the life and witness of Blessed Henri Vergès, a Marist Brother and the first of the nineteen Algerian martyrs, who was assassinated in the Casbah of Algiers on 8th May, 1994.
All nineteen martyrs were beatified in Oran on December 8, 2018, in a moving ceremony attended by Algeria’s small Christian community and many Muslim friends. This spiritual biography was inspired by a remark from Mgr Henri Teissier, former Archbishop of Algiers, who described Br Henri as “someone who had lived a life of integrity and total fidelity.”
You can read more about the publication in this short article in English.
Fr Martin discussed how to meet Christ in daily life, drawing on the Rule of St. Benedict and the lives of the Algerian martyrs in his recent Lent Talk. His practical insights into integrating spirituality into everyday activities were both inspiring and enlightening. Fr. Martin concluded his talk with a clip from the award-winning film "Of Gods and Men". The film centres on a true story that took place at the monastery of Tibhirine, where nine Cistercian monks lived in harmony with the largely Muslim population of Algeria until seven of them were kidnapped and assassinated in 1996 during the Algerian Civil War. You can watch a recording of the talk online here.
