Pierre, Abbé (1912-2007), was a French social activist and Roman Catholic priest. He was the founder of Emmaus International, an organization that assists the poor and seeks to address the causes of poverty.
Abbé Pierre was born Henri-Antoine Grouès on Aug. 5, 1912, in Lyon, France. He was ordained a priest in 1938. At the start of World War II (1939-1945), he served briefly in the French army until he became ill. During his recovery, he worked as a chaplain at a hospital and later at an orphanage.
In 1942, Grouès became a member of the French resistance movement—French patriots who fought the Nazi German occupation forces in France during the war. His activities included helping Jews in France cross the border into Switzerland to escape Nazi persecution. It was during his time in the resistance that Grouès began using the name Abbé Pierre to conceal his identity from Nazi officials.
The Allies liberated France in 1944, but the destruction from the war left many people in France without proper housing. Beginning in 1945, Abbé Pierre served as a representative in the assembly that wrote France’s postwar constitution and then in the French Parliament. With funds from his salary, he began to establish neighborhoods for the homeless in France. He called the neighborhoods Emmaus communities, because the name represented hope for people in despair. According to the Bible, Emmaus was a village in Palestine where the resurrected Jesus Christ appeared to two of his disciples who were saddened over his Crucifixion. After their encounter with Jesus, the two disciples were filled with renewed hope.
After Abbé Pierre left Parliament in 1951, Emmaus communities supported themselves by picking through garbage and finding materials to sell or recycle. Based on this experience, Emmaus communities established a rule that they would sustain themselves primarily through their own work.
In the 1950’s, Abbé Pierre became known internationally for his efforts to help the poor in France. Emmaus communities now operate in more than 40 countries. Abbé Pierre died on Jan. 22, 2007.
