L abbe pierre biography for kids

Abbe Pierre  (1912-2007) – Inspirational French humanitarian.

Abbe Pierre, who was repeatedly voted France’s most popular man, was a humanitarian known for his work with the homeless.

He was born into a prosperous and devout Catholic family in Lyon on 5th August 1912.

His name at birth was Henri Grouès; From an early age, he was inspired to follow a religious life and in 1930 joined the Capuchin monks. He stayed for eight years but, partly due to ill health, he struggled with the disciplined and ascetic life.

Therefore, he left and became a priest in Grenoble.

L abbe pierre biography for kids pictures

In 1942, he joined the resistance and helped to hide Jewish members of the community from the Nazi’s and Vichy police. Eventually, he was arrested, but he managed to escape and fled to North Africa to join the Free French led by Charles de Gaulle.

In the post-war period, Abbe Pierre became a member of France’s national assembly but felt he was able to achieve very little.

Therefore, he decided to leave and set