“Irregular Men”
The Journey of a Man, from Legionnaire to Priest
Published in 2006, this book by Étienne de Montety, then deputy editor of Figaro Magazine, is the result of three years of research with former members of the French Foreign Legion. Through thirteen unique stories, it recounts the rupture, the ordeal, and the rebuilding. Often from elsewhere, these men remind us that nothing is ever truly over.
In this Christmas season, conducive to reflection, it seemed fitting to evoke one of them, whose journey is profoundly human: Father Jorge Saavedra.
In this article, Christian recounts with simplicity his encounter with this discreet man, whose spiritual path, shaped by trials and decisive encounters, finds its light at the very heart of the French Foreign Legion.
Louis Perez y Cid
A Man's Journey, from Legionnaire to Priest
Collected by Christian Morisot
As Director of the Foreign Legion Veterans' Home, I found myself in a very delicate situation: I had no priest to officiate at the funeral of one of our residents who had recently passed away.
From memory, I knew that a priest, a former legionnaire, was in Aix-en-Provence. It was noted that he was a very discreet man who lived in a small attic apartment near the cathedral.
Thus, responding to my request, I met Father Jorge Saavedra, who agreed to celebrate this religious tribute to our veteran in the Institution's chapel.
Afterwards, the opportunity arose to get to know each other better.
Among other discoveries, I learned that he was of Chilean origin, that his father was a diplomat, which gave him the opportunity to travel to many capitals around the world. When World War II broke out, Jorge was not yet ten years old. At the end of the war, his father, now an ambassador, was transferred to Bolivia. It was there that he discovered the vast diversity of a very wealthy ruling class that reigned over a country where the majority of the inhabitants were poor people living in extreme poverty, which Jorge found almost unbearable.
At twenty, he had little purpose in life. His father enrolled him at university in Washington. As a student on American soil, he was called up to go to Korea. The idea of fighting appealed to him, but his father opposed it and intervened with the American authorities, managing to cancel his son's departure for the war. Jorge took this intervention by his father very badly and put an ocean between himself and his family by setting sail for Europe.
His desire to break with the world was deeply ingrained; he returned to Latin America, refused to see his family again, and settled on an experimental farm in the Amazon. Very quickly, he glimpsed the limitations of such a project and flew back to France, a country he longed for. And so, on Christmas Day, he presented himself at Fort Saint-Nicolas in Marseille to enlist in the French Foreign Legion. Somewhat adrift, he yearned to find discipline to overcome his weakness and uncertainty; this time, he could no longer back out.
Initially, he was assigned to the 1st Foreign Regiment in Sidi Bel Abbès, the Legion's stronghold in Algeria.
Jorge is thirty years old and thrives in this vibrant world where diverse cultures and unexpected life experiences intersect. He is grateful to the Legion for its discreet welcome, which he received as if he had been understood. Sober and conscientious, he is highly regarded and well-liked. He lives like a monk without God, in profound solitude, and it is quite natural that he frequents the Sidi Bel Abbès municipal library assiduously. It is there that he meets a highly cultured Algerian who advises him to read Simone Weil's "Waiting for God." A week later, without having read the book, he learns that the man who had become his friend has just been murdered. Violence and hatred have claimed the life of a cultured, Francophile man. Deeply moved, Jorge began to leaf through the book. It was a shock, an encounter with a fervent spirit, enamored of truth: “While the very name of God had no place in my thoughts, I held, with regard to the problems of this world and this life, the Christian conception in an explicit, rigorous way.” Jorge was profoundly moved; these words were devoured by him with great fervor, eager to share the young philosopher's quest. Images of his past came back to him: a white church, a child kneeling; a warmth washed over him. The faith of his childhood returned with a vengeance. In October 1962, the 1st Foreign Legion left Bel Abbès to settle in Aubagne. This was a turning point for Jorge and the Legion. It was also an opportunity for him to discover Saint Augustine's “Confessions,” “The Introduction to the devout" of Saint Francis de Sales, the works of Fénelon. In the "Viénot" district of Aubagne, his fellow legionnaires wondered about this comrade who lived like an anchorite.
Jorge had decided to dedicate his life to God.
He would undertake his first retreat as a convert with the Benedictine monks of Ligugé.
Jorge was thirty-five years old and had already lived a full life.
Ordained a priest in 1970, Father Saavedra was appointed parish priest in Gardanne.
Some time ago, after years without contact with the Legion, Jorge was invited to a Mass for Camerone Day. It was with great emotion that he thus reconnected with this world, and through the institution of the Invalides of Puyloubier, where I received him. This was an opportunity for him to emphasize and speak of: “these faces marked by illness, suffering, sometimes alcohol, these joyless gazes barely brightened by the circumstances of the Nativity…” He was deeply moved. That day, he spoke to them about Christ, about joy, about hope, and told them that it was they who, on Christmas Day, had given meaning to his life.
Note: My friend, retired Commander Peter Kathan, whom I met many times and who remains forever an example for many of us. In his later years, Peter, in a different way than Jorge did, converted to Catholicism and dedicated the end of his life to God.
As Director of the Foreign Legion Veterans' Home, I found myself in a very delicate situation: I had no priest to officiate at the funeral of one of our residents who had recently passed away.
From memory, I knew that a priest, a former legionnaire, was in Aix-en-Provence. It was noted that he was a very discreet man who lived in a small attic apartment near the cathedral.
Thus, responding to my request, I met Father Jorge Saavedra, who agreed to celebrate this religious tribute to our veteran in the Institution's chapel.
Afterwards, the opportunity arose to get to know each other better.
Among other discoveries, I learned that he was of Chilean origin, that his father was a diplomat, which gave him the opportunity to travel to many capitals around the world. When World War II broke out, Jorge was not yet ten years old. At the end of the war, his father, now an ambassador, was transferred to Bolivia. It was there that he discovered the vast diversity of a very wealthy ruling class that reigned over a country where the majority of the inhabitants were poor people living in extreme poverty, which Jorge found almost unbearable.
At twenty, he had little purpose in life. His father enrolled him at university in Washington. As a student on American soil, he was called up to go to Korea. The idea of fighting appealed to him, but his father opposed it and intervened with the American authorities, managing to cancel his son's departure for the war. Jorge took this intervention by his father very badly and put an ocean between himself and his family by setting sail for Europe.
His desire to break with the world was deeply ingrained; he returned to Latin America, refused to see his family again, and settled on an experimental farm in the Amazon. Very quickly, he glimpsed the limitations of such a project and flew back to France, a country he longed for. And so, on Christmas Day, he presented himself at Fort Saint-Nicolas in Marseille to enlist in the French Foreign Legion. Somewhat adrift, he yearned to find discipline to overcome his weakness and uncertainty; this time, he could no longer back out.
Initially, he was assigned to the 1st Foreign Regiment in Sidi Bel Abbès, the Legion's stronghold in Algeria.
Jorge is thirty years old and thrives in this vibrant world where diverse cultures and unexpected life experiences intersect. He is grateful to the Legion for its discreet welcome, which he received as if he had been understood. Sober and conscientious, he is highly regarded and well-liked. He lives like a monk without God, in profound solitude, and it is quite natural that he frequents the Sidi Bel Abbès municipal library assiduously. It is there that he meets a highly cultured Algerian who advises him to read Simone Weil's "Waiting for God." A week later, without having read the book, he learns that the man who had become his friend has just been murdered. Violence and hatred have claimed the life of a cultured, Francophile man. Deeply moved, Jorge began to leaf through the book. It was a shock, an encounter with a fervent spirit, enamored of truth: “While the very name of God had no place in my thoughts, I held, with regard to the problems of this world and this life, the Christian conception in an explicit, rigorous way.” Jorge was profoundly moved; these words were devoured by him with great fervor, eager to share the young philosopher's quest. Images of his past came back to him: a white church, a child kneeling; a warmth washed over him. The faith of his childhood returned with a vengeance. In October 1962, the 1st Foreign Legion left Bel Abbès to settle in Aubagne. This was a turning point for Jorge and the Legion. It was also an opportunity for him to discover Saint Augustine's “Confessions,” “The Introduction to the devout" of Saint Francis de Sales, the works of Fénelon. In the "Viénot" district of Aubagne, his fellow legionnaires wondered about this comrade who lived like an anchorite.
Jorge had decided to dedicate his life to God.
He would undertake his first retreat as a convert with the Benedictine monks of Ligugé.
Jorge was thirty-five years old and had already lived a full life.
Ordained a priest in 1970, Father Saavedra was appointed parish priest in Gardanne.
Some time ago, after years without contact with the Legion, Jorge was invited to a Mass for Camerone Day. It was with great emotion that he thus reconnected with this world, and through the institution of the Invalides of Puyloubier, where I received him. This was an opportunity for him to emphasize and speak of: “these faces marked by illness, suffering, sometimes alcohol, these joyless gazes barely brightened by the circumstances of the Nativity…” He was deeply moved. That day, he spoke to them about Christ, about joy, about hope, and told them that it was they who, on Christmas Day, had given meaning to his life.
Note: My friend, retired Commander Peter Kathan, whom I met many times and who remains forever an example for many of us. In his later years, Peter, in a different way than Jorge did, converted to Catholicism and dedicated the end of his life to God.