From the desk of the Tar Heel disciple:
May 7, 2026, 2026 (#96)
The Servant of God Jacques Fesch (1930-1957)
Of all the characters in the various accounts of the Passion of Jesus Christ, among the most surprising figures is the one we now refer to as St. Dismas. Unlike the Gospels of Matthew and Mark in which the two thieves crucified with Christ show no sign of repentance, but rather insult Jesus along with the bystanders, in the Gospel of Luke (chapter 23), the “Good Thief” rebukes the other thief for his mockery of Jesus and then, turning to the Lord himself, asks, “Jesus, remember me, when you come into your Kingdom.” He then receives the gifts of mercy, forgiveness, and eternal life as Jesus replies, “I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” No more important prayer could be uttered by any believer facing death, nor receive a more hopeful and joyful response.
The story of a modern Dismas is becoming better known. The helpful worship aid, Magnificat, which usually includes a daily excerpt from one of the saints or recognized spiritual masters, from time to time includes an excerpt from the letters of a man who in 1957 was awaiting execution in a French prison, Jacques Fesch. During a bungled robbery attempt and subsequent effort to escape, he shot and killed a French police officer. At the time he was 24 years old. He was guillotined on October 1,1957, at the age of 27.
His father was an atheist banker. His parents divorced. He was a womanizer who married his pregnant girlfriend at the age of 21. Within about a year, they separated. He then fathered another child with another woman. That child was put into foster care. After his arrest, he initially showed no interest in religion. Today, his cause for canonization was opened in Paris in 1987 and concluded in 1992, when the documentation was sent to the Holy See, where it is apparently still under consideration.
The story of his dramatic and perhaps miraculous conversion is seen in the pages of his prison diary and of the many letters that he wrote during the time he was incarcerated prior to his execution. They are worth reading. They are a witness to God’s transformative love and mercy in the life of a repentant sinner. Dismas and Jacques demonstrate that God never gives up on us, and that He rejoices in our acceptance of His love.
For the writings of Jacques Fesch, see:
Light over the Scaffold: Prison Letters of Jacques Fesch and Cell 18: Unedited Letters of Jacques Fesch, published in one volume, by the Society of St. Paul, 1996.
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