Jacob Libermann was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Saverne, Alsace, France in 1802. As a young man, Libermann prepared to follow in the footsteps of his father, the Chief Rabbi of Saverne. He would later relate how he lost his faith in Judaism after entering a yeshiva. Treated with disdain by two of the professors there, he began to read French literature, especially Rousseau, with the result that he became an agnostic. Later during this period of agnosticism, another rabbinical student gave him a Hebrew translation of the Gospels. Being always a very moral person, Libermann was captivated by the high moral tone of Jesus' discourses, though he could not accept the supernatural elements in the Gospels. Then, however, he received three blows to his agnosticism when two of his brothers, to whom he was very attached, and an old friend and former fellow student, Knight Drach, converted to Roman Catholicism. He, too, began to find himself drawn toward the Catholic Church. After arriving in Paris, where his father had sent him to pursue his studies, he made his decision and Jacob Libermann was baptized on 24 December 1826, taking the name François Marie Paul. He entered the Saint-Sulpice seminary in Paris in the same year to study for the priesthood. The knowledge of his conversion was long concealed from his father, who was horrified to learn of his favorite son's actions. When the news of his baptism reached Saverne, his father mourned him as dead. , Dormagen, Germany.
Priest and missionary
Libermann suffered from epileptic seizures, which prevented his ordination for nearly fifteen years. It was only when these seizures ceased in 1841 that he was able to become a priest. After his ordination, Libermann created the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary centered around missionary activity towards newly freed slaves in Réunion, Haiti, and Mauritius. As this group attracted more members, the Holy See merged his society with the older Congregation of the Holy Spirit, otherwise known as "Spiritans". Due to this event, Libermann is often referred to as the "Second Founder" of the Spiritans. Although, Fr. Libermann himself never went overseas, he recruited and educated missionaries going toAfrica, both lay and clerical. He exhausted himself in the process of leading his great enterprise, and died on 2 February 1852 before his 50th birthday.
Legacy
He was declared venerable by Pope Pius IX in 1876. His letters, hundreds of which survive, are frequently used as a guide in the devotional life. Fr. Libermann was a pioneer of strategies now recognized as a blueprint for modern missionary activity. He urged the Spiritans to "become one with the people" so that each group received and understood the Gospel in the context of their own traditions. Francis Libermann Catholic High School in Toronto and Collège Libermann in Douala are named in his honor.
