The Parpale Tree

Description

At the time of his death in 1955 Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was working under the auspices of the Wenner-Gren Foundation in New York City. Born in Auvergne, France, in 1881, he was a member of the Society of Jesus. He held positions as professor of geology at the Catholic Institute in Paris, director of the National Geologic Survey of China, and director of the National Research Center of France. He lived in China for many years, and played a major role in the discovery of Peking man.

THE MAKING OF A MIND

Letters from a Soldier-Priest: 1914-1919
Author: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Keywords: pierre teilhard; conscious evolution; consciousness; world war 1; priest
Language: English
Collection: opensource

"Of the outside events in Pierre Teilhard's life the war was probably the most decisive of all It had a profound effect on his whole being/' says Marguerite Teillard-Chambon, the recipient of these letters, in her introduction to the book.

At the outbreak of World War I Teilhard de Chardin, already an ordained priest, joined the French army. Throughout the four and a half years he spent as a stretcher-bearer in the front lines, he corresponded regularly with his cousin Marguerite. Since childhood they had been very close, and intellectually and spiritually had much in common. These letters reveal the development of Teilhard's ideas and personality, as well as his reactions to the war.

The danger and hardship that Teilhard shared with his Regiment of Zouaves and Moroccan Tirailleurs brought an intensity and awareness that he found immensely stimulating. His courage under fire and his devotion to the men under his care won for him the Croix de Guerre, the Medaille Militaire, the Legion d'Honneur, and three mentions in dispatches. The citation for the Legion d'Honneur describes Teilhard as "an outstanding stretcher-bearer who, during four years of active service, was in every battle and engagement the regiment took part in, applying to remain in the ranks in order that he might be with the men whose dangers and hardships he constantly shared.â

Part of THE MAKING OF A MIND is Teilhard's spiritual counsel to Marguerite. Another part describes his own development and the emergence of his great vision of the human situation. Finally, there is an extraordinarily detailed account of his day-to-day experiences at the frontâhis "baptism into reality."

"There is no better work of Teilhard's and hence no better work all round for entering that rich and complex experience that was the starting point of all his subsequent endeavour. And this is of capital importance for understanding what the man is about."

Robert O'Connell,

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY

Pages

Thursday, January 23, 2014

PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN