Arthur Hervet (11 November 1938 – 23 November 2020) was a French Roman Catholic priest who was a member of the Assumptionists. He was known for his fight for Romani people.

Arthur Hervet
Hervet in 2014
Born11 November 1938
Died23 November 2020(2020-11-23) (aged 82)
Lille, France
NationalityFrench
OccupationCatholic Priest

Biography

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Hervet grew up in poverty and his parents divorced. He was involved in an accident in which his leg was amputated.[1] He was taken in by Catholic nuns before entering an Assumptionist seminary.[2] He made his first vows at the age of 18 and earned a degree in physics before being ordained in 1968.[3] He became a chaplain for secondary school students in Cachan and fought against incarceration and prostitution. Although he never met the man, he was influenced by Abbé Pierre.

In the mid-1980s, Hervet became chaplain of a Church boat moored in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine called the Je Sers.[4] He founded the association La Pierre Blanche which aided the homeless and former prisoners. Appointed to serve in the Archdiocese of Lille, he began helping the Romani community there in 2006.[5]

Father Arthur Hervet died in Lille on 23 November 2020 at the age of 82.[6]

Publications

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  • La Péniche du Bon Dieu (2007)
  • Ma Vérité sur l'exclusion (2011)

References

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  1. ^ ""La péniche du Bon Dieu"". Doyenné de Berck (in French). 20 August 2009. Archived from the original on 13 August 2011.
  2. ^ "Père Arthur. Un curé parmi les Roms". Le Télégramme (in French). 13 September 2010.
  3. ^ "La péniche du Bon Dieu". fnac.com (in French). November 2007.
  4. ^ "Ma vérité sur l'exclusion. Les aveux du curé des Roms". Le Jour du Seigneur (in French). Archived from the original on 8 November 2011.
  5. ^ "P. Arthur Hervet : « Mon action auprès des Roms est devenue un combat »". La Croix (in French). 22 August 2010.
  6. ^ "Le père Arthur, infatigable «prêtre des Roms» dans la métropole lilloise, est décédé ce lundi". La Voix du Nord (in French). 23 November 2020.