Fr. Louis Favre, hero killed for saving thousands from Nazis

Father Louis Favre was a young priest (just 30 years old) in 1940. He was part of a generation that grew up with memories of the First World War — even more than others, because his father died at the front in 1917.

With a love of art and music and a passion for teaching, the young priest exercised his talents as an educator at the Salesian school in Ville-la-Grand, a small town in Haute-Savoie, along the French-Swiss border. The geographical location of this establishment, called the Juvénat, was decisive for Father Favre's future activities.

In fact, the school had a garden with a wall built right on the border. Once you crossed that wall, you were in the canton of Geneva. This privileged position during wartime changed the destiny of Louis Favre and even that of the entire school. Under the impetus of the young priest, the Juvénat became a transit point to the land of freedom that was Switzerland.

The first beneficiaries of this network were young Dutch people who had managed to flee their invaded country. They were followed by downed Allied pilots who crossed the famous school wall, then resistance fighters whose activities had been discovered by the enemy, and Jewish refugees.

In total, almost 2,000 people were saved by Father Favre's network, including many Jewish children and teenagers.

Some of his colleagues were initially wary of this risky activity, but they were quickly won over by the spirit of charity and determination that drove the young priest. And finally, thanks to the involvement of the entire teaching staff — all priests or brothers — the Juvénat became one of the main centers of resistance in the entire region.

The exfiltration activity was carried out in tandem with participation in an intelligence-gathering network. Thus, Father Favre was both an intelligence agent for the French resistance and for the Swiss secret services. He worked closely with the Geneva branch of the Swiss intelligence services. This espionage activity required him to travel regularly to Geneva. It was undoubtedly during one of these trips that he was spotted by the Gestapo.

On February 3, 1944, Nazi troops entered the school in search of Father Favre. He took refuge at the back of a storage room while his room was ransacked. But the soldiers became increasingly brutal and beat the other priests to make them talk. Seeing this, Fr. Favre decided to surrender so as not to endanger his colleagues.

This was an important arrest for the Nazis, as the priest was one of the leaders of the resistance in the region; his membership in several networks had brought him into contact with many other resistance fighters.

While the Juvénat was permanently closed by the Gestapo, Father Louis Favre was imprisoned for almost six months. Despite repeated torture sessions, this priest of exceptional character did not talk or reveal any names. Better still, he cared for and comforted the other prisoners after each beating.

He also managed to smuggle out 17 messages scribbled on sheets of paper, thanks to the courage of his young sister Marie, who visited him regularly. In these messages addressed to the Geneva intelligence service, Father Favre refused the escape plan that the Swiss wanted to put in place for him. He feared that his escape would lead to reprisals against the other resistance fighters who had been arrested at the same time as him.

Louis Favre was eventually shot on July 16, 1944, in a clearing not far from Annecy, one month before the city was liberated.

The heroic actions of this young priest were recognized by France and Israel. He was posthumously awarded the Legion of Honor, the 1939-1945 War Cross, and the Resistance Medal.

Israel awarded him and four other members of the Juvénat the title of Righteous Among the Nations. A member of the Resistance because he was a patriot and a Catholic, Father Louis Favre had the courage to follow Christ's example to the end and offer his life to protect his people.