Who is Father Perrin from the memoir, Waiting For God?

Father Jean-Marie Perrin was Simone Weil's friend, mentor, confidant, and spiritual director. He is the subject and addressee of the majority of the letter contained in part one of this book. Father Perrin, a Catholic priest in the Dominican order, met Weil in 1941 and quickly became perhaps the most significant influence on her spiritual and intellectual development. In the letters, Father Perrin is portrayed as a fatherly figure, an ardent defender of the Catholic faith who attempts to convince Weil to officially convert and be baptized. After Weil's death, he was instrumental in seeing that Weil's works, including Waiting for God, were published and disseminated.