St. Francis De Sales

BORN 1567; DIED 1622 his future vocation, for he longed to devote him- BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH self to God as a priest. When he told his father FEAST DAY: JANUARY 24 of this desire, the senior Francis brushed it aside, �t. Franciswanting �e his son�a to pursue ales secular career. HE SECOND-MOST SIGNIFICANT FIGURE of the At sixteen, Francis went to the University of Protestant revolt against the Catholic Church Paris, where he enrolled in a college under the Twas John Calvin, who taught a stern faith, Jesuits known for both scholarship and piety. denied free will, and preached that no matter There he studied rhetoric, philosophy, riding, what one did, God had predestined one to Heav- dancing, and fencing to please his father, and en or Hell. In 1530, theology in pur- Protestants wrested suit of his voca- the city of Geneva, tion. During his on the southwest- four years there, ern tip of the Lake he took a private of Geneva, from vow of perpet- the French Duchy ual chastity and of Savoy and made placed himself it an independent under the protec- republic (it joined tion of the Blessed Switzerland in Mother. At eigh- 1815). By 1552, teen he experi- Calvin had made enced the most Geneva and the sur- terrible spiritual rounding area into crisis of his life, a repressive theoc- nearly succumb- racy. St. Francis de ing to despair that Sales was God’s in- he had lost God’s strument to re-in- favor and was troduce the love of doomed to dam- God and the Catho- nation. Desper- lic faith to this area, ately, he prayed and to teach a path that, even if he of holiness to ordi- were damned, he nary men and wom- would never curse en everywhere. or blaspheme Born two months St. Francis de Sales, 19th century lithograph God’s name and prematurely at the would love God as family castle just outside Annecy, a city south of much as possible in this world. He also sought Geneva in Savoy, Francis was the oldest of six the intercession of the Blessed Mother, and his sons and seven daughters of Francis de Sales de despair left him while he was praying the Mem- Boisy and Frances de Sionnaz, members of aris- orare (a prayer that includes the phrase “never tocratic families of the region. As a child, their was it known that any who fled to your protec- oldest was frail but energetic, obedient and hon- tion, implored your help and sought your inter- est, and loved books and learning. From the age cession, was left unaided”). of eight, he studied locally under Jesuits, receiv- At twenty-one, Francis went to Padua, Ita- ing a tonsure (cutting of the hair symbolic of re- ly, and at twenty-four he received doctorates in ligious life) at eleven. He viewed this as a sign of civil and canon law. For about a year and a half, The Association for Catechumenal Ministry (ACM) grants the original purchaser (parish, local parochial institution, or individual) permission to reproduce this handout. he lived the life of young noble at home. He re- to reach people, whether by pamphlets, preach- fused the offer of a political office in Savoy and ing in a simple style, or theological debates. He his father’s plan for his marriage, for he still in- spoke as a father desiring only the welfare of his tended to serve God alone. A cousin who was a spiritual children. In the final two years of his priest, Louis de Sales, without Francis’ knowl- mission, he won most of the residents of the re- edge arranged for the Pope to appoint Fran- gion, eight thousand, back to the Church. Even- cis provost of the diocese of Geneva, the high- tually the leaflets were assembled into a book est office next to the bishop. (In 1535, the seat entitled Controversies that demonstrates how the of the diocese had been relocated to Annecy.) faith can be defended with gentle love. Hoping that this would sway his father to al- At thirty-two, Francis was named coadju- low his ordination, Francis accepted the posi- tor (auxiliary bishop with right of succession) tion. Six months later, his of Geneva, and three father gave in and he was years later he succeed- ordained at age twenty- ed to the position. His six. His took as his spe- twenty years as bishop cial task the care of the were marked by his tire- poor and the ministry of less emphasis on cateche- the confessional. sis of the faithful, care of The next year, Fran- his priests, establishment cis volunteered for a mis- of a seminary, reform of sion to Le Chablais, the the diocese’s communities area immediately south of monks and nuns, and of the Lake of Geneva. constant work of restor- This area had experienced ing Calvinists to the true outright warfare sever- faith. He taught a Cath- al times in the past sixty olic humanism of hope, years between Calvinists and poured upon his flock and the House of Savoy. a gentle, fatherly love. To It had become nearly en- those he sought to return tirely Calvinist and was to the Catholic faith, he very dangerous to Cath- showed tremendous com- olics; only about twenty passion and clemency: individuals in the entire “God and I will help you; region had kept the true all I require of you is not faith. Francis’ father pas- PHOTOGRAPHY CHARLES DAVID to despair: I shall take on sionately but fruitlessly myself the burden of the opposed the mission, ar- “He taught a Catholic rest.” He preached con- guing that he had given humanism of hope.” tinually and became a enough to allow his son to confessor beloved for his be priest without him becoming a martyr. Cal- mercy and gentleness. Children followed him vinists and nature both conspired against him, everywhere. He intensely loved the poor; liv- to no effect. He survived, sometimes miracu- ing simply and very economically, he gave his lously, an attempt to poison him, beating by a own surplus to the poor. Word of his unselfish hostile crowd, and several efforts by assassins goodness, patience, mildness, wisdom, learning, to murder him. Once he was treed by a wolf all and humility spread widely throughout Europe, night. He was rescued and saved from death by and he attained a prominent place in the Catho- Calvinist peasants, whom he then converted to lic Counter-Reformation. He was twice asked Catholicism. to take the bishopric of Paris, and twice asked When his work was not at first successful, to take the bishopric of the diocese of Milan, It- Francis began writing leaflets on the true teach- aly. He declined these and also the Pope’s offer ing of the Church and the errors of Calvinism. to name him a cardinal. He and others copied them by hand and dis- Francis engaged in an enormous correspon- tributed them widely. In every way he sought dence of spiritual direction. In 1608, he pub- St. Francis de Sales ~ Page 2 lished the spiritual masterpiece Introduction to of God, having a right intention in every action, the Devout Life, derived from letters to a wom- and having frequent recourse to God through- an cousin by marriage, only because the Jesu- out the day by simple, short prayers and ejacula- its threatened to do it without his permission (it tions. He also saw contemplative prayer as even became so popular that unauthorized versions, more necessary to a lay person than to a monk some with heretical additions and deletions, or nun, since the cloister encourages contempla- have been published). In 1616, some of his con- tion while the world tries to make it impossi- verts published, from his teaching, Treatise on the ble. He gave little importance to mystical expe- Love of God. Both books instruct men and wom- riences, but taught that while praying, a person en living in the world in the path to holiness. should be so absorbed in God as to forget he or In 1604, Frances met the widowed St. Jane she is praying. Frances de Chantal while preaching at Dijon, Francis taught that mortification does not do France. Six years later, they co-founded the violence to human nature and that goodness ex- Congregation of the Visitation of the Blessed pands it. Holiness is not easily won; it is a miracle Virgin as a religious order of faith which, nevertheless, for girls and widows who “The measure of love can be had by all regardless were unable or did not wish of their circumstances. He to undertake the austere life is to love without saw conversion as a gradu- of religious orders of the day. measure.” al process, and taught peo- The original plan was for the ple to be patient with them- Visitandines to carry out works of mercy in the selves and to be cheerful even while engaged in world, not stay in a cloister, but this the Church spiritual struggle. He allowed people under his did not permit and the Visitandines became a direction to retain some worldly pleasures until contemplative order. For these nuns, Francis they voluntarily abandoned them, and thus gen- wrote what was eventually published as Spiri- tly led his spiritual children to love of God and tual Conferences. self-sacrifice, encouraging them in the path of Teaching a spirituality characterized by bal- perseverance rather than achievement. ance and moderation, Francis was convinced The meek and gentle Francis burned with that it was possible for everyone to become the divine fire of the Holy Spirit.

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