St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) |
St.
Francis de Sales was born in the Savoy district of France in 1567 and ordained
a priest in 1593. Francis was sent to preach in a Protestant region near his
birthplace, attempting to persuade his hearers, mostly Calvinists to become
Roman Catholics. Since he was seen to be persuasive, he was appointed in 1602
to be bishop of Geneva, a Calvinist stronghold. He preached at various churches
and missions, and when people did not show up for his services, he would write
his sermons and slip them under their home doors. For this and for his prolific
writing, he is known as the patron saint of journalists. In 1604 he met a
widow, Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641), and under his influence she founded
a religious order of nuns called the Order of the Visitation. Their
correspondence is an outstanding example of mutual Christian encouragement and
support. Francis de Sales died at Lyons on December 29th, 1622. A quote by St Francis
de Sales: ‘The highest degree of meekness consists in
seeing, serving, honoring, and treating amiably, on occasion, those who are not
to our taste, and who show themselves unfriendly, ungrateful, and troublesome
to us.’
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