St Francis de Sales

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.’