January 24 | Saint Francis de Sales

Born: August 21, 1567 in the Holy Roman Empire

Died: December 28, 1622 in Lyons, France

Nationality: French, Italian

Patronage: Adult education, the deaf, journalists, many cities (including Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio)

Canonization: April 19, 1665 by Pope Alexander VII

“It is an error, or rather a heresy, to say devotion is incompatible with the life of a soldier, a tradesman, a prince, or a married woman…. It has happened that many have lost perfection in the desert who had preserved it in the world.”

St. Francis was the oldest of 13 children. His father was a lawyer and it seemed as though Francis was destined for the same fate. So, he went away to Padua to study law and theology. However, upon returning home he felt the call to the priesthood and attempted to talk to his parents about his vocation. His father was extremely opposed at first, but Francis showed patience and eventually his father accepted his son’s calling.

St. Francis became a priest, and eventually bishop, in the Diocese of Geneva, a very Calvinistic area, where his calm and joyful spirit attracted and converted between 40,000 and 70,000 thousand people. Francis was especially known for his writings, two books and numerous pamphlets and letters, addressed to the laity encouraging them to live a life worthy of sainthood. Reminding them that saints are not just those who entered religious life. 

He helped St. Jane Frances de Chantal form a religious order for women dedicated to the virtues of Mary seen at the Visitation, namely humility, piety, and mutual charity. This order, the Sisters of the Visitation, still functions today, many working to educate children while others devote themselves to a life of contemplation. 

St. Francis died at the age of 55 while in Lyons at a convent he helped found. He was canonized around 30 years after his death. 

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us.