St. John Vianney, Patron of Priests And Mother Mary Devotee (1786-1859)
Today worldwide we celebrate the memorial of a great saint who is patron of priests and a serious devotee of mother Mary, St. John Vianney. He was born in May 8, 1786 in Dardilly, France. He died in August 4, 1859 at the age of 73. His parents were Matthiew Vianney and Marie Beluze.
Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney was a religious personality of unusual force. To
the incomparable exclusion of everything else he addressed himself to the greater honor and glory of
God and the salvation of souls. He accepted his obligation to holiness at an early age, and it took
complete possession of him. Every word he uttered was spoken out of the world of religiousness. He
brought to a conclusion an achievement which it would be hard for anyone to imitate. From this man
there emanated an influence which cannot be overlooked, and the results of which cannot be contested.
St. John Vianney’s mother was a woman of great piety, and she led him into
the way of religion at an early age. “I owe a debt to my mother,” he said, and added, “virtues go
easily from mothers into the hearts of their children, who willingly do what they see being done.”
He was a good-natured boy, with blue eyes and brown hair. In spite of his lively disposition, he
admitted much later on in life that “when I was young, I did not know evil. I was first acquainted
with it in the confessional, from the mouths of sinners.”
It was only after much toil and trouble that St. John Vianney was admitted
to the priesthood. At the age of 20, he was having great difficulty in his studies
for the priesthood.
A man with vision overcomes
obstacles and performs deeds that seem impossible. John Vianney was a
man with vision: He wanted to become a priest. But he had to overcome
his meager formal schooling, which inadequately prepared him for
seminary studies.
His failure to comprehend
Latin lectures forced him to discontinue. But his vision of being a
priest urged him to seek private tutoring. After a lengthy battle with
the books, John was ordained.
Situations
calling for “impossible” deeds followed him everywhere. As pastor of
the parish at Ars, John encountered people who were indifferent and
quite comfortable with their style of living. His vision led him through
severe fasts and short nights of sleep. (Some devils can only be cast
out by prayer and fasting.)
With
Catherine Lassagne and Benedicta Lardet, he established La Providence, a
home for girls. Only a man of vision could have such trust that God
would provide for the spiritual and material needs of all those who came
to make La Providence their home.
His
work as a confessor is John Vianney’s most remarkable accomplishment.
In the winter months he was to spend 11 to 12 hours daily reconciling
people with God. In the summer months this time was increased to 16
hours. Unless a man was dedicated to his vision of a priestly vocation,
he could not have endured this giving of self day after day.
Many
people look forward to retirement and taking it easy, doing the things
they always wanted to do but never had the time. But John Vianney had no
thoughts of retirement. As his fame spread, more hours were consumed in
serving God’s people. Even the few hours he would allow himself for
sleep were disturbed frequently by the devil.
Who,
but a man with vision, could keep going with ever-increasing strength?
In 1929, Pope Pius XI named him the patron of parish priests worldwide.
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