(C.D. Stampley Enterprises, Charlotte, NC 2001). Used with permission.

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For writers

St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

Feast day: January 24

Many saints were prolific writers but St. Francis de Sales was persuasive. The little leaflets he published on the truths of the Catholic faith—written in clear, polished prose—brought thousands of Calvinists back to the Church. And for nearly 400 years his Introduction to the Devout Life has been a beloved “how to” book on giving up sinful habits and growing closer to God. {ln:Pope} Pius XI named him the patron saint of writers in 1923.

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Francis de Sales spent his life laboring to turn back the chaos and bloodshed the Reformation and the Wars of Religion had brought to the Savoy region of Switzerland and southeastern France.

The de Sales family were members of the minor nobility and staunch Catholics, but Francis fell victim to the religious turmoil of his age. The question of predestination, the hottest point of contention between Catholic and Calvinist theologians, tormented him while he was a student in Paris. In his distress over the uncertain fate of his soul he cried out to God, “Whatever happens, Lord, may I at least love you in this life if I cannot love you in eternity.” Francis credited the Blessed Virgin with saving him from falling into despair or heresy: he recited the Memorare day after day, and she did not leave him unaided.

After Paris Francis went to Padua to take a doctorate in civil and canon law. His father expected he would become a statesman, but Francis could not decide what to do with his life. At his parents’ chateau Francis met Claude de Granier, the bishop of Geneva who had been driven out of his city by the Calvinists. The bishop was impressed by Francis’ knowledge of canon law and suggested he find his career in the Church. Inspired by the exiled bishop Francis began studying for the priesthood. he was ordained in 1593.

Almost immediately after Francis’ ordination {ln:Pope} Clement VIII appointed him provost of Geneva, an office second only to the bishop. His Job was to make the diocese of Geneva Catholic again. It was a daunting assignment.

Calvinism had overrun the diocese in 1533. They expelled the bishop and the clergy were expelled, shut down the monasteries and convents, desecrated churches and chapels, and outlawed all practice of the Catholic religion. The duke of Savoy reinstalled the Catholic bishop and clergy by force in 1564, but the Calvinists drove them out again in 1591. The {ln:Pope} Clement and Bishop de Granier expected Francis to reconvert 60,000 Calvinists to the Catholic faith.

It was impossible to visit every hamlet and farm in this mountainous region so Francis fell back on a talents he had cultivated in the university: he wrote a series of leaflets explaining and defending the essentials of Catholic doctrine and had them distributed throughout the diocese. Meanwhile he and his cousin Louis de Sales, also a priest, traveled through the region preaching to and debating with the Calvinists.

Some Catholics thought Francis was rash for traveling through the diocese without a military escort when Calvinist vigilantes had been known to attack and kill Catholic priests. Others thought Francis should have asked the Duke of Savoy for troops to compel the Protestants of Geneva to return to the Catholic Church. But Francis did want his people to think he was afraid of them, nor would he accept any coerced conversions.

Success came slowly. In his first year Francis won 200 converts. In his second year he was able to have Mass said in public once a week at Thonon, one of the main towns of the region. {ln:Pope} Clement sent him on a unique mission to Theodore Beza, one of the fathers of the Reformation in Switzerland, to persuade him to return to the Catholic faith. Beza received Francis and their discussions were cordial. He even went so far as to concede that the Catholic Church was an Authentic church, but he would renounce his Calvinist faith. As he walked Francis to door at the end of their final meeting Beza made the tactful comment, “If I am not on the right road, I do pray to God every day that his mercy will guide me to it.”

In 1597, after four years of constant labor, Francis had revived Catholicism to the point where he could initiate the Forty Hours Devotion in the diocese. By paying public homage to the Blessed Sacrament Francis would underscore Catholic faith in the Real Presence, a doctrine the Calvinists rejected. He decided to hold the Forty Hours at Annemesse, and brought hundreds of Catholics to the town for the celebration. It was an impressive, even a triumphant expression of faith. It did not convert any Calvinists, but it did strengthen the diocese’s nervous Catholic minority.

In 1598 the {ln:Pope} named Francis coadjutor, or assistant, bishop of Geneva. One of his first acts was to open a missionary center in Thonon for the purpose of training priests to re-evangelize Savoy. He traveled to Paris to see King Henry IV about the political troubles of the region. The king and the bishop got along so well that Henry offered Francis a wealthy bishopric in France. Francis answered with a bon mot: “Sire, I have married a poor wife and I cannot desert her for a richer one.” In 1602 Francis’ the old bishop died and Francis was named his successor.

Although two-thirds of his diocese had returned to the Catholic Church, the diocese of Geneva had plenty of other problems. There were 450 parishes but not enough priests to administer them. There was no diocesan seminary. All the surviving monasteries in the region—with the exception of the Carthusians—were in need of reform. And Bishop de Sales was still exiled from his cathedral city, Geneva.

Since he had no seminary he taught theology courses himself and examined personally each new candidate for the priesthood. He gave catechism classes to children. He preached everywhere. And he wrote on everything from how to teach religion to how to bring religious orders back to their original zeal.

Francis’ most enduring legacy as a writer is his Introduction to a Devout Life. He wrote it, he said, “for those who live in towns, in families, and at court [and are] obliged to lead outwardly at least an ordinary life.” The aim of this practical, psychologically astute manual was to help ordinary Christians give up careless habits and old attachments to sin and bring them step by step to a deeper love of God. Francis’ down-to-earth advice and casual, easy-going style helped make the book a best-seller. The publisher made a fortune. Francis, to the horror of every writer ever since, would not accept any royalties.

By his prayers, his preaching, his teaching, his example, and his writings, Francis brought nearly the entire population of Savoy back to the Catholic faith, but the gates of Geneva were never opened to him nor was he ever enthroned in the city’s Cathedral of St. Peter. In autumn 1622 Francis’ trouble with high blood pressure and a weak heart caught up with him. Immediately after Christmas he had a stroke. His doctors prescribed the barbaric “cure” of the time—cauterization and blistering. They burned the back of his skull with a hot iron, applied a plaster that raised blisters on his bald head, then stripped it off and applied the hot iron to the dying man’s raw skin. During the gruesome procedure tears rolled down his cheeks as he repeated, “{ln:Jesus}! Mary!” He died a few hours The cause for the canonization of Francis de Sales opened almost immediately after his death. In 1663 {ln:Pope} Alexander VII declared him blessed. Two years later the same {ln:Pope} proclaimed Franlater on December 28.

cis de Sales a saint.

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Prayer to the saints is a powerful thing.

Now, with Saints for Every Occasion, readers can quickly find help for any challenge they face – no matter how large or small. Author Thomas J. Craughwell profiles 101 patron saints from various continents, cultures and times – from saints who were contemporaries of Christ, to modern patrons like Padre Pio and Faustina Kowalska. Each saint lived heroically in difficult times and circumstances, providing powerful examples of how to turn almost any obstacle into a source of grace. Along with old favorites such as St. Anthony and St. Jude, Craughwell offers patrons for specifically modern concerns, including, for example, saints to watch over astronauts, internet users and environmental activists. Beautifully illustrated and entertainingly told, Saints for Every Occasion features 101 patron saints readers will seek out time and again.

“An excellent resource for home and classroom use.” – Publisher’s Weekly {/tabs}