Your Faith Journey with EWTN
As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
August 21, 1567–December 28, 1622
Patron Saint of confessors, deaf people, educators, writers, journalists, Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales, Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva, had a gentle manner. Renowned for his kindness and charity, he was called the “Gentleman Saint.”
Born in 1567 to a noble family near Annecy, France, St. Francis received an excellent education and showed an early desire for the priesthood. His father, hoping he would pursue a career in law and politics, sent him to Paris and Padua, but St. Francis’s heart was drawn to serving God. After much prayer, he followed his vocation and was ordained a priest in 1593.
St. Francis was assigned to the Chablais region, where Calvinism had taken deep root. He initially faced hostility and threats to his life. Yet he won back thousands to the Catholic Faith—not through forceful argument, but with patience, humility, and love.
Appointed Bishop of Geneva in 1602, St. Francis sought to teach the laity how to live holy lives in the world. His masterpiece, Introduction to the Devout Life, remains one of the most popular guides to Christian spirituality, offering profound yet straightforward advice for growing in virtue and piety.
St. Francis helped St. Jane Frances de Chantal establish the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, known for its spirit of humility and interior devotion. St. Francis de Sales died in 1622 at the age of 55 and was canonized in 1665 by Pope Alexander VII. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1877 by Pope Pius IX.
St. Francis de Sales’s message is timeless: holiness is possible for everyone. In every duty and circumstance, we can find God through gentleness, patience, and love.
St. Francis de Sales made significant contributions to the Church. He sought to reintroduce Catholicism in areas of France heavily populated by Protestants. He successfully converted thousands of people who had left the Church through patient and gentle preaching in the region of Chablais, a stronghold of Protestantism. He also produced many influential writings, such as Introduction to the Devout Life, a guide for laypeople seeking holiness in their daily lives, which has remained in print ever since. St. Francis co-founded the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary for women seeking contemplative life but unable to endure the strict rules of other orders. Pastorally, he emphasized the importance of priestly education and formation, ordaining many to serve the Church. His prolific written works and vast correspondence earned him the title of patron saint of writers and the Catholic press.
St. Francis de Sales co-founded the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary with St. Jane Frances de Chantal to create a new religious community that welcomed those who could not endure the strict requirements of other orders. The new order provided older women and those with delicate health access to a contemplative life.
Despite initial threats to his life, St. Francis undertook missionary work to resolve the Catholic-Protestant divide. He is credited with winning back an estimated 70,000 Calvinists in the Chablais region of Savoy through gentle persuasion and theological clarity, rather than by force. St. Francis wrote and widely distributed pamphlets, which Capuchin friars helped to distribute by slipping them under doors and posting them in public places. St. Francis said, “He who preaches with love, preaches effectively.” His teaching on the accessibility of a “devout life” for laypeople helped to bridge the spiritual divide with a message of love and personal holiness. His character, kindness, wisdom, and gentle spirit broke down resistance. His efforts earned him the title “Patron of Christian Unity.”
We hope this special eBook will draw you closer to our Blessed Mother and her Son, Jesus Christ. We trust that the following pages will bring your heart under her mantle, as we share a few of the beautiful and befitting names bestowed upon the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In a bitterly divisive time, St. Francis de Sales brought many souls back to the Catholic Church. This Doctor of the Church’s message of God’s abundant love during the Protestant Reformation saved the Church in its time of need.
As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
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