the patience of love
“If there were three like you on earth, my kingdom would be destroyed” Satan said to him: “no wonder the Church has made him the patron of the priests of the world! He was impetuous, impatient, but his love for the Lord was burning. Of Mary he said: “She is my oldest affection; I loved her even before I met her. The Virgin turned him into an angel of kindness, of patience: for whole days in the confessional he absolved poor sinners… He converted his parish, gave a new meaning to the priesthood after the revolutionary devastation and more than ever interceded for sinners. .
(Find other saints in ‘s guide to saints)
Biography of Saint John Mary Vianney
John Mary Vianney born in dardilly, near Lyon, France, on May 8, 1786. His parents were very devout and faith-filled peasants. His mother taught him the Christian life, and from a very early age, the little boy showed great interest in the Lord and the virgin mary. In fact, at the age of nine he went to Dardilly School, where he did not last long as they considered it more useful to work as a farmer. Then, in a context marked by the revolution, little Juan Maria clandestinely made his first communion and his first confession.
At the age of seventeen, he expressed his desire to become a priest. His mother was very happy, but his father could not accept such a decision because he needed him for work on the farm. However, two years later, his father finally accepted his vocation, but Juan Maria did not have the necessary studies to enter the seminary. Then, Father Balley, parish priest of Ecully, took charge of the young man and thanks to him he was able to begin his apprenticeship. Throughout his studies, the young Juan Maria was pious, humble and guided by a great spirit of penance, although he had many difficulties at school, especially with the memorization of Latin. In fact, he made a pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint John Francis Régis in Lalouvesc (France), and there he received the grace to finish his studies. In 1807, he received confirmation and took Saint John the Baptist as his patron saint. In 1809, Juan Maria was recruited to join Napoleon’s army, but due to various circumstances he was unable to go to the front. In 1811 he received the tonsure and went to the minor seminary of Verrières (France).
Then, on August 13, 1815, when he was 29 years old, Juan Maria was ordained priest and appointed curate in Écully (France). In 1818, the bishop appointed him parish priest in ars, and immediately set to work converting his parishioners and turning them back to a holy life. During his years of service, the Curé of Ars did not fail to call his faithful to return to order and holiness, for which he constantly invited them to reject sin. In fact, for giving such harsh sermons he was slandered and persecuted. Despite the persecution, the holy priest continued to work in Ars, participating in the renovation of the parish and in the foundation of a school in the town, as well as an orphanage called “Providencia”, where several miracles.
Although he lived very poorly, he cure of ars he was concerned with beautifying his church with renovations and decorations. In fact, he put all his effort into celebrating the massesso that ars he was known for the beauty of his trades. In addition to this, the Corpus Christi processions had an exceptional brilliance back then. For thirty years, Father Vianney came under direct attack from the evilwho do I call “the grappling hook” and when the holy priest reached the end of his life, crowds flocked to Ars: it is presumed that up to 120,000 people visited him each year. Travelers wanted to confess to Father Vianney; he even spent up to fifteen hours in his confessional.
In fact, similar to Saint Padre Pio, Juan Maria was known to have the gift of examine the souls and obtained many miracles through the intercession of Saint Philomena“your saint“.
Finally, after working tirelessly for more than forty years, eating and sleeping very little, he died on August 4, 1859 in Ars-sur-Formans (France).
The miracles of the Cure of Ars
The holy Curé of Ars was a man of prayer and penance, which allowed him to obtain many graces. In fact, many extraordinary events have been related that took place thanks to his intercession. Regarding this, the holy priest confided to a friend: “I got from the Lord everything I wanted, for myself and for others.”
The multiplications in the orphanage
One day, when the orphanage had no dough left to make bread, he sent the cook to knead what was left and the dough miraculously multiplied. On another occasion, the barn was empty, and the holy priest placed a relic of San Juan Francisco Regis in a small pile of wheat that multiplied: in fact, he was soon called to witness the miraclebecause the door could no longer be opened because the barn was full of wheat.
The miraculous cures
Several times the holy priest obtained miraculous healings. For example, this was the case with a small paralyzed child: Father Vianney asked the child’s mother to pray to Saint Philomena in the chapel and when he returned, the little boy could run freely.
The story of the Cure of Ars after his death
The body of the Curé of Ars
Currentlythe body of the holy Curé of Ars is exhibited in a urn, on the Basilica of Ars. In fact, this was found incorrupt when they opened their graveat the end of the process beatification. Whether visit the house where he was born, in the commune of Dardilly, you can read a note in which the holy priest asks to be buried in the family vault of the cemetery of his hometown. Furthermore, in the museum There is a second note in Ars wax where the parish priest says that he leaves his body at the disposal of the bishop after his death. For this reason, he was initially buried in the parish church of Ars. In fact, the church of Saint John Mary Vianney in Dardilly has a relic arm of the saint exposed in a reliquary, and while he was still alive, the sculptor Cabuchet made a small wax bust of Saint John Mary Vianney. Furthermore, in 1867, Cabuchet made the famous statue of marble that now rests in the Basilica of Ars.
The Canonization of Saint John Mary Vianney
On January 8, 1905, Pope Pius X proclaimed the beatification of Saint John Mary Vianney, whom he declared “patron saint of all priests in France”. On May 31, 1925 Pius XI canonized him and in 1929 declared him the “patron saint of all priests in the universe”.
The influence of Ars
The influence of the holy priest was notorious. In fact, a Carmelite convent was founded in Ars, where the nuns constantly pray for the sanctity of the priests. Today, Ars is a very important place of pilgrimage, to the point that Pope John Paul II visited it on October 6, 1986. Retreats for priests and faithful are organized in this city, so that the small town of the holy priest becomes has become the prayer center of the lay community of Chemin Neuf (French Catholic community).
The sermons, quotes and prayers of the Holy Curé of Ars
The Cure of Ars deeply touched hearts with his words and is very famous for his memorable sermons, from which many quotations have been extracted, which are very beautiful. Here are the main themes of his homilies:
- The virgin mary
- The prayer
- Confession and the mercy of God
- The Sacrament of the Eucharist and Communion
- The priesthood of the priest
In fact, there are many sentences and phrases of the Cura Ars. Saint John Mary Vianney He was already known in life for getting many things from God. Even today many Christians pray to him for help from the Lord: many pray the Novena to the Holy Curé of Arsthe prayer through the intercession of the Holy Cure of Ars and Saint Philomena, the act of love of the Holy Cure, the prayer for priests, the prayer for vocations. There is also the recitation of the rosary in which each mystery of the rosary beads (the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries) with the words of the Cure of Ars.