Saint Francis de Sales

Francis was born on August 21, 1567, at the Château de Sales in Savoy, the eldest son of a noble family. He studied law in Padua, but he felt called to the priesthood and was ordained in 1593. He volunteered for the difficult mission of the Chablais region, where Catholics had become Calvinist; when people would not come to hear him, he wrote short leaflets and slipped them under their doors. Over the years many returned to the Church.

In 1602 he became bishop of Geneva, living in Annecy. He was a tireless preacher and spiritual director, famous for his patience and kindness. His Introduction to the Devout Life (1609) showed lay people how to live holiness in ordinary life, and with Saint Jane Frances de Chantal he founded the Visitation nuns in 1610. He died in Lyon on December 28, 1622, was canonized in 1665 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1877.

Because of his leaflets and books, he is the patron of writers and journalists, and each year the Pope's message for the World Day of Social Communications is released on his feast. Saint John Bosco named his Salesians after him, and Salesian schools around the world celebrate January 24 with special Masses. His body rests in the Basilica of the Visitation in Annecy, France.