Saint John Vianney

Jean-Marie Vianney was born in Dardilly, near Lyon, on May 8, 1786, and grew up during the French Revolution, when priests celebrated Mass in secret. He wanted to be a priest, but his schooling had been poor and he struggled terribly with Latin. Thanks to the patience of his mentor, Father Balley, he was finally ordained in 1815.

In 1818 he was sent to Ars, a small village where faith had grown cold. He prayed, fasted, visited every family, opened a school for girls and a home for orphans called La Providence, and preached simply about God's love and the danger of sin. Little by little the village changed, and soon people came from all over France to confess to him; in his last years he spent up to sixteen hours a day in the confessional. He lived in great poverty and endured fierce spiritual trials. He died in Ars on August 4, 1859. Pius XI canonized him in 1925 and named him patron of parish priests in 1929.

Thousands of pilgrims visit Ars each year, where his incorrupt body rests in the basilica and his small house and confessional can still be seen.

On his feast, many parishes in the United States and Latin America thank their priests with a special Mass, a meal or cards from the children, and pray for vocations.