Note
to Editors: Bishops Thomas Donato and John Flesey were ordained on the
day the Catholic Church celebrates as the feast of St. John Baptiste
Marie Vianney, a man of great piety who is venerated as the patron saint
of parish priests. For your information, a brief summary of this Saint’s
life follows: St. John Vianney (the “Cure of Ars”) St. John Baptiste Marie Vianney, born in 1786 near Lyons, France, was a farm hand who in his youth taught other children their prayers and catechism. He was ordained a priest in 1815, after years of study. He was made parish priest of Ars, a remote French hamlet near Lyons, where his reputation as a confessor and director of souls made him known throughout the Christian world. When he was first assigned to the parish in Ars, he discovered that the parish suffered from very lax attendance, so he began visiting his parishioners, especially the sick and the poor. He spent days in prayer doing penance on behalf of his parishioners. Although gifted with discernment of spirits, prophecy and hidden knowledge, his life was one of extreme mortification. Accustomed to the most severe austerities, beleaguered by swarms of penitents, and besieged by the devil, this great mystic was also recognized and regarded for his patience. He was a wonder worker loved by the crowds, but he retained a childlike simplicity. He remains to this day the living image of the priest after the heart of Christ. He heard confessions of people from all over the world for sixteen hours each day. His life was filled with works of charity and love. It is recorded that even the staunchest of sinners were converted at his mere word. He died August 4, 1859, and was canonized May 31, 1925.
|
