John
Vianney was born in France in 1786, just three years before the
beginning of the French Revolution. He grew up assisting a local priest
offer the holy mass in secret, as religious persecution forced many of
the Vianneys and other Catholics into hiding.
At eighteen, John
realized his vocation to the priesthood. Two years later he began
studying in preparation for holy orders, but studying did not come
easily to him. Instead of becoming a priest, he was drafted into the
army in 1809. Soon after, he found himself an accidental deserter: he
was tricked by some fellow soldiers into abandoning his unit. He
immediately reported to the mayor of the commune, who advised him to
remain in hiding. John lived dangerously, often narrowly escaping
capture by concealing himself in hay bales. He returned home fourteen
months later when the king proclaimed an amnesty for all defectors.
In
1815, after much hardship in his studies, John was ordained a deacon,
then a priest. In 1818 he was given care of a dilapidated parish in a
remote part of France called Ars-en-Dombes. The 230 parishioners in Ars
had become lax in their faith, and John preached relentlessly to them
for twenty-five years about the importance of practicing modesty,
avoiding blasphemy, profanity and obscenity, and unlawful work on
Sunday. Not only did Ars become a model Christian town, but his
influence reached far beyond the confines of the country village.
He
remained at Ars for a total of forty-one years. The year before he
died, over 100,000 pilgrims visited Ars to see the holy man, who had
become known as the Cure of Ars. His three attempts to escape to live in
the quiet seclusion of a monastery failed, and he died at Ars in 1859.
John
was canonized in 1925 by Pius XI. Four years later, the same pope named
him patron saint of parish priests throughout the world.
Second Photo by Herwig Reidlinger
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