MEMORIAL OF SAINT JOHN VIANNEY (THE CURÉ OF ARS), PRIEST AND PATRON OF ALL PRIESTS AND BLESSED FRÉDÉRIC JANSSOONE, PRIEST ~ FEAST DAY – AUGUST 4TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint John Vianney (the Curé of Ars), Priest and Patron of All Priests and Blessed Frédéric Janssoone, Priest. Please let us pray for the safety and well-being of all Priests on this feast of Saint John Vianney, Patron Saint of all Priests. Through the  intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and St. John Vianney, we pray for all our priests who are under constant attacks and surrounded by many challenges and temptations in the midst of their ministries and works. May God grant them His grace and  mercy as they continue to serve the Lord and shepherd His flock wholeheartedly, full of faith and love… Amen! We humbly pray for our Holy Father, Pope Francis, for Bishops, all Parish Priests, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those suffering from stomach cancer, other types of cancers and terminal diseases. We also pray for those going through difficulties especially during these challenging times, for the poor and the needy. And we continue to pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed, may the Lord receive them into the light of Eternal Kingdom. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God continue to rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen🙏🏾

SAINT JOHN VIANNEY (THE CURÉ OF ARS), PRIEST AND PATRON OF ALL PRIESTS: St. John Vianney (1786–1859) also known as St. John Mary Vianney (Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney), universally known as the “Cure of Ars” became one of the most celebrated parish priests in the Catholic Church after many obstacles and suffering. He was born in France to a farming family on May 8, 1786, one of six children of devout Catholic parents. He was baptized on the day of his birth. When he was four years old the French Revolution erupted, and priests were forced into hiding. Every day they risked their lives to give the sacraments, and St. John looked up to them as heroes. His First Holy Communion and Confirmation were made in secrecy. During the French Revolution all religious schools and churches were closed, and those who harbored priests were imprisoned. At the Vianney farmhouse near Dardilly, France, fugitive priests were offered a refuge. Here their son was prepared in his tenth year for the reception of Holy Communion by a hunted priest. While tending his father’s sheep, St. John Vianney fashioned a small statue of Our Lady out of clay. He hid it in the hollow of an old tree with this petition: “Dear Lady Mary, I love you very much; you must bring Jesus back to His tabernacles very soon!” On a visit to his aunt at Ecully, John listened to her praises of Father Balley, the parish priest, and he sought the Father’s advice regarding his vocation to the priesthood. The pastor appraised the overgrown, awkward youth of faltering speech and devoid of general education. Though St. John was unable to answer the questions pertaining to earthly science which Father asked him, yet, when the priest put to him the questions of the catechism, his face became luminous with lively interest. He answered every question correctly, and in a manner beyond his years. The amazed pastor took this evidence as a sign from heaven, prophesying, “You will become a priest!”

After the Church in France was reestablished, St. John studied for the priesthood. He had difficulty in his studies due to his lack of formal education during the turmoil of the revolution, but his great desire carried him through. He was ordained a priest in 1815 and became curate in Ecully. On his ordination, he remarked to Our Lady, Queen of the Clergy: “Here is your priest, O Blessed Mother! Stay close to me. Help me to be a good priest!” After three years at Ecully, he was then sent to the remote French community of Ars in 1818 to be a parish priest. Here he spent almost forty-two years of his life, devoting himself to prayer, mortification, and pastoral works. He ministered to the carnage the revolution had left in the souls of the French people. Many were indifferent to, and ignorant of, the Faith. John performed great penances for the people and received many graces for their conversion. He had the gifts of miracle-working, prophecy, hidden knowledge, and discernment of spirits. He was soon known internationally, and people came from afar to see him. Year after year he spent 11-12 hours a day in the confessional, and up to 16 hours in the summer. By 1855 there were 20,000 pilgrims traveling annually to Ars. Because of this St. John Vianney was tormented by evil spirits throughout his life, especially when he attempted to get his two to three hours of sleep a night. The devil often tempted him in the middle of the night, but he was so strong and so rooted in prayer that he was able to triumph. It is said that the devil once told St. John Vianney, “If there were three such priests as you, my kingdom [in France] would be ruined.” Plagued by many trials and besieged by the devil, the St. John Vianney remained firm in his faith, and lived a life of devotion to God. Dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament, he spent much time in prayer and practiced much mortification. He lived on little food and sleep, while working without rest in unfailing humility, gentleness, patience and cheerfulness, until he was well into his 70s. St. John Vianney died on August 4, 1859 at the age of 73 after serving 40 years as a parish priest. Over 1,000 people attended his funeral, including the bishop and over 300 priests of the diocese, who already viewed his life as a model of priestly holiness. St. John Vianney’s body, entombed in the Basilica at Ars, is incorrupt. St. John Vianney, The Holy Curé of Ars was beatified by Pope St. Pius X, himself once a parish priest and canonized by Pope Pius XI  on May 31, 1925. Over 450,000 pilgrims travel to Ars every year in remembrance of his holy life. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI, commemorating the 150th anniversary of St. John Vianney’s death, declared the Year for Priests. The Pope wrote a Letter to Clergy, encouraging all priests to look to the Curé of Ars as an example of dedication to one’s priestly calling. St. John Vianney is the Patron Saint of Priests; Confessors; Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa; diocese of Kansas City, Kansas. He is also a model for us through his great love for God, joy in the Eucharist, desire for repentance and high regard for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. His feast day is August 4th.

SAINT JOHN VIANNEY’S QUOTES: “I tell you that you have less to suffer in following the Cross than in serving the world and its pleasures.” “You cannot please both God and the world at the same time. They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions.”

PRAYER: Father of mercy, you made St. John Vianney outstanding in his priestly zeal and concern for your people. By his example and prayers, enable us to win our brothers and sisters to the love of Christ and come with them to eternal glory… Amen🙏🏾

BLESSED FRÉDÉRIC JANSSOONE, PRIEST: Bl. Frédéric Janssoone (1838-1916), a Franciscan priest, prolific and passionate preacher, Evangeliser “God’s Pedlar”, “Good Fr Frederic”, apostle of the Passion, of the poor, of charity of Marian devotions. He served in the Holy Land and he initiated a spiritual renewal in Canada based on meditation on the suffering and passion of Christ. Blessed Frédéric Janssoone was born on November 19, 1838, Ghyvelde, in the North of France. His mother was Flemish. His parents were devout and cultured people and gave him a solid education. He loses his father on January 13, 1848, when he is only nine years old. Four years later Frédéric feels a call to priesthood and enters the Collège d’Hazebrouck, first, and then the Institution Notre-Dame des Dunes. In 1855, though, he has to leave school to look for a job to support his mother. After his mother’s death, in 1861, Bl. Frédéric was able to complete his studies. In 1864 he entered the novitiate of the Franciscans in Amiens. He was ordained a priest in Bourges on August 17, 1870, and took part in the foundation of the convent of Bordeaux and becomes superior of this community. In 1876 he is sent to Holy Land to be the assistant to the head guard of the Sacred Sites in Palestine. He helps with administration, promotes a renewal of the custom of Holy Land pilgrimages, reestablishes the ritual of the Way of the Cross in the streets of Jerusalem, and directs the construction of Saint-Catherine’s parish, next to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. He revises the set of customary regulations that had developed through the centuries between the Latins, the Greeks and the Armenians for the use and maintenance of the shrines of Bethlehem and the Holy Sepulcher. He also is an excellent preacher.

In 1881 he makes his first trip to Canada to establish an annual fund-raising for the Holy Land. In 1888 he returns to Trois-Rivières where he founds the Commissariat for the Holy Land in Canada, that he will direct for 28 years. He preaches retreats and organizes pilgrimages to Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré, the Sanctuaire de la Réparation è Pointe-aux-Trembles and to Saint-Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, where he meets and becomes a friend of Frère André. He dies of stomach cancer in Montreal Canada on August 4, 1916. He was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II on September 25, 1988. He’s the Patron Saint of Priest and the Secular Franciscan Regional Fraternity of Eastern Canada.

“Tireless Apostle, his love of people and preaching, his goodness, austerity, his extreme poverty, his patience and his serenity during adversity, made others compare him to St Francis of Assisi.”

Blessed Frederic Janssoone, a Franciscan Priest ~ Pray for us 🙏🏾