January 24

Francis was born at the de Sales castle in Savoy, France, on August 21,

1567. His wealthy family provided him with an excellent education. By the

age of twenty-four, Francis was a Doctor of Law. He returned to Savoy and

led a hard-working life. He did not seem interested in important positions

or a social life. In his heart, Francis was listening to a call that kept

coming back like an echo. It seemed to be an invitation from the Lord to

become a priest. Francis finally tried to explain his struggle to his

family. His father was very disappointed. He wanted Francis to be a great

man of the world. Family influence could have accomplished that goal.

Instead, Francis became a priest on December 18, 1593.

Father de Sales lived in times when Christians were bitterly divided. He

volunteered to go to a dangerous area of France to win back Catholics who

had become Protestants. His father protested. He said it was bad enough

that he had permitted Francis to become a priest. He was not going to let

him be a martyr as well. But Francis believed that the Lord would protect

him. He and his cousin, Father Louis de Sales, set out on foot for the

Duchy of Chablais. The two priests soon learned how to live with insults

and physical discomforts. Their lives were frequently in danger. Little by

little, however, people returned to the Church.

Francis eventually became the bishop of Geneva, Switzerland. With the

help of St. Jane de Chantal, he started a religious order of sisters in

1610. These women are called the order of the Visitation. Francis wrote

wonderful books about the spiritual life and the way to become holy. The

books, Treatise on the Love of God and Introduction to the Devout Life, are

still in print today. They are considered spiritual "classics."

Bishop de Sales died on December 28, 1622, at the age of fifty-six. He

was declared a saint by Pope Innocent X in 1665. Because of his heroic

dedication to the Church, he was given the special title "Doctor of the

Church." He is also the patron saint of journalists.

We can learn many lessons from this great saint. He shows us that we can

accomplish much good in our lifetime. We can ask St. Francis de Sales to

help us listen to the Lord's voice and trust in his help.

From: Saint for young readers for every day.