St. Jean-Marie Vianney (1786 - 1859) is the patron saint of parish priests and one of the world's greatest confessors.
[Note: Prior to the changes brought about in the 1962 Roman Missal, St. Jean-Marie Vianney's feast day was August 9th. August 8th was dedicated to the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Sadly, they and many other wondrous saints were taken out of the 1962 calendar, such as St. Philomena, St. Margaret of Antioch, the Apparition of St. Michael and Mount Gragano, and St. Christopher.]
A CHALLENGING YOUTH
Jean-Marie was born in Dardilly (near Lyons) France on 8 May 1786 during difficult times. The Revolution against Altar and Throne would begin within a few years (June 1789) and Catholics everywhere would soon be terribly persecuted. His parents, Mathieu Vianney and Marie Béluze were poor peasants but had a strong faith. As a child, Jean-Marie was greatly drawn to prayer and devotion to the Blessed Mother. Once his mother found him in the barn loft intimately conversing with a statue of our Lady. Very soon the family had to assist at Mass clandestinely for anyone caught at Mass could suffer capital punishment. As a grown man, he would still recall seeing the watchmen set to guard the barn on the night he made his First Holy Communion at an "underground" Mass.
Jean-Marie had many responsibilities in helping provide food for his family and so he was only allowed to begin studies towards the priesthood when he was well beyond the accustomed age. Learning was difficult for him and his much younger peers considered him a 'dunce.' Once a friend was tutoring Jean-Marie and grew so frustrated with Jean's inability to learn that be vehemently boxed his ears. The much older and bigger boy accepted the punishment, and even knelt and apologized for his short comings! Such a profound display of meekness converted the younger boy who apologized and never again lost his temper while helping Jean learn. As Jean was unable to master Latin, it appeared he would never be ordained. Yet his mentor, good Father Balley, encouraged him to persevere and eventually brought the bishop to his way of thinking: this young man was indeed meant to be a priest. Thus, after overcoming enormous difficulties, Jean-Marie was ordained on 12 August 1815. However, on account of his seeming ignorance, he was prohibited from hearing confessions! [What irony, that a priest who is perhaps the greatest confessor of all time was at first deemed unfit to hear confessions. Truly, God lifts up and exalts the humble!]
[column size="2-3" last="0"]ARRIVAL AT ARS
At age 31, Fr. Jean-Marie was assigned to the tiny and insignificant town of Ars. He would remain in this little town for the rest of his life. (Although on three occasions he did attempt to leave Ars to join a monastery. Yet each time God turned him back so that he might continue to help the sinners who sought him in ever increasing numbers.) Upon his arrival on 9 Feb 1818, he got lost in the thick fog of the pre-dawn darkness and could not find the hamlet. He did bump into a small shepherd boy, Antoine Givre. He asked the boy if the little town was nearby and the boy pointed out the modest town less than a mile away. In gratitude, St. Jean-Marie famously replied, "I thank you for having shown me the path to Ars. I will should you the path to Heaven!" To himself he murmured, "How small it is!" and then knelt on the frozen ground and prayed at length, his eyes fixed on the houses. [Pilgrims visiting Ars today can easily walk to this spot which is commemorated by a heartening statue of St. Jean-Marie Vianney pointing out Heaven to young Antoine.]
CONFESSOR PAR EXCELLENCE
St. Jean-Marie Vianney labored unceasingly against the immorality, religious indifference, and frivolity he found among his parishioners. When he arrived, many busied themselves at dances, gambling and drinking. By the time he left this earth, there remained not one inn of immorality or debauchery in the entire town. In truth, he converted his entire parish which was the entire town.
Eventually he became famous far and wide as a confessor and spiritual director of unparalleled sagacity. Nearly three hundred people traveled to Ars daily just to have him hear their confession. The railroad altered its construction plans and selected Ars as a train stop on account of these pilgrims visiting the holy Curé. He set up three confessionals: one for women, one for men, and one for priests. Thus even while they stood in line (which was often for hours), one group might not be led to sinful thoughts by the other group. He heard confessions for 13-17 hours a day!
God also graced him with the gift of tongues so that penitents from every nation could confess in their native tongue and he would understand them. Although he only spoke French well, the same penitents would hear his spiritual advice in their native tongue! He was also often given the grace of reading souls and knew when a penitent was hiding a grave sin. His questions and promptings would help them confess their dark secrets and be freed from their enslavement. The holy Curé had boundless compassion for sinners, and he shook with sobs at the thought of souls, redeemed by the terrible sufferings of Christ, being dammed forever. He often received a premonition when on the next day he would "catch a big fish" - which meant a great sinner would be absolved of all sins in his confessional. Yet such a great grace always came at a terrible price - the saintly priest knew it would happen for he first had to suffer much and endure terrible temptations and attacks from the devil. Now his empathy for penitents was so great, that he often reduced the penance they had to do and would instead impose their just penance upon himself. In effect, he would do the bulk of the penance for those whose confessions he heard!
BATTLING FOR SOULS
Yet he was extremely firm and uncompromising when it came to the Faith. In reading Sermons by the Curé de Ars one is cut to the heart and feels great contrition. Readers today often wonder how a priest could preach so strongly and sternly to his flock, and yet they fail to realize how much he loved them. His little sheep knew were able to swallow the bitter pill of chastisement, for they were utterly confident in his great charity from which it flowed. It can be said that St. Jean-Marie was a 'lion in the pulpit and a lamb in the confessional.' Every day he held catechism classes in his church - for children, for women, and for men. [The Church in Ars still has the pulpit from which he preached, the stand from where he taught catechism, his confessionals, and his baptismal font.]
The Curé of Ars also suffered from attacks by the devil for a period of over thirty years. The devil would take on physical form and viciously harm him. He would beat him to a pulp at times, leaving him bruised and bloody. At other times he would shake his mattress and toss him out of his bed or even shake the entire foundations of his humble home. At least on one occasion the devil even set fire to his bed. Satan himself revealed why he hated St. Jean-Marie so much when he said, "If there were just three confessors like you in the world, my kingdom in this world would be broken."
St. Jean-Marie's severe penances were constant. He regularly used the discipline. He slept on a hard board for just a few hours a day. His meals were meager, often consisting of rancid potatoes. (On Sunday he would permit himself a good potato!) Much of the food he received he shared with those who were in need. All his spare time not consumed by priestly ministerial duties for the sheep were devoted to prayer on his knees, meditation, and study. He also helped set up homes for orphans and to train young ladies in virtue and religion. All his penances, mortifications, and corporal and spiritual acts of mercy is how he purchased (at a great cost) the graces of forgiveness and contrition for sinners. One year, he converted over seven-hundred "big sinners." In his lifetime, he converted thousands upon thousands. Even great sinners could not resist his call to confession and true repentance. One Protestant gentleman, having come from a meeting with the saintly priest, was asked his impression. His only reply was, "I have just seen God in a man."
GREAT DEVOTION
The holy Curé was intensely devoted to the Immaculate Conception. Following Pope Pius IX's infallible definition (1854), he had a wonderful golden statue made of the Immaculate Conception and placed atop the facade of his parish church. She stands there to this day, and the church in Ars is now called the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.
During his lifetime, the relics of St. Philomena were discovered in the Catacombs of St. Priscilla (1802). This virgin martyr and great miracle worker (she was dubbed the Thaumaturges of the 19th century) became St. Jean-Mari's particular patron. He would take all his needs to her. Anytime people attributed a miracle to him, he would humbly respond that it was actually St. Philomena's intercession that had worked the wonder. He wanted to enlarge his humble parish church to include a sanctuary to St. Philomena, but he died before this project could be completed. Posthumous devotees finished the work and today that section of the chapel is adorned with wonderful murals from the miraculous life of St. Philomena.
VENERATION AND COUNSEL
St. Jean-Marie Vianney is one of the most popular saints today, perhaps on account of his humility and universal appeal. Every devout Catholic wishes they had a parish priest like him and thus prays for his intercession on behalf of their parish priest. His incorrupt body lies in a glass casing upon an altar in his chapel; priests from all over the world come to offer the Holy Sacrifice there. A special chapel has been built to house his incorrupt heart, and there prayers are offered unceasingly for all French parish priests. Many of his works are available today and well worth the read. Here are ten of his inspirational maxims from a small book entitled "Thoughts of the Curé of Ars" (TAN, 1984):[/column][column size="1-3" last="1"]
Statue of the Immaculate Conception atop Ars' church 
Murals of the trials of St. Philomena in her chapel
- "Oh! How I love those words said the first thing in the morning: I will do and suffer everything this day for the Glory of God ... nothing for the world or personal interest, all to please my Savior." (p.7, Counsel T.)
- "The Saints were so completely dead to themselves that they cared very little whether others agreed with them or not." (p.7, Catechism on Pride)
- "One serves God better by doing things in which one takes neither pleasure not delight." (p.10, Saying, JV)
- "You must accept your cross; if you bear it courageously, it will carry you to Heaven (p.9, Counsel M.)
- "God has created my heart only for Himself. He asks me to give it to Him that He may make it happy." (p.22, Eucharistic Meditation 27)
- "When you hear Mass, do you come in the same frame of mind as the Blessed Virgin at Calvary? Because it is the same God, and the same Sacrifice." (p.25, Sermon on Good Friday)
- "If I may make use of such an expression, I compare those who serve sometimes God, sometimes the World, as the case may be, with dogs who answer to ever whistle." (p.56, Sermon on the World)
- "I have had crosses in plenty - more than I could carry almost! I set myself to ask for the love of crosses - then I was happy. (p.35, Of Suffering)
- "I observe this in a great many people; a single word of blame disturbs and disquiets them ... The Saints were pained if their virtues were known, and pleased that their imperfections should be seen" (p.66, Catechism on Sin, M.)
- "One is often carried away with the sins and shortcommings of others. It would be far better to talk less about them and pray more." (p.62, On Love for our Neighbor)