St. John Vianney

Details: 14 May 2010

During the first part of this Year for Priests, I was fortunate to visit Ars, France - the village where St. John Vianney was a parish priest. It was there I had the privilege of offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the altar where his body lies.

St. John Vianney was born in Dardilly in 1786 during the French Revolution (which gave birth to the Communist Revolution and is sadly celebrated by many today). It was during this period of terror that a countless number of faithful Catholics were tortured, butchered and beheaded just for being Catholic. During this time the Catholic faith was outlawed and faithful priests were hunted down like dogs, suffered unspeakable horrors and were put to death. Faithful priests, like those in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth in the 16th century, traveled the countryside in disguise, celebrating the sacraments in secret.

This was the milieu in which St. John Vianney was born and raised. His parents risked their lives and the lives of their children by hiding faithful priests. Mass was celebrated clandestinely as the faithful gathered secretly. Because of these challenges, St. John Vianney received his first holy Communion at the age of 13 and did not receive any formal education. It is easy to forget this when we hear of his difficulties learning Latin.

After many struggles and difficulties, he was ordained a priest August 12, 1815, and in Ars was the instrument of the salvation of an amount of souls only known to God, and continues to be such an instrument from his place in heaven. He spent hours on end hearing confessions. I heard a priest once say, “We have to keep our churches in a narrow range of temperature to avoid any complaints.” During the winter months, he would hear confessions 11 to 12 hours a day and up to 16 in the summer, all without heating and air conditioning. At one point in his ministry, he saw more than 300 pilgrims per day.

Like other saints, he possessed an intense love and devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to the poor. In his encyclical on St. John Vianney, Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia, Blessed John XXIII said, “This is how he taught his faithful how to pray: ‘You do not need many words when you pray. We believe on faith that the good and gracious God is there in the tabernacle; we open our souls to him; and feel happy that He allows us to come before Him; this is the best way to pray.’ ”
It was this intense love and devotion to the Eucharist that led to his love of neighbor with a special spot for those in need.

Let us be so resolved to spend time with our Eucharistic King each week knowing we will not ‘need many words.’ Just simply lift your heart to Jesus while in front of the Blessed Sacrament and he will guide you closer to God the Father in the Holy Spirit. Then the proof of your love of God will manifest itself by your love of neighbor especially those in need. St. John Vianney, pray for us!!