St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church and patron of writers and journalists (presumably this includes us bloggers). He did NOT form the religious order known as the Salesians. Instead, St. John Bosco formed the group in honor of St. Francis de Sales.

De Sales is best known of for his spiritual classic, Introduction to the Devout Life. His teachings stand as an early example of what the Second Vatican Council would call the universal call to holiness (Lumen gentium, 5). For the most part, the laity in the 16th Century saw holiness as the role of the priests and those in religious orders. St. Francis de Sales dispelled this notion in the preface to his classic work:

But my object is to teach those who are living in towns, at court, in their own households, and whose calling obliges them to a social life, so far as externals are concerned. Such persons are apt to reject all attempt to lead a devout life under the plea of impossibility[.] (vi)

St. Francis de Sales was instrumental in addressing the Calvinist movement in Europe. In addition to Introduction to the Devout Life, de Sales wrote other treatises. In particular, he wrote the Treatise on the Love of God, in which he wrote, "The measure of love is to love without measure." According to the Lives of the Saints, this was "a precept which he had consistently taught and lived" and it echoes the words of Christ: "all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)


If you would like to learn more about St. Francis de Sales check out last year's post which contains additional reading resources and an EWTN video.

Is Holiness Possible?

Universal Call to Holiness

Holiness begins by assenting to the will of the Father and therefore the outpouring of his grace. Those who seek holiness “must follow in His footsteps and conform themselves to His image seeking the will of the Father in all things” (Lumen Gentium, 5). This is initially manifested in the sacrament of Baptism wherein one enters into union with God who is holiness.

God initiates this call to holiness, which is essentially a call to a relationship with him. Since God calls us, it must be possible to answer. In his love for us, God provides man with the tools for sanctification. Primary among these are the sacraments which draw us closer to him by availing us to his grace. He also gives us the liturgy so that me might learn how to pray, the essential tool to develop our relationship with the Lord. He provides the faithful with role models to follow in the lives of the saints. Their lives provide evidence that answering the call to holiness is possible for all.

The call to universal holiness is not something simply born out of Vatican II. Christ gave us the instruction to all of us to be perfect as the Father is perfect (Matt 5:48). The saints and popes have written about this instruction years before the Second Vatican Council.

St. Francis de Sales wrote in the 16th Century:

"But my object is to teach those who are living in towns, at court, in their own households, and whose calling obliges them to a social life, so far as externals are concerned. Such persons are apt to reject all attempt to lead a devout life under the plea of impossibility[.]" (vi)

Pope Piux XI in 1930 issued the encyclical Casti Connubii in which he said:

For all men of every condition, in whatever honorable walk of life they may be, can and ought to imitate that most perfect example of holiness placed before man by God, namely Christ Our Lord, and by God's grace to arrive at the summit of perfection, as is proved by the example set us of many saints. (CC, 23)

I'd like to close with a point from St. Josemaria: "Conversion is the matter of a moment. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime." (The Way, #285)

Saint Talk: St. Francis de SalesDoctor of the Church

By Father Lawrence Lew, OP

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church.

St. Francis was born to a "noble and pious family." By all accounts he was a great student at the University of Paris and the University of Padua. He was well on his way to a successful career as a lawyer, which was his father's wish. Instead, he answered the call to the priesthood. He was instrumental in responding to the Calvinist movement during the 17th century. Eventually Francis would become the Bishop of Geneva.

His best known work, Introduction to the Devout Life holds the test of time as a guide for lay Catholics who are seeking to develop a closer relationship with Christ. He is the patron of writers.

Additional Reading:

St. Francis de Sales, Catholic.org

St. Francis de Sales, EWTN

For those would like to learn more about St. Francis de Sales from video, here's a one hour video from EWTN: