The Word Among Us

June 2008 Issue

Saint of the Confessional

How St. John Vianney brought a whole town to conversion.

By: Patricia Mitchell

Saint of the Confessional: How St. John Vianney brought a whole town to conversion. by Patricia Mitchell

On a gray and misty late afternoon in February 1818, a thirty-one-year-old priest reached the outskirts of a backwater village north of Lyons, France. Immediately, he knelt down on the roadside and prayed. Fr. Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney, just beginning his first assignment as pastor, was already interceding for a mission that he knew to be beyond his ability. “There is not much love for God in that parish,” the vicar general had told him about the little town of Ars. “You will bring some into it.”

Only God could work this kind of change, the young priest knew. He was also aware that he would never attract others to Jesus unless he...

THIS CONTENT IS AVAILABLE WITH A SUBSCRIPTION

Access all Mass readings, Order of Mass, daily meditations and articles, as well as special resources, by becoming a subscriber. View subscription options.

Special Offer: Two week free web-only trial subscription. Sign up now.

Existing Print & Web-Only Subscribers: Login for full access.

Comments