Yesterday was the feast day of Jean-Baptiste-Vianney. He was born on May 8, 1786 and died on August 4, 1859. Many of us know him better ad the Cure d’Ars. We was known for the pastoral work in his parish which resulted in a transformation of the community. He lived a saintly life, sufferening mortification yet devoting his life and ministry to his vocation, the sacrament of confession, and his honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Philomena.
The future Cure d’Ars was born in the French town of Dardilly and baptised on the day of his birth. He was one of six children and the fourth oldest. His family was devout and practicing Catholics.
The year, 1790 saw many priests having to go into hiding from the government during French Revolution. The Vianneys had to travel to distant homes and farms in order to attend Mass and pray in relative safety. Mass, during this time, was illegal and priests risked their lives in order to bring people the sacraments. Jean-Baptiste-Vianney made his First Communion at age 13 in secret.
In 1802, the Catholic Church was re-established in France, resulting in religious peace throughout the country. When the Cure’Ars was 20, his father allowed him to study at a neighboring school. He struggled with his lessons, especially, Latin. It was his heartfelt desire to become a priest and the patience of his teachers that he was able to continue. In 1818, Jean-Marie Vianney was appointed parish priest of the parish of Ars, a town of 230 people.
As parish priest, Vianney realized that the Revolution's aftermath had resulted in religious ignorance, due to the destruction of the Catholic Church in France. At the time, Sundays in rural areas were spent working in the fields, or dancing and drinking in taverns. Vianney was astonished, especially since Sundays were meant to be reserved for religion. Vianney spent time in the confessional and gave homilies against blasphemy and dancing. If his parishioners did not give up dancing, he refused them absolution.
Vianney came to be known internationally, and people from distant places began traveling to consult him as early as 1827."By 1855, the number of pilgrims had reached 20,000 a year. During the last ten years of his life, he spent 16 to 18 hours a day in the confessional. Even the bishop forbade him to attend the annual retreats of the diocesan clergy because of the souls awaiting him yonder".He spent at least 11 or 12 hours a day in the confessional during winter, and up to 16 in the summer.
Vianney had a great devotion to St. Philomena. Vianney regarded her as his guardian and erected a chapel and shrine in honor of the saint. During May 1843, Vianney fell so ill he thought that his life was coming to its end. He asked St Philomena to cure him and promised to say 100 Masses at her shrine. Twelve days later, Vianney was cured and he attributed his cure to St Philomena.
Vianney yearned for the contemplative life of a monk, and four times ran away from Ars, the last time in 1853.
On 4th of August 1859, Vianney died at age 73. The bishop presided over his funeral with 300 priests and more than 6,000 people in attendance.
On the 3rd of October 1874 Pope Pius IX proclaimed him Venerable; on January 8, 1905, Pope Pius X declared him Blessed and proposed him as a model to the parochial clergy; in 1925 Pope Pius XI canonized him, and assigned August 8th as his feast day. He was made patron saint of parish priests in 1929. The rank was changed to that of third-class feast in 1960, and it is thus celebrated by those who observe the calendar of 1962 as an extraordinary form of the Roman Rite. The date assigned by Pope Paul VI for the memorial of John Vianney is 4 August.
In honor of the 150th anniversary of Vianney's death, Pope Benedict XVI declared a year for priests, running from the feast of the Sacred Heart 2009-2010.
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