August 4
Saint John Vianney
The Curé d’Ars
(1786 – 1859)
“Prayer is the inner bath of love into which the soul plunges itself”
Saint John Vianney
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or on the Book Cover Image above to buy it!
Click here for the Amazon page
or on the Book Cover Image above to buy it!
Click here for the Amazon page or on the Book Cover Image above to buy it!
Saint’s Life Story
His Early Life
Jean Marie (John) Vianney was born to devout Catholic parents on the family farm near Lyon in the village of Dardilly, in the eastern part of France on May 8, 1786. His parents, Matthieu and his wife Marie, had six children, of whom John was the fourth. He displayed a deep devotion to his faith from a young age. Even as a child, John would teach other children their prayers and catechism, showing an early inclination towards guiding others in their spiritual journeys.
He grew up during the anticlerical terror phase of the French Revolution that forced many loyal priests to hide from the regime in order to carry out the sacraments in their parish. He made his first communion at the age of 13, in a neighbor’s kitchen. During the Mass, the windows were covered so that the light of the candles could not be seen from outside, because the Church was still being persecuted.
Called to Priesthood
By the time this shepherd on his father’s farm reached age 18 and decided that he was being called to the priesthood, open worship was again permitted. Unfortunately, John’s father could not afford to send him to school for the proper education. Two years later he managed to get into the presbytery-school of the Abbé (french word for Abbot) Balley in the neighboring village of Ecully. However, he had trouble keeping up with the others because he had received so little previous education (a single year when he was nine), since his early years of education had been spent more in the fields minding sheep. John was sure of his goal, so he persisted.
Drafted
Though a seminarian, through an error, he was drafted into the army in 1809. He was ordered to report to the depot in Lyon on October 26, 1809. But two days after receiving the order, John was hospitalized and his company left him behind. On January 5, while still convalescing, he was ordered to report to Roanne for another draft the following day. They left without him, because he had stopped to pray in the church. He met a young man who volunteered to guide him back to his group, but instead led him deep into the Forez mountains, to the village of Les Noes, where deserters had gathered.
For fourteen months, John lived there, hidden in the byre attached to a farmhouse, under the care of Claudine Fayot, a widow with four children. John assumed the name Jerome Vincent. Under that name, he opened a school for village children.
When Napoleon granted amnesty to all deserters in 1810, John was able to return home. So, after fourteen months, John was able to resume his path to the priesthood.
Path to Priesthood
In 1811, John was tonsured and then in 1812, he went to the minor seminary, at Verrières-en-Forez, France. In the autumn of 1813, John was sent to the major seminary at Lyons. John struggled with Latin and philosophy. His studies were so bad that he dropped out after the first term. Abbé Balley privately tutored him, but he still failed the seminary examinations. In spite of that, his reputation for goodness and holiness was so strong that the vicar general allowed him to take minor orders on July 2, 1814.
In fact, John was called “the most unlearned but the most devout seminarian in Lyon.” However, on August 13, 1815 he was finally ordained priest by the Bishop of Grenoble. At his ordination, the vicar general stated “The Church wants not only learned priests but, even more, holy ones.”
Ordained
On August 12, 1815, John was ordained a priest in the Convent des Minimes de Grenoble in Grenoble, France. He spent the next years as curate to Abbé Balley at Ecully until his mentor died in 1817. Abbé Balley recognized John’s vocation and urged him to persevere despite the difficulties.
Parish Priest at Ars
Early in 1818, John was appointed as the parish priest at the church of Saint Sixtus in the tiny village of Ars-en-Dombes with a population of 230. As parish priest, John realized that the Revolution’s aftermath had resulted in religious ignorance and indifference, due to the devastation wrought on the Catholic Church in France. At the time, Sundays in rural areas were spent working in the fields, or dancing and drinking in taverns. Immediately, John tried to restore a sense of Sunday in his flock, not just in getting them to attend Mass but also to refrain from unnecessary work.
John dedicated himself to the pastoral care of his parishioners. He spent countless hours visiting the sick and poor, providing comfort and assistance to those in need. He fervently prayed before the Blessed Sacrament, practicing intense penance on behalf of his parishioners. John set an exemplary life of holiness for his flock to follow.
John waged war on blasphemy and profanity, citing from the pulpit the words and phrases which offended God. He was also set against dancing and saw it as an occasion of sin.
Modesty in clothing was another of his battles where he wrote: .
“If a pastor remains silent when he sees God insulted and souls going astray, woe to him! If he does not want to be damned, and if there is some disorder in his parish, he must trample upon human respect and the fear of being despised or hated.”
Gifted and Tormented
John possessed remarkable spiritual gifts, including the ability to discern spirits, prophetic visions, hidden knowledge, and the power to work miracles. However, he also experienced torment from evil spirits, especially during his brief 2 to 3 hours periods of sleep each night.
John’s holiness and captivating preaching quickly spread, attracting large crowds of people who sought his guidance and sought reconciliation through the sacrament of confession. By 1855, around 20,000 pilgrims annually made their way to Ars to witness his powerful preaching and receive his spiritual counsel.
During the last ten years of his life, John would spend up to eighteen hours a day in the confessional. His advice was sought by everyone, from bishops and priests to people in all sorts of difficulty. He once explained to a fellow priest his self-imposed mortifications and expiations for those souls whose confessions he heard, “I will tell you my recipe: I give sinners a small penance and the rest I do in their place.”
Suicide
In his article “How does the Church Respond to Suicide?” Shaun McAfee references an incident described in the book Cure of Ars:
“… a woman … told … Vianney that she was devastated because her husband had committed suicide. She wanted to approach the great priest but his line often lasted for hours and she could not reach him. She was ready to give up and in a moment of mystical insight that only a great saint can receive … Vianney exclaimed through the crowd, “He is saved!” The woman was incredulous so the saint repeated, stressing each word, “I tell you he is saved. He is in Purgatory, and you must pray for him. Between the parapet of the bridge and the water he had time to make an act of contrition.”
Eucharistic Adoration
It was from his example that they learned to pray, to visit Jesus frequently in the Tabernacle. “One need not say much to pray well”, he explained to them, “we know that Jesus is there in the Tabernacle. Let us open our hearts to Him, let us rejoice in His sacred presence. That is the best prayer”. And He would urge them: “Come to communion, my brothers and sisters, come to Jesus. Come to live from Him in order to live with Him… Of course you are not worthy of Him but you need Him!”
Shrine for Saint Philomena
John had a great devotion to Saint Philomena. He regarded her as his guardian and erected a chapel and shrine in honor of the saint. In May 1843, he felt so ill that he thought that his life was coming to an end. He attributed his cure to her intercession.
Knight
In 1855, the French government made John a knight of the Legion of Honor. John was amazed. “Suppose I die,” he mused, “and God says, ‘Away you go. You have already been rewarded’.” So he refused to have the medal even pinned on his old cassock.
3 Escape Attempts
A burning desire for the silence and solitude of the contemplative life never left John. Three times he even tried to “escape” from Ars to a nearby Carthusian monastery, but upon the bishop’s orders, he always returned.
His Death
In the last year of John’s life there were between 100,000-120,000 total number of pilgrims that traveled by public and private transport to see him in Ars.
When the last sacraments were brought to him on his deathbed by Bishop Chalandon, John said, “How sad it is to receive holy communion for the last time.” After 41 years of service, John died on August 4, 1859 at the age of 73 in Ars-sur-Formans, Ain, France. He is buried in the Basilica of Saint Sixtus in Ars.
Saint John Vianney is one of only two parish priests who have been canonized by the Catholic Church along with Saint Ivo of Kermartin.
Born: May 8, 1786 at Dardilly, Lyon, France
Died: August 4, 1859 (aged 73) Ars-sur-Formans, Ain, France
Beatified: January 8, 1905 by Pope Saint Pius X
Canonized: May 31, 1925 by Pope Pius XI
Feast Day: August 4
Reflection
Saint John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, shows us that holiness is not about natural talent but about surrender to God. Though he struggled greatly in his studies and faced many obstacles on the path to the priesthood, he never gave up on the call God placed in his heart. His perseverance reminds us that God does not always choose the most learned by worldly standards. Instead, He often chooses the humble and faithful. In our own weaknesses, Saint John encourages us to trust that God can work powerfully through us.
As a parish priest in the small village of Ars, he transformed an entire community through prayer, sacrifice, and tireless love for souls. He spent long hours hearing confessions, often up to sixteen hours a day, guiding people back to God’s mercy. His life calls us to reflect on the healing power of reconciliation and the importance of praying for our priests. Through simple holiness and deep devotion, he became a living sign of Christ’s compassion and mercy.
Saint John teaches us that true greatness lies in loving God and serving others with humility. His hidden life in a small village became a light for all the Church because he gave everything to Christ. He invites us to deepen our prayer life, returning often to the sacraments and trusting in the transforming power of grace.
Does your Christian life feel hidden away? Pray to God, that like Saint John Vianney, you can transform your life in your own small “Ars” into a shining light for all you encounter through your love of God.
Prayers
Saint John Vianney,
You were a faithful shepherd in your youth and then later, leading your flock as the Curé of Ars, overcoming your lack of education.
Help us to persevere through our weaknesses.
May we seek God’s mercy in the sacraments and to live with humility and love.
Intercede especially for our priests, that they may be strengthened in holiness and service.
Lead us ever closer to the heart of Christ.
Saint John Vianney, pray for us! Amen.
Saint Links
Aleteia – How to make an out-sized impact with St. John Vianney
America Needs Fatima – Saint John Mary Vianney
Catholic Culture – St. John Vianney
Catholic Exchange – St. John Vianney, Priests, and God’s Armor
Catholic Insight – Saint Jean Vianney, a Priest for Priests
CatholicSaints.Info – Saint John Mary Vianney
Dynamic Catholic – Saint John Vianney
Editions Magnificat – Saint John Vianney Curé of Ars, Confessor (1786-1859)
Franciscan Media – Saint John Vianney
Jean Lee – Saint John Vianney, The Cuŕe of Ars (1786-1859).
Loyola Press – Saint John Vianney Feast Day August 4
Melanie Rigney – John Vianney
My Catholic Life – August 4: Saint Jean Vianney (the Curé of Ars), Priest
National Catholic Register – Canonized 100 Years Ago, St. John Vianney Still Converts Hearts
New Advent – Otten, S. (1910). St. Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney. In The Catholic Encyclopedia
Regnum Christi (Uncle Eddy) – St John Vianney by Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Saint for a Minute – Saint John Mary Vianney
Saint Mary’s Press – Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
Saints and Feasts – August 4: Saint John Vianney, Priest
Saints for Sinners – Saint Jean Baptiste Marie Vianney
The Work of God – Sermons of the Curé d’Ars – Exceprts
University of Notre Dame – St. John Vianney
Video Link
August 4: St. John Vianney, Priest – YouTube (Catholic Saints & Feasts)