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St. John Vianney Bio






     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



445 82nd Avenue,
St. Pete Beach,
Florida 33706
727.360 .1147
Fax- 727.367.4418
 


 

 
 

St. John Vianney was born on May 8, 1786 near Lyons, France.  He was the fourth of six children and spent his childhood and young adult life working the family farm.  John grew up during the years of the French Revolution, a time of great persecution for Catholics.  He realized from a very early age that to live one’s Catholic faith took much courage and heroism, and this only made his love for his faith stronger than ever. 

 

In 1803, at the age of 17, John felt God’s call in his life to the priesthood.  Two years later he began to take formal instruction.  He struggled with his studies, as he never had the opportunity to go to school growing up.  However, his perseverance would pay off. 

 

On August 13, 1815, John was ordained a priest, and after a brief assignment as an assistant pastor, he was assigned to the small country parish of Ars in 1818.  The church had been sacked by revolutionaries, and the parishioners were in dire need of spiritual guidance. 

 

Through a life of personal penance, clear common-sense homilies, and the revitalization of the sacrament of reconciliation, Fr. Vianney began to “right the ship.”  On a typical day, he would hear confessions for 17 hours.  He was everything a pastor should be, and he was faithful to his vocation to the very end. 

 

On August 4, 1859, Fr. Vianney died, having served at Ars for more than 41 years.  He was beatified January 8, 1905 and canonized May 31, 1925 by Pius XI.  Since then, he has been invoked as the patron saint of parish priests. 

 


Heavenly Father, please grant to Your faithful servants, the grace and strength to carry out Your mission for the church each day. 

 

Keep our priests close to You and continue to inspire them to serve others in Your holy name. 

 

Please help to inspire men who are called to a priestly vocation to answer your call and participate in the fullness that You have planned for them.

 

Amen.

 

 

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