Feast of St. Francis de Sales Times Two

The feast of the great Doctor of Charity is January 29: next Wednesday. However, the Oratory that bears his name is also celebrating his feast as an External Solemnity tomorrow, January 26, at 8 am and 10 am. The 10 am is a Solemn High Mass, and the children's choir will also sing. St. Francis de Sales, pray for us! From the third reading at matins: Francis was born of devout and noble parents in the town of Sales, from which his family took its name. He was given a liberal education, devoted himself to the study of philosophy and theology at Paris and gained the degree of Doctor in civil and canon law at Padua. When he had been ordained priest and made provost of the church of Geneva, he carried out the duties of his office so well that Bishop de Granier sent him to preach the word of God in Chablais in order to win the inhabitants away from the heresy of Calvin. He undertook this mission with such great zeal and overcame so many dangers with the help of God that he is said to have brought back to the Catholic faith some seventy-two thousand heretics. When de Granier died, Francis was consecrated bishop. He founded a new order of nuns, named for the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin, and enlightened the Church with writings filled with heavenly teaching. At Lyons, he was seized by a grave illness and departed to heaven in the year 1622. He was declared a Doctor of the Universal Church by pope Pius IX.

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