St. John Vianney

Born in Dardilly near Lyons in 1 786, from the age of 18 he entertained the idea of becoming a priest, but owing tothe difficult political situation did not enter the minor seminary of Verrieres until1812, at the age of 26. There he was together with Jean-Claude Colin and Marcellin Champagnat in a class of some 232 pupils. The following year he transferred to the major seminary of St. Irenaeus in Lyons to begin theology at the same time as a number of Marist aspirants of later years, but withdrew only six weeks later and was entrusted to the tuition of his parish priest because of the difficulties he encountered in his studies. He returned from time to time to take examinations and in 1815 was ordained deacon with the Marist aspirants Colin, Champagnat, Declas and Terraillon and later that year priest, though at first he was not granted confessional faculties on the grounds of his tenuous grasp of the moral theology of his day.

 Almost certainly unacquainted with the Marist project during his years of study, he became parish priest or cure of Ars in 1818 at the time when Jean-Claude and Pierre Colin were working in the parish of Cerdon and in the very year that the Marist Sisters first took the religious habit there. He began the ministry which he was to continue until his death 41 years later, providing his lukewarm parish with the usual organisations, a school, and an orphanage, and reviving sacramental practice.

From 1821 he found himself, like the Colins, in the newly-erected diocese of Belley and like them was a willing and loyal cooperator with the efforts of the saintly and zealous Bishop Devie. Well informed about the ministry of the nascent Society of Mary from his friend Etienne Declas, from 1832 onwards we find many reported remarks about them on his lips. In that year he said: ‘The Marists - that is a work after the good Lord’s heart, because it has humility, simplicity, and trials’.

Having quickly gathered a reputation as a confessor and spiritual director, he received ever increasing numbers of pilgrims, including certainly Father Colin and Mother St. Joseph, and a whole number of Marist priests, brothers, sisters and tertiaries who as young people in search of their vocation were directed by him to the Society of Mary. In fact his recommendations to join the Third Order of Mary already in 1843, when it possessed neither official approbation nor definite structure pressured Father Colin into giving it its first Director in the person of Father Eymard. In 1846 John Vianney was himself received into the Third Order on December 8th and in 1854 received faculties to receive other members in his turn.

Great mutual esteem existed between him and Father Colin and in 1843, oppressed by his burdensome ministry and uncertain of the will of God, Vianney fled from his parish, probable with the intention of finding refuge with the Marists, but was compelled to return by his bishop and the parishioners. Again in 1846 the now aged parish priest contemplated such a move but again was resisted. With the opening of a house of Eucharistic adoration at La Neyliere in 1852 for priests and laymen, these plans reasserted themselves and in 1853he was hourly awaited by Father Cohn whenagain he had to give way to his insistent parishioners. He died in their service in 1859 and was canonised in 1925.

If anyone would be first, s/he must be last of all and servant of all (Mk 9:35)