Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Confessor (1567-1622)
by VP
Posted on Thursday January 29, 2026 at 12:00AM in Saints
St Francis de Sales, by Giovanni Battista Lucini
"He was bishop of Geneva; and spent his life in looking after the lost sheep. In this, his zeal was so great, that no difficulties or dangers discouraged him. He considered not himself, but only the misery of those seduced souls, who stood in need of his help; and God blessed his endeavours with the conversion of many thousands. Pray for all the bishops of Christ's Church, that they may be animated with the spirit and zeal of this holy prelate: that duly attending to all the necessities of their charge, neither errors nor vice may have the opportunity of spreading through their neglect. Pray for the people of Geneva, that being delivered from all their errors, they may become faithful professors of the truth.
Notwithstanding the immense charity and apostolic labours of this holy pastor, he could not escape the tongues of men, who misrepresented him at the court of Rome, and in France and Savoy, and traduced his books as heretical. But none of these calumnies made any impression upon his mind, or discouraged him in the faithful discharge of his duty. Pray for his meekness and constancy; and let his example convince you, that neither fidelity nor innocence can secure you against calumnies. And when these come to be your portion, follow his advice in doing right to truth by justifying yourself; and to humility, by submitting to those trials, which God shall permit for your exercise. Be faithful to your duty, and discreet in your conduct: and then, however folly or malice may murmur against you, go on with courage, having God for your witness, and the testimony of a good conscience to comfort you.
The charity of this saint still lives and brings forth fruit in his holy books; and in that holy order of the Visitation, which he instituted. Pray and endeavour that his books may lead you to a devout life, and increase in you the love of God. Never be tired, till his directions become your rule. Pray for all the religious of the order of the Visitation, that they may answer the designs of their founder, and give proof of his holy spirit." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
CHAPTER XI. OF THE UNIVERSALITY OR CATHOLICITY OF THE CHURCH: THIRD MARK.
"THAT great Father, Vincent of Lerins, in his most useful Memorial, says that he must before all things have a great care to believe "that which has been believed by all [always and everywhere]"... such as the jugglers and tinkers; for the rest of the world call us Catholic; and if we add Roman, it is only to inform people of the See of that Bishop who is general and visible Pastor of the Church. And already in the time of S. Ambrose to be Roman in communion was the same thing as to be Catholic.
But as for your church, it is called everywhere Huguenot, Calvinist, Heretical, Pretended, Protestant, New, or Sacramentarian. Your church was not before these names, and these names were not before your church, because they are proper to it. Nobody calls you Catholics, you scarcely dare to do so yourselves. I am well aware that amongst you your churches call themselves Reformed, but just as much right to that name have the Lutherans, and the Ubiquitarians, Anabaptists, Trinitarians, and other offshoots of Luther, and they will never yield it to you. The name of religion is common to the Church of the Jews and of the Christians, in the Old Law and in the New; the name of Catholic is proper to the Church of Our Lord; the name of Reformed is a blasphemy against Our Lord, who has so perfectly formed and sanctified his Church in his blood, that it must never take other form than of his all lovely Spouse, of pillar and ground of truth. One may reform the nations in particular, but not the Church or religion. She was rightly formed, change of formation is called heresy or irreligion. The tint of Our Saviour's blood is too fair and too bright to require new colours.
Your church, then, calling itself Reformed, gives up its part in the form which the Saviour had established. But I cannot refrain from telling you what Beza, Luther, and Peter Martyr think on this. Peter Martyr calls you Lutherans, and says you are brothers to them; you are then Lutherans; Luther calls you Zwinglians * and Sacramentarians; Beza calls the Lutherans Consubstantiators and Chymists, and yet he puts them in the number of Reformed churches. then the new names which the reformers acknowledge for one another. Your church, therefore, not having even the name of Catholic, you cannot with a good conscience say the Apostles' Creed; if you do, you judge yourselves, who, confessing the Church Catholic and universal, obstinately keep to your own, which most certainly is not such. If S. Augustine were living now, he would remain in our Church, which from immemorial time is in possession of the name of Catholic." Source: St. Francis de Sales: The Catholic controversy
