The prayers, fasts and penances of Saint John Marie Vianney (Curé D'Ars) for thirteen years converted the pagan city most "feared" by the priests of France and transformed it into a "hospital of souls" in Europe. Patron saint of priests
The Formation of a Priest by John Mary Vianney
John Vianney was born into a peasant family, humble and very religious, in the city of Dardilly , France, in 1786. As a child he already cultivated a strong attachment to the things of God. I had a rosary that did not come off, I constantly walked with it. Until his sister decided that she wanted him for herself and tried to get him. Both started a strong argument, with shoving here and there. Soon comes the intervention of the mother! He leaves “losing” little João. But it was his first great Christian lesson: the wise mother asked him to lovingly give the rosary to his sister! In exchange, she gave him an image of Our Lady that was on top of the fridge that he always wanted so much. Ah, what a joy it was!
As an adult , he served in Napoleon 's army but soon deserted because it was not compatible with his life purposes. He entered religious life , but with difficulties, as he only became literate at the age of 17 and had to learn French, since he only knew the local dialect.
His lack of instruction brought him problems to obtain ordination, but his wisdom and morality greatly outweighed his intellectual precariousness – allowing him to complete in 1815 the formation of a priest in a private seminary of Ecully in France. Dedication to deep prayers, obedience, charity, as well as the possession of charisms, soon caught the attention of one of his superiors: he clearly perceived that he was dealing with a holy soul . Saint John Vianney modeled himself on the example cited by the Apostle Paul:
“God chose the insignificant to confuse the great”
The small town of Ars
Ah... The city (or village) of Ars... It was “feared” by all the priests, nobody wanted to be a vicar there. Reason: it was a small pagan community of about 230 people, where violence, vices, prostitution, hostility (including murders) and the lifestyle of night taverns (cabarets) prevailed. The church was almost always empty. It was therefore the exact spot to be transformed by the Holy Father John Vianney. Who else could help those people? Soon he was transferred there. Because of this, he became known as Curé D'Ars, as the word curé in archaic language means vicar. Therefore, the Father of Ars.
On the way to the small town, he asks a shepherd child for help to find the place and the boy points him straight ahead. When visually locating it says: “how small is it...”. He kneels and prays deeply for its inhabitants, fixing his gaze on the houses. The priest could see beyond what the physical eyes saw. He settles in the chaplaincy of Ars-en- Dombes (subordinate to the parish of Misérieux , of the diocese of Lyon), spending most of the day in prayer and fasting in the church, praying for the conversion of his small community:
“My God, grant me the conversion of my parish. I consent to suffer as much as you like, during my whole life. Yes, for a hundred years the most atrocious pains, as long as they convert.”
And not only that.... The night before going to sleep, he self-applied a severe penance with secret whippings that lasted an hour on average and even fainted from the pain. But neighbors listened with great pity, just as the women who gently cleaned the church's rectory sometimes saw the blood on their clothes and on the walls of their bedroom.
It is important to note that the priest never imposed this type of penance on anyone. The purpose of this hard and secret self-pity was the conversion of all those two and a half hundred souls in the village.
The conversion of the inhabitants of Ars
After a few years in prayer, fasting, penance, dedication to the poor and sacrifices offered to God, added to his preaching with profound sermons that reached the center of souls, he gradually brought the community back to the church and conversions began. During this period, he would spend between 16 and 18 hours in the confessional, sometimes even skipping food so as not to leave a brother unattended. He became one of the church's greatest confessors. And he commented on his main formula for the conversion of souls:
“I give sinners a small penance and I do the rest in their place.” The priest acted as a “father” interceding with God for his “children” (believers).
The report of a believer exemplifies the situation well: the man was very afraid to confess to Father Vianney because he feared a rigorous penance that he might receive. Finally, one day, he takes courage and goes to confession. To his surprise, the priest performs a very light penance. He asks: "But is that all?!" The priest replies: "My son, you would need much more penance, but I'm afraid that if I did it, you wouldn't do it. So make this light one I gave you and leave the heavy one I do for you!"
In another situation, the priest leaves the confessional and goes to a believer in the confession line and says: “Look, I see the devil like a bee flying around you, telling you not to confess that sin … But you can confess, because I already know what it is.”
Therefore, his dedication to the confessional made the coward Satan mad. One day his room started to catch fire and they ran to warn him in the confessional. Calmly said: “Go there and put out the fire. It's the devil, he attacks the cage because he can't attack the bird”.
Finally, after thirteen years with his example, prayers, penances, sermons and pastoral activities, he converted the whole city, filling the church and emptying the taverns . His fame of holiness spread to the surroundings, until he reached all of Europe, initiating pilgrimages to confess with the priest of Ars. The tiny city came to be known as “the great hospital of souls”.
The taverns soon close and become inns for pilgrim travelers! Men, women and children began to group together in confraternities. A “House of Providence” was opened for girls, including orphaned and abandoned girls. Hostile and vexatious attitudes, such as drunkenness, began to be repudiated by young people. And just twelve years earlier, the archbishop was even thinking of closing down the city parish!
Death and canonization
She died peacefully at the age of 73 from fatigue , her lifelong companion, as she slept only 3 hours a day to dedicate herself non-stop to the conversion of her faithful. His burial was attended by 100,000 people. He was canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius IX. For the process, his body was exhumed and found in an incorrupt state , which can still be seen today at the Sanctuary of Ars – which currently receives around 450,000 pilgrims annually. The day of his death, August 4, became the day of the priest and his patron saint from 1929 onwards.
References: Cidade Nova, Instituto Hesed, Editora Cleófas, Franciscanos, Vocação de Jesus