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St. John Mary Vianney was born in France in 1786. His childhood coincided with the terrible French revolution. He was devout even as a boy and quietly taught other children their prayers. He would be ordained a priest in 1815 but struggled mightily through seminary and was a poor student. He had a very difficult time with Latin. There was even talk among his superiors if he should be ordained or, if ordained, be allowed to hear confessions. They decided to ordain him but gave him one of the least desirable of assignments: to the little town of Ars. The young priest was told that the faith was all but lost there and so he would have little to do. “Then I have everything to do!”, he exclaimed.

Upon arriving in Ars the conditions were as foretold but this good priest knew that the holiness of the people would first need a holy priest and so he took upon himself not only his own seeking of personal holiness but also severe penances for his flock. He fasted continually and only slept a few hours a night, spending most of his time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

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SAINT OF THE CONFESSIONAL

To be a good confessor one must first of all gain the confidence of the penitent. In this Fr. Leopoldo succeeded wonderfully. His very person, so small as to be scarcely visible in the semi-darkness of cell, his features calm and radiating kindness, his eyes full of serenity, his measured and paternal gestures, all combined to awake confidence from all who approached. Often he would get up and go to meet the penitent as if he were greeting an old and expected friend.

Nothing he did or said could in any way humiliate the visitor and cause him to close his heart. He paid attention to everything, knowing that confidence is built on a variety of imponderables which may often appear insignificant. So much skill and so much virtue naturally disposed the penitent to listen with a receptive mind to the instruction and exhortations which followed. What he said was not just a routine affair, the same for everyone; he said what was needed by each individual soul in a manner easily understood by the person in question, using dialect and popular phrases if they would help. This was a point he considered very important.

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