Friday, July 14, 2006

Novena to St. John Vianney begins July 27

St. John Vianney is the patron saint of priests and confessors. I'm going to be sharing some writings and stories - and oh, the stories there are involving the Cure d'Ars, as he is sometime called.

There is a novena which seems to be written for priests, but someone comment below or email me if I am wrong. Just as I was thinking that we could all take just 5 short minutes per day to do this Novena FOR A PRIEST, or on his behalf, I find this version from Sacred Heart Parish in North Carolina. EWTN has a copy, which tells us the theme for each day. But, we will kind of use a blend of the two.

When I was a teen and very interested in my religion, I happened upon a booklet on this saint and became engrossed with some of the stories. It's funny how, after a lengthy excursion down the road of indifference, I should find myself right back with my fascination with the lives of the saints, in particular this one.

But who was St. John Vianney? Why is he the patron saint of priests and confessors? When and where did he live? What is he famous for?

There is an excellent collection of saints at Catholic-Forums, and they even feature some of their writings. There is a brief overview, and a host of other interesting factoids. I can't believe I hadn't spotted this before. It appears that this site is actually hosting someone else's work. Collaboration!

Go and Read about St. John Vianney