August 4th - St. John Maria Vianney By: Jeff Joyal

St John Vianney was born on May 8, 1786 to a catholic family in Dardilly, France. During his childhood, priests were forced into serving the people in secret because of the anticlerical forces of the French Revolution; St. John admired these brave priests as his heroes.
He remained very religious during his childhood, and received the Holy Eucharist and Confirmation in secret.
When John was 20 years old, he left his family to study at presbytery school, where he studied math, history, geography, and Latin. It was during this time that the revolution ended and religious freedom was restored.
Later, in 1812, John joined a minor seminary, and was ordained as a deacon in 1825. He became a priest a year later. Beginning his priestly duties, St. John Vianney began to realize how many of the Catholics had become ignorant of their faith because of the French Revolution. He spent hours upon hours every day teaching the people how to stay faithful to God. In a few years, his fame spread throughout all of France, and people began to travel to have him from across the country. It is said he received more than 20,000 pilgrims in his life.
St. John Vianney passed away in 1859, having succeeded in rescuing the French Catholics who had swayed in their faith, transforming them into devout Christians. 

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

I love You, O my God, and my only desire is to love You until the last breath of my life. I love You, O my infinitely lovable God, and I would rather die loving You, than live without loving You.
I love You, Lord and the only grace I ask is to love You eternally...
My God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love You, I want my heart to repeat it to You as often as I draw breath. Amen.