Saint John Vianney was born on May 8, 1786 in the town of Dardilly, France. Saint John Vianney grew up working on a farm. He tended to the animals and worked in the fields harvesting. He is known for teaching children prayers in the field while he worked.
Saint John really wanted to become a priest, but he had trouble learning the required materials first. He struggled because the classes he had to take were in Latin, which he knew little of. He asked God for guidance through the process of becoming a priest because he knew it was exactly what he wanted to do with his life. God made sure Saint John Vianney made it through the process, and this is why he is known as the patron saint of parish priests now.
Saint John’s first position was as a parish priest in Ecully. This wouldn’t last for long though, John would soon be relocated to Ars. This parish was struggling to get people out at mass on a regular basis. John realized the problem and started to travel around the parish visiting those to too poor or sick to make it to mass all the time. Saint John loved his parishioners, and prayed for them whenever he had a spare moment.
It is said that since Saint John was such a good person, the devil hated him. John traveled all around his parish and made sure he saved the souls of his church members. This angered the devil and the devil’s retaliation was to keep John from sleep at night.
When there was a large rush of immigration to Ars, Saint John made it his personal job to try and meet the newcomers. He would invite them out to mass, and he saw great results from his efforts. John spent countless hours each day attempting to hear the highest amount of confessions that he could.
Saint John Vianney passed away, due to natural causes, in August of 1859. Pope Pius XI canonized John a saint in 1925. His feast day falls on August 4th each year.
