Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (Jeanne-Francoise Fremyot)

Feast Day:  August 12

Jeanne-Francoise Fremyot was born in 1572 and raised in a Catholic family during the time of the Protestant reformation.  Her mother died before she turned 2.

At age 20, she got married to Baron Christopher de Chantal.  They shared many common interests, loved each other very much and were blessed with 4 children.  After 9 years of marriage,  Christopher was mortally wounded in a hunting accident.  For 9 days, Jane Frances de Chantal suffered intense agony.  She beseeched God to take everything she has in this world save for her husband.  Nevertheless, Christopher died. (Over the course of her life, she experienced the death of her stepmother, her sister and her first 2 children).

However friends and family tried to distract her, Jane was inconsolable.  After months of mourning, her father-in-law invited her to stay with them at Monthelon.  She busied herself with the family estate and continued to carry out her charitable works.  During this time, she had been feeling a strong attraction to religious life.

In the lent of 1604, she received an invitation from her brother to meet the Bishop of Geneva who was coming over to their hometown, Dijon, France to preach.  Jane was deeply touched by Bishop Francis de Sales’ sermon.  Five months later, the bishop became her spiritual director.

Jane Frances de Chantal had everything to live for and yet she chose to be a nun.

Under the direction of Francis de Sales, the Visitation Sisters, a religious order was formed.  The name of the congregation was after the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth.   A combination of contemplation depicted by the Blessed Virgin’s prayer –The Magnificat (considered as the most spiritual and contemplative canticle ever written) and the charity toward neighbor that Mary showed by serving Elizabeth.  A contemplative in action - the Visitation Sisters share a common life centered on prayer and balanced with action as they go out to care for the poor and the sick.

These years of productivity and accomplishments were also years of spiritual darkness for Jane de Chantal.  She was plague with temptation and for 41 years Jane struggled to fight it.

One of St. Francis de Sales’ advice to Jane was to seek God’s will in her everyday life and to love God’s will.

Jane Frances de Chantal was a beacon to many.  And to St. Vincent de Paul, who began the Sisters of Charity to serve the poor, Jane Frances de Chantal (Jeanne-Francoise de Chantal) was an inspiration.

Patronage:

Saint Jane Frances de Chantal is the patron saint of widows, parents separated from their children, and the Visitation Sisters. Her dedication to family life and her ability to overcome personal hardships make her a source of inspiration for many.

Prayer:

Dear Saint Jane Frances de Chantal,

You who experienced the joys and sorrows of marriage, widowhood, and motherhood,

Help us to find strength in times of trial and to trust in God's providence.

Guide us in our daily lives, that we may show kindness, gentleness, and humility to all we encounter.

Intercede for us, dear Saint Jane Chantal, and grant us the grace to live a life of devotion and service to others, just as you did.

Amen.

Reflection:

* God's love is ineffable.  No one on earth, not even the ones who loved you that most can even come close to God's love for us. God wants us to experience this deep, everlasting love. And once we are captivated by His love, we can't help but love Him back. This love of Christ leads to imitation of Christ.  And serving and loving others is the result of knowing and loving God.
God removed all the things that hinders Jane from experiencing God's indescribable love.  In due course, Jane de Chantal lived this love and became a true disciple of God.

* St. Jane Chantal's life teaches us the importance of faith, resilience, and compassion. She faced personal tragedies and challenges but remained devoted to God and her calling. Her dedication to helping those in need, regardless of their circumstances, reminds us of the profound impact one person can have on the world through acts of love and kindness. As we reflect on her life, let us strive to emulate her virtues of gentleness, humility, and unwavering faith in God's plan for us.

Saint Catherine of Siena

Doctor of the Church
Feast Day: April 29

Early Years

Catherine Benincasa was born in Sienna in 1347, she is the youngest in the 25 siblings.

At the age of six, while on the way home with her brother, she suddenly stopped still, gazing up into the sky. Her brother who had walked on ahead came back for her and grabbed her by the hand and at once Catherine woke up from her trance. The vision she was having was of Christ seated in glory with the Apostles Peter, Paul, and John. After that experience, little Catherine made a vow to herself that she will give her whole life to God.

At sixteen, she was allowed to become a Dominican tertiary which was customarily granted only to matrons or widows. She wore the habit but was permitted to live with her family.

Catherine continued to have visions, mystical experience and ecstatic flights. Soon she was known all over town, many thought her a saint but others see her as a fanatic.

During the dreadful outbreak of the plague, Catherine worked incessantly to relieve the plague-stricken people. She nursed them, prepared them for death and even buried them with her own hands. She also spent time with the prisoners and converted them.

Great Schism

It is impossible to explain here in detail the turbulent period in which Catherine lived and the work she has done during this complex political and religious turmoil. Suffice it to say that the traditional See of the Holy Father from the time of Saint Peter is Rome. However, the newly elected Pope Clement V chose to have his coronation at Lyons. He established his residence at Avignon and for seventy-four-year the popes had been residing there. The Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy were engaged in a sporadic struggle for power - Ghibelline was the name given to the imperial party in Italy and Guelph to the supporters of the Papacy. This is a period which historians called the Babylonian Captivity. Both popes excommunicated each other, launched troops against one another and Italy was bursting with internal strife. The Italians railed against the long absence of the popes from Rome as well as the meddling of France in papal administration.

Catherine labored to restore unity in the Church. Catherine was said to be an uneducated girl yet letter after letter was unleashed to popes, princes and leaders of Europe. She wrote to the Popes at Avignon, beseeching them to return to Rome. To Pope Urban (the second pope she had counseled and commanded), Catherine wrote to warn him to control his harsh and arrogant temper. She made stern calls aimed at Pope Gregory XI for church reforms and she kept on writing the Popes to labor for peace. St. Catherine also corresponded to the King of France urging him to form a crusade and end the dissensions in Christendom. She would boldly go to Avignon to see the Pope and say that he had been appointed by God to plead that the Pope return to Rome. St. Catherine of Siena was known for her ability to settle dispute and had build a reputation as a worker of miracles.

Stigmata

In 1375, Catherine accepted an invitation to visit Pisa. While making her Communion and gazing at the crucifix, five rays of blood descended and pierced her hands, feet and heart. The wounds remained as stigmata (wounds corresponding with those made in the hands and feet of the Our Lord, Jesus when he was crucified on the cross).


Finally, yielding to the pleadings of Catherine of Siena, Pope Gregory XI left Avignon in 1377 and returned to Rome thus ending the so-called Babylonian Captivity.

After having written 380 astonishing letters, Catherine died when she was only 33. Her body was found incorrupt in 1430.

Patronage:

Europe; Italy; against fire; bodily ills; people ridiculed for their piety; nurses; sick people; miscarriages

Prayer to St. Catherine of Siena:

O glorious St. Catherine of Siena,

you who embraced a life of prayer and service,

and through your deep love for Christ,

you became a beacon of light in a troubled world.

Help us, dear saint, to follow your example,

to seek God with all our hearts,

and to serve our fellow human beings

with compassion and love.

Intercede for us in times of turmoil and confusion,

that we may always find our way back to the path of righteousness,

just as you helped to guide the Church back to Rome.

St. Catherine, patroness of Italy and Europe,

pray for us and help us to live virtuously and seek God's will

in all that we do. Amen.

Reflection:

*After reading her biography and all the things she had accomplished, I was surprised to see that she was only 33 when she died. This reminds me of the song my niece sings in her nursery class “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” Indeed her accomplishment was supernatural. On her own she could not have done it.

*St. Catherine defended the cause of God. Her political and social involvement is a practical application of her intense prayer life and religious convictions.

* St. Catherine of Siena's life reminds us of the transformative power of faith, prayer, and selfless service. Her commitment to God and her unwavering dedication to bringing about positive change in the Church and society serve as an inspiration to all of us. We can reflect on her life and strive to deepen our own faith, cultivate a life of prayer, and actively work towards making the world a better place through acts of love and compassion. St. Catherine's legacy encourages us to embrace the divine within ourselves and in others, seeking unity, peace, and the greater good in all our endeavors.

*One is never a Christian only for oneself. God made us for others.