In the Holy Year of 1925, Pope Pius XI canonized two significant saints that May: St. Thérèse of Lisieux on the 17 and St. John Vianney on the 31.
As we celebrate the centenary of their canonizations, these 19th century French saints both remain powerful today in their Heavenly intercession and their spiritual impact on the Universal Church.
A resurgence in the Church
When the violent terror of the French Revolution finally subsided in the early 1800s, few would have predicted a resurgence of the Catholic Church in the nation known as the “Eldest Daughter of the Church”.
The Parisian mobs had desecrated and destroyed churches, shrines, and monasteries, erected a statue of the “Goddess of Reason” on the high altar of Notre Dame, and murdered hundreds of priests, Nuns, and lay faithful.
The leadership of the revolution sought to obliterate not only the Church but any vestige of belief in God.
Yet, within just a few decades of this tragedy, the Church came roaring back to life in France with a renewed mission and vigor.
Some highlights of this remarkable spiritual resurgence are the restoration of Religious Orders, including the Cistercians at the monastery of La Trappe; the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to both St. Catherine Labouré in Paris in 1830, to whom she entrusted the design of the Miraculous Medal; and to St. Bernadette at Lourdes in 1858, which became a sacred place of wondrous healings.
Blessed Frederic Ozanam founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in 1833, St. John Vianney began his priestly ministry in Ars in 1818, and St. Thérèse entered the Carmelite cloister in 1888.
All of these saints, devotions, and movements remain as relevant today as ever, and speak to the spiritual resilience of the Church.
The ‘Cura de Ars’
Having experienced the terror of the French Revolution as a child, St. John Vianney remained in one parish in the rural hamlet of Ars his entire priesthood.
Yet, from this humble and unknown place, where the roof of the church had collapsed and no priest had visited for 20 years, this holy priest impacted all of Europe.
For decades, he spent upwards of 16 hours in the confessional daily, preached sermons still read today for their clarity and inspiration, got by on two hours of sleep a night, lived on potatoes and water, battled with the devil, and brought countless souls to God.
He had the gift of reading hearts in Confession and would often remind people of sins they had forgotten or withheld.
He is the patron saint of parish priests. His body is incorrupt in the basilica in Ars, where you can pray in his original church, Confess in his confessional, and see many relics of his remarkable and holy life.
The ‘Little Flower’
St. Thérèse grew up in a remarkably devout family; she and all of her sisters became Nuns, most in the local Carmelite convent in Lisieux.
Entering the convent at 15 years of age, Thérèse, a lively and spirited girl, found herself facing endless days of silence, work, and prayer.
Before the force of her indomitable will, her Religious superiors had allowed her to enter the cloister at a lower age than normal.
She got what she wanted but confessed to a gnawing frustration with the daily routine of contemplative life and the resentment of some of her Sisters at her preferred treatment.
She dreamed of a different life, of doing great and important things as a missionary or a martyr, anything other than what she was doing.
In this context of interior struggle, Thérèse discovered her “Little Way”. She came to realize that God was not calling her to great deeds but to small acts of service done with great love.
To be patient with the old and cranky Nun in the cell next to her. To smile when she did not want to. To persevere in hope and joy when she felt no consolation.
She died of tuberculosis at the age of 24, yet her brief life has impacted millions because of her powerful intercession from Heaven and the beauty of her “Little Way”.
What they can teach us
These two saints, both in their spiritual and historical context, teach us to persevere, hope, love, and sacrifice in a life absorbed into the mystery of Christ.
They point to the enduring resilience of the Church and her power to overcome all persecutions, defeats, and obstacles in proclaiming the Gospel and living the teachings of our Catholic faith.
As we celebrate the centenary of their canonizations, may their examples and prayers lead us to greater sanctity and sacrifice.
Ss. Thérèse and John Vianney, pray for us!