Saint Saint Jean Vianney (the Cure of Ars), Priest

John Vianney (born Jean-Marie Vianney [ʒɑ̃ maʁi vjanɛ] and later Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney; 8 May 1786 – 4 August 1859) was a French Catholic priest and member of the Third Order of Mary, often referred to as the Curé d'Ars ("the parish priest of Ars"). He is known for his priestly and pastoral work in his parish in Ars, France, resulting in the radical spiritual transformation of the community and its surroundings. Catholics note his saintly life, mortification, persevering ministry in the sacrament of confession, and ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He was canonized in 1925 and his feast day is August 4. He is the patron saint of parish priests. Vianney was born on 9 May 1786, in the French town of Dardilly, France (near Lyon), and was baptized the same day. His parents, Matthieu Vianney and his wife Marie (Belize), had six children, of whom John was the fourth. The Vianneys were devout Catholics who helped the poor. Vianney's paternal grandparents once hosted Benedict Joseph Labre, the patron saint of the homeless, who passed through Dardilly on his pilgrimage to Rome, in 1770. By 1790, the anticlerical terror phase of the French Revolution forced many loyal priests to hide from the regime in order to carry out the sacraments in their parish. Even though to do so had been declared illegal, the Vianneys travelled to distant farms to attend Masses celebrated on the run. Realizing that such priests risked their lives day by day, Vianney began to look upon them as heroes. He received his First Communion catechetical instruction in a private home from two nuns, whose communities had been dissolved during the Revolution. He made his first communion at the age of 13, in a neighbour's kitchen; during the Mass, the windows were covered so that the light of the candles could not be seen from outside.