Walking with the Saints Podcast | Feast of St. John Francis Regis, Patron Saint of Lacemakers | June 16

Walking with the Saints Podcast | Feast of St. John Francis Regis, Patron Saint of Lacemakers | June 16   St. John Francis Regis. Heard of this name before? Probably not! He is a Jesuit priest and is well known to many people in the United States  although he remained all his life in France. Well, St. John Francis Regis was born of a noble and wealthy family at Foncouverte, France, on January 31, 1597. When he was five years old, he fainted when he heard his mother speak about souls eternally damned. It made a lasting impression on him and he vowed to be good so as to go to heaven and bring others there. He was one of the first students in a school opened by the Jesuits in their place. He spent most of his time in his studies and in prayer both at home and in the church. He was often seen weeping before the Blessed Sacrament and his companions made fun of him, but in the long run, they were convinced of his piety. By his good examples and his kind and holy discourses, he was able to influence them to aspire for virtues. Several of them looked at him with admiration, and tried to imitate him as their spiritual guide. When he was eighteen, John Francis got seriously ill and when he recovered, he made a retreat to choose what state of life he would embrace. He got a strong desire for the salvation of souls and earnestly begged to be admitted to the Society of Jesus. The following year he entered as postulant at Toulouse. There, he developed the character which distinguished him from many others: love of God, zeal for the glory of God, humility, patience, contempt for the vanities of the world, meekness, charity towards the poor and the abandoned, holy hatred of himself and many other virtues which caused those around him to say that “his whole person breathed of sanctity.” He delighted in the most humble duties, like cleaning the house, serving at table, making the beds, dressing the sores of the poorest and dirtiest patients in the hospital. He was austere to himself but very generous to others. He made many penances and mortified his senses and prayer accompanied all his actions. When he was reported to the superior that even at night he would go to the chapel and pray, the superior said: “Interrupt not the sweet communication of that angel with God.” When he was ordained a priest and said his first Mass, he celebrated it with great tender devotion that those present said they were seeing him more like an angel than a man. In that same year, Toulouse was afflicted by the plague and John Francis sought to serve the sick. He catechized the children, wayward women and prostitutes, he heard confessions, and begged alms for the poor. He drew many insults for these activities, but he rejoiced in his humiliations for the sake of Christ. He had lots of achievements which our limited space cannot accommodate, but among his most important work was to bring back the faith in some places in France. It was a time when many prelates were absent, priests were lax and negligent and people have been deprived of the sacraments for many years. Protestantism was striving while there was a general indifference towards religion. For three years he conducted missions and brought many people back to religious observances. He prayed and made sacrifices for places he wanted to evangelize but did not have the chance to go. In less than ten years of missionary work John Francis succeeded in leading back to Christ many people. Once, while in a mission, he insisted in preaching and hearing confession though he was not feeling well. A little later, he was found unconscious, but was able to receive the last sacraments before he breathed his last. Fixing his eyes on the Crucifix, his last words were: “Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.”