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Relics of Curé of Ars Make Stop in Papal Chapel
zenit ^ | 05/23/05

Posted on 05/24/2005 9:38:12 AM PDT by murphE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI prayed before relics of St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, which had been brought to the Pope's private chapel for an overnight stop.

The Holy Father's homage this morning was one of the most significant moments of the centenary of the French priest's canonization. The Curé, who lived from 1786-1859, is the patron of parish priests.

The Parish of St. John Vianney in Rome, located on the Via Lentini, is currently looking after the saint's incorrupt heart, reported Vatican Radio.

The relic will return to Ars on Wednesday.


TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events
KEYWORDS: benedictxvi; catholiclist; pope; relics; stjohnvianney
St. John Vianney

Jean Marie Baptiste Vianney was born in 1786 as the son of a poor farmer in the village of Dardilly, France. During his childhood he worked as a shepherd and didn't get any education until he was 20 years old.

John had always felt a call to the priesthood. His eventual entry into the seminary, especially the study of Latin, however proved to be very difficult and he twice failed his examination before finally being ordained as a priest in 1815. Thought to be incompetent, John was placed under the direction of another priest in the neighboring village. After the death of this priest in 1818, John was transferred to the remote tiny village of Ars to be the parish priest.

Here he lived a very ascetic life, ate the simplest food, wore old clothing and only slept two hours each night on a hard bed. The number of parishioners grew rapidly, as the word spread that this holy man could see into people's souls. People began coming to him from other parishes, then from all parts of France, and finally from other countries. Throughout France and the Christian world he soon became known as the "cure d'Ars" (the cure of Ars).

By the year 1855, Fr. Vianney was hearing as many as 20,000 confessions a year, spending 13 to 16 hours a day in the confessional. His direction was characterized by common sense, remarkable insight, and supernatural knowledge. As the news continued to spread, the sick were brought to Ars and many were miraculously cured.

During 30 years, Fr. Vianney claimed to experience frequent attacks of the devil. Voices, strange noises, threats, furniture being thrown about and many other demonic assaults took place almost every night. Besides all this external suffering, Fr. Vianney had physical ailments such as severe headaches, rheumatism, toothaches, fever and exhaustion.

The heroic self-sacrifice of Fr. Vianney eventually led to his death. At the age of 73 he began to have fainting spells. By the end of July he could no longer rise from his bed. Four days later on August 4, 1859, Fr. Vianney died.

Fr. Vianney was declared Venerable 13 years after his death. In 1904 when his body was exhumed and found to be incorrupt although the flesh had dried up and darkened. To this day the incorrupt body can be seen, encased in glass on a marble Altar, in Ars. In 1905 Fr. Vianney was declared Blessed. And finally in 1925 he became Saint John Marie Vianney.


The incorrupt body of St. John Vianney.

1 posted on 05/24/2005 9:38:13 AM PDT by murphE
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To: All; Canticle_of_Deborah; Gerard.P; vox_freedom; te lucis; sempertrad; donbosco74; rogator; ...

ping


2 posted on 05/24/2005 9:41:49 AM PDT by murphE (These are days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed but his own. --G.K. Chesterton)
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To: murphE

The Cure of Ars is one of the more touching saints. He was the Padre Pio of his day. France could use another Cure of Ars. In the Eastern Church they have a class of saint called a Fool for Christ. The Cure wasn't exactly a "fool" but wasn't an intellectual held in high esteem by his contemporaries.


3 posted on 05/24/2005 9:50:10 AM PDT by brooklyn dave (Catholic school survivor and proud of it.)
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To: All
Sorry, source for comment #1:

SOURCE

4 posted on 05/24/2005 9:52:23 AM PDT by murphE (These are days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed but his own. --G.K. Chesterton)
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To: murphE

Excellent post murph. Thanks.

Dear Lord, please send us more St. John Vianneys!


5 posted on 05/24/2005 2:54:35 PM PDT by Canticle_of_Deborah
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To: murphE
Thanks for this post.
Oh, we need to pray to St. John Vianney for more faithful and devoted parish priests. Their pastoral service is so desperately needed these days.
6 posted on 05/24/2005 7:26:59 PM PDT by vox_freedom (Fear no evil)
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To: vox_freedom; Canticle_of_Deborah
I thought this was a hopeful sign.

What an excellent saint to have intercede on the Holy Father's behalf.

St. John Vianney, pray for our Holy Father, pray for our bishops and priests and pray for the Church militant.

7 posted on 05/24/2005 7:40:50 PM PDT by murphE (These are days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed but his own. --G.K. Chesterton)
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To: murphE
St. John Vianney, pray for our Holy Father, pray for our bishops and priests and pray for the Church militant.
Amen.


The incorrupt body of St. John Vianney.

8 posted on 05/24/2005 8:17:13 PM PDT by vox_freedom (Fear no evil)
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To: murphE

BTTT on the Memorial of St. John Mary Vianney, August 4, 2007!


9 posted on 08/04/2007 8:58:52 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: murphE
St. John Mary Vianney, priest

Saint John Mary Vianney, Priest
Cure of Ars
Memorial
August 4th

unknown artist

(1786-1859) Born new Lyons, France, he was ordained in 1815 in Grenoble, and in 1818 was assigned to the parish of Ars, where he spent the rest of his life. He was best known for his steadfast care of souls, for his spirit of prayer and mortification and, above all, for his tireless dedication to the Sacrament of Penance. He spent most of his life in the confessional, drawing energy from his intimate and constant friendship with our Lord in the Eucharist. Pius XI declared him Patron of Parish Priest.

Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003

Collect:
Father of mercy,
you made St. John Vianney outstanding
in his priestly zeal and concern for your people.
By his example and prayers,
enable us to win our brothers and sisters
to the love of Christ
and come with them to eternal glory.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading:Ezekiel 3:17-21
At the end of seven days, the word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, you shall give them warning from Me. If I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your life. Again, if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and you will have saved your life."

Gospel Reading:Matthew 9:35-10:1
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

And He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity.

St. John Vianney Prayer

"O my God, come to me, so that You may dwell in me and I may dwell in you."



10 posted on 08/04/2008 8:54:17 AM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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