[extract from Noel Rebello, Salesian Spirituality: A Source book, pp. 13-14]

 

"He was not a gloomy, austere saint but most amiable and friendly with all. Endowed with every virtue, he excelled in meekness of heart, a virtue so peculiar to himself that it might be considered his most characteristic trait. His meekness, however, differed altogether from that artificial gentility which consists in the mere possession of polished manners and in the display of a purely conventional affability. ...

 

This virtue, which grew in the heart of St. Francis as a delightful effect of his love towards God and was nourished by the spirit of compassion and tenderness, so tempered with sweetness, the natural gravity of his demeanour which softened both his voice and manners that he won the affectionate regard of everyone whom he encouraged.[1]

 

"Making the crooked paths straight and the rough ways plain, Francis has shown that the way to devotion was so accessible for all Christians, that thereafter piety shed its light in every place, in the palaces of kings, in the tents of warriors, in the courts of law, in the homes of business and manufacture, and even the humble hamlets of shepherds.[2]

 

St. Francis de Sales was proclaimed Doctor of the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX on 07 July, 1877.  His work on Spiritual Direction led to the publication of the great classic Introduction to the Devout Life, and the other great, but later work Treatise on the Love of God.  Fundamental to these works is the doctrine that the spiritual life is not just for the religious and the clergy, but for everyone.  It is for this reason that he is seen as the first great writer since the Early Fathers to be concerned with the spirituality of the laity.  He considered it a heresy to say that a lay person could not attain sanctity and holiness of life through the grace of God. It is for these reasons that St. Francis de Sales may be considered also the patron of Lay Spirituality and the Lay Apostolate.

 

On Lay Spirituality and Lay Apostolate: Refer Midathada Mariadas msfs, The Pastoral Spirit of St. Francis de Sales, Overall Pastoral Concern and Pastorale of the Laity

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SFS – the Gentleman Saint

Unlike many of the saints – whose lives full of marvellous occurrences seem to be beyond the reach of ordinary Christians – the life of de Sales presents nothing sensational.  His ideals of moderation and charity, of gentleness and humility, of cheerfulness and abandonment to God’s will are expressed with a common sense spirituality that is gentle and respectful of others – this lifestyle earned Francis the appellation of ‘Gentleman Saint.’  Furthermore, his ecumenical sensitivity and his personal gentleness together with his common sense rejection of extremes of the spiritual life of the lay people contributed to his being credited with this title.

 

 

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Papal Encyclical:

 

Pope Pius XI, Rerum Omnium Perturbationem, 26 January 1923, “to celebrate the Third Centenary of the entry into heaven” of St. Francis de Sales, and conferring on him the title of “Heavenly Patron of all Writers”:

Go to:  http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_26011923_rerum-omnium-perturbationem_en.html#top

 

Pope Paul VI, Sabaudiae Gemma, 29 January 1967, “Commemorating the Four Hundredth Birth Anniversary of St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church:

Go to: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/apost_letters/documents/hf_p-vi_apl_19670129_sabaudiae-gemma_lt.html

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