Salesian Literature

[extract from Noel Rebello, Salesian Spirituality: A Source book, pp. 9- 12]

 

The region of the Chablais – a territory 30 miles in length and 15 miles in breadth within is located to the South of the Lake of Geneva with its capital in Thonon.  The Cathedral of Geneva is situated in this region which had turned to Calvinism.  In 1589, the Duke of Savoy, sought a military conquest of this territory with the intention of bringing it back to the Catholic fold under his patronage.  He was however defeated by the combined armies of the French and the Swiss.  His second attempt was more subtle – he pursued his political motive under a religious appearance – obliging the Bishop to send some 50 priests along with the army – to reconvert the Calvinists.  This move also failed with all the priests returning overcome by fear.

 

In 1593, with the return to the Catholic faith of Henry IV, King of France, the Duke found an ally and in the conquest of the Chablais resorted to persuasion rather than force; and appealed to the Bishop to send a team of missionaries to reconvert the Chablais. The Bishop chose Francis, his Provost. Francis accepted the challenge in the following words: "My Lord, if you think I am qualified, command me, I am ready. On your word, I shall cast the net". And so he set out on his Mission along with his cousin Louis de Sales and Rolland the family valet.

 

His father however, feared that his son would return in disgrace after being defeated like his predecessors in 1591, or at best would die serving the cause. He expressed his concern: "I allowed my son to devote himself to the service of the church, but I cannot give him up to be a martyr." Francis's response to his father was simple: "Father, God helps those who are strong; He will provide, only if we are courageous. We have friends out there, we will not be among savages, to pillage or destroy their houses. Our weapons are spiritual and God will give our words power to proclaim the Gospel. If we were sent to England, or to India, would we refuse to go? Death for Christ is worth more than a thousand successes. Besides, the Duke has commanded and the Bishop has given an order there is nothing left to object".

 

For three years, he trudged through the countryside. He had doors slammed in his face and rocks thrown at him. In the bitter winters, his feet froze so badly they bled as he tramped through the snow. He slept in haylofts if he could, and once he slept in a tree to avoid wolves. He tied himself to a branch to keep from falling out and was so frozen the next morning he had to be cut down. And after three years, he found himself alone - his cousin had returned home - and he had not made a single convert. Francis' deep faith in God and extraordinary unusual patience helped him persevere in this difficult mission.

 

No one would listen to him, no one would even open their door. So Francis found a way to get under the door. He wrote out his sermons, copied them by hand, and slipped them under the doors. This is the first record we have of religious tracts being used to communicate with people. The parents wouldn't come to him out of fear. So Francis went to the children. When the parents saw how kind he was as he played with the children, they began to talk to him

 

In order to bring them the light of faith and the comforts of the Christian religion, he was known to have traveled through deep valleys and to have climbed steep mountains.  If they fled him, he pursued, calling after them loudly. Repulsed brutally, he never gave up the struggle; when threatened he only renewed his efforts. He was often put out of lodgings. In these circumstances, he passed the night asleep on the snow under the canopy of heaven He would celebrate Mass though no one would attend. When, during a sermon, almost the entire audience one after another left the Church, he would continue preaching. At no time did he ever lose his mental poise or his spirit of kindness toward these ungrateful hearers. It was by such means as these that he finally overcame the resistance of his most formidable adversaries.[1]

 

During this period, three of Francis' gifts, writing, preaching and kind persuasiveness, began emerging in earnest; and these were built on a strong faith animated by intense prayer and deep trust in the Lord.  He was convinced that his mission would be successful as he believed in the power of love: "I propose neither steel nor gun-powder, nor will I employ a band of mercenaries with no faith or piety. Let it be by Charity that the walls of Geneva will be breached, by love will the city be invested, and by love will it be won over."[2]  Francis never broke down the walls of Geneva, but he did affect the Chablais.  When he began, the story goes, the Chablais had 72,000 Calvinists and 27 Catholics. Four years later, those figures were reversed: 27 Calvinists and 72,000 Catholics.

 

"The true meaning of his years in the Chablais is missed when their history is regarded as a chain of incidents in an important missionary enterprise. The importance is not due to the conversion of the Chablaisian people; it rests on their effect upon Francis de Sales himself. For the first two years he had to struggle against his own sense of failure and the discouragement lavished on him by others; afterwards when he began to win and his way grew clearer, the burden of responsibility laid upon him was almost too heavy to be borne… Courage of a very high order, both physical and moral, was developed in him during the closing years of his mission; but the strong foundation to which his work owed its permanence was due to the capacity for vision that kept him undismayed when every hour of the day brought a new threat or a fresh disappointment. [Sanders, pp.58 - 63, passim].

 

In this period of difficult collaboration, his importance, his nobleness, his strength were tempered with modesty in unique fashion. Between Duke and Bishop, nuncio and missionaries, he was the go-between, respected and admired of course, but sometimes contested or not obeyed: To persuade canons, pastors, Capuchins, Jesuits, lay people and clerics to collaborate was no mean feat! However, he did succeed, because he remained humble, disinterested, always self-effacing and willing to put or leave anyone in his place.

 

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Further References:

E.J. Lajeunie. St. Francis de Sales: The Man, The Thinker, His Influence.  “The Pioneer of Catholicism in Chablais”

E.J. Lajeunie. St. Francis de Sales: The Man, The Thinker, His Influence.  “The Conquest of Chablais”

Dirk Koster, “Missionary in the Chablais”

Midathada Mariadas, Missionary spirit of St. Francis de Sales.  “Missionary Vocation”

André Ravier, St. Francis de Sales: Sage and Saint. “Missionary at the risk of his life”

Michael de la Bedoyere.  Francois de Sales. “The Chablais”

Michael de la Bedoyere.  Francois de Sales. “Unique Apostle”

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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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