Fr. David Dufresne Talks about St. Jean Vianney on the Saint’s Feast Day, Aug. 4

To understand why St. Jean Vianney is such a revered priest and saint, we only have to read the words of several Popes, who have this to say about the great French saint 18th-century saint:

From Saint John Paul II (click here to read more of what he wrote about St. Vianney):

These are the prayers he addressed to heaven as he began his parochial ministry: “My God, make the sheep entrusted to me come back to a good way of life. For all my life I am prepared to endure anything that pleases you.” 

And God heard these fervent prayers, for later our saint had to confess: “If I had known when I came to the parish of Ars what I would have to suffer, the fear of it would certainly have killed me.”

Following in the footsteps of the great apostles of all ages, he knew that the best and most effective way for him to contribute to the salvation of those who would be entrusted to his care was through the cross. It was for them that he put up with all sorts of calumnies, prejudices and opposition, without complaint; for them that he willingly endured the sharp discomforts and annoyances of mind and body that were forced upon him by his daily administration of the Sacrament of Penance for thirty years with almost no interruption; for them that this athlete of Christ fought off the powers of hell; for them, last of all, that he brought his body into subjection through voluntary mortification.

From Pope Benedict XVI  (click here to read more of what Pope Benedict wrote about St. Vianney):

This deep personal identification with the Sacrifice of the Cross led him – by a sole inward movement – from the altar to the confessional. Priests ought never to be resigned to empty confessionals or the apparent indifference of the faithful to this sacrament. In France, at the time of the Curé of Ars, confession was no more easy or frequent than in our own day, since the upheaval caused by the revolution had long inhibited the practice of religion. Yet he sought in every way, by his preaching and his powers of persuasion, to help his parishioners to rediscover the meaning and beauty of the sacrament of Penance, presenting it as an inherent demand of the Eucharistic presence.

He thus created a “virtuous” circle. By spending long hours in church before the tabernacle, he inspired the faithful to imitate him by coming to visit Jesus with the knowledge that their parish priest would be there, ready to listen and offer forgiveness. Later, the growing numbers of penitents from all over France would keep him in the confessional for up to sixteen hours a day. It was said that Ars had become “a great hospital of souls.” His first biographer relates that “the grace he obtained [for the conversion of sinners] was so powerful that it would pursue them, not leaving them a moment of peace!.” The saintly Curé reflected something of the same idea when he said: “It is not the sinner who returns to God to beg his forgiveness, but God himself who runs after the sinner and makes him return to him.” “This good Savior is so filled with love that he seeks us everywhere.”

Please watch the following video to hear Fr. David Dufresne, a Parochial Vicar at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Alexandria, VA, who greatly admires St. Jean Vianney, talk about the importance of receiving God’s mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the impact of St. Vianney on his priestly life.