Every June 16, the Church celebrates Saint John Francis Régis, French priest and missionary of the Society of Jesus. The French Jesuits have him as their patron saint, while the entire Church, by determination of Pope Pius XII, venerates him as “patron of rural missionaries.”
John Francis was a direct disciple of Saint Francis Xavier – who helped him find his missionary vocation – and among his devotees are legendary saints such as Saint John Mary Vianney or Saint Marcellin Champagnat. The first of these two, the Curé of Ars, in the last stage of his life said: “Everything I have done I owe to him.”
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Discernment
John Francis was born on January 31, 1597 in a small village in the Languedoc region of France. In 1611 he entered the prestigious Jesuit college in the city of Béziers, where he would join the Marian Congregation (today, Communities of Christian Life, CLC).
With the other members of the Congregation he began to work in direct service to the poorest. This experience would lead him to question the meaning of his life and particularly his future. Juan Francisco wanted to serve the poor, in whom is the suffering Christ, and at the same time he was aware that God could be calling him to a life commitment. Then, he began a stage of reflection and vocational discernment with the help of some older Jesuits. Juan Francisco would end up discovering that the Lord was calling him to be a priest.
On December 8, 1616, at the age of 19, he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus in Toulouse. There he showed that he was taking things very seriously. Juan Francisco aroused the admiration of his colleagues, witnesses of his fervor and enthusiasm. One of them once commented: “Juan Francisco humiliates himself to the extreme, but he shows admirable appreciation for others.”
rural missionary
In 1630, at the age of 33, he was ordained a priest and the following year he was sent as a missionary to his native town. Juan Francisco felt very happy about that assignment, something that he sincerely desired and where he could put all of his abilities at the service of others, including the physical strength with which God had endowed him. He felt he was a servant of the people, whom he loved as Christ loved his own. It was also the beginning of a long missionary itinerary in the most diverse rural areas of France. By 1633 he had already taken the four Jesuit vows.
Every day, the saint devoted himself with all generosity to his work. His companions used to say about him: “Juan Francisco does the work of five missionaries,” and they were right. The Jesuit had to carry out a mission at a time when the Huguenots – French Protestants – had increased their presence in many towns and rural communities. He was first in Montpellier, then in the diocese of Viviers and then in Le Cheylard. The number of towns in which he was is countless.
At 43 years old, 24 of them as a religious, 10 as a priest and 9 as a missionary, he had consolidated the call that God gave him since he was young. His simple and exemplary life had already earned him a reputation for holiness among his acquaintances. People affectionately called him “the saint”, something he never liked, although he accepted meekly.
Servant of humanity, defender of dignity
Father Juan Francisco SJ built several shelters for women rescued from prostitution. He formed a group of wealthy women to finance this work, and organized workshops – especially sewing – in which the rescued women could work with dignity and obtain what they needed to live. This earned him the target of violent and powerful enemies: on more than one occasion he was beaten and threatened with death by groups of pimps.
The Jesuit also played a very important role during the plague of Toulouse (1631), during which he worked as a nurse. On that occasion he created the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament; and together with its members it constituted a chain of solidarity among the faithful, whose help served to raise money and food for the hungry.
The saint died in 1640 and immediately a popular movement acclaimed him as a saint. He was beatified on May 18, 1716 and canonized on June 16, 1737.
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If you want to know more about Saint John Francis Regis, we recommend that you read this article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Juan_Francisco_Regis.
More information about this saint here:
Central Editorial
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