OUR SPIRITUAL HERITAGE

ST. FRANCIS DE SALES (OUR PATRON)

St. Francis de Sales was born at Sales, Thorens, in Upper Savoy, on 21 August, 1567. He studied in La Roche, Annecy, Paris, and Padua, where he received his doctorate in civil and canon law in 1591. He was ordained priest on 18 December 1593. In the early years of his priesthood, he served as a missionary in the Calvinist Chablais region. By fearless preaching, kindly conversation, and prayer, he brought many back to the faith of the Catholic Church. He was named coadjutor bishop on 24 March 1599 and was made Bishop of Geneva on 8 December 1602. In exile in Annecy, he served his people with tireless energy, visiting 450 parishes, forming clergy, catechising the young, hearing confessions, preaching, directing souls, and working for reconciliation.

In 1604 he met St. Jane de Chantal. Their spiritual friendship resulted in the foundation of the Order of the Visitation on 6 June 1610. His chief writings were Introduction to a Devout Life (1608) and Treatise on the Love of God (1616), followed by the posthumous Spiritual Conferences (1629). Francis was a great missionary who won hearts through patience, personal dialogue, gentle persuasion, and sound teaching. In pastoral work, he expressed the belief that each person should be led according to his own situation. Love was the centre of his spirituality. He taught: “Man is the perfection of the Universe, the spirit is the perfection of man, love is the perfection of the spirit, and charity is the perfection of love.” He was also profoundly attached to Mary, the Compassionate Mother, in whom he saw a profound union with Christ in sharing His sorrow at Calvary.

Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Letter Totum amoris est (28 December 2022), written for the fourth centenary of Francis de Sales’ death, presented his spiritual legacy as centred on love and the human heart. He recalled that for Francis de Sales, “there was no better place to find God, and to help others to find him, than in the hearts of the women and men of his time.” In his 2023 World Day of Communications Message, Pope Francis further praised Francis de Sales for his “meek attitude, humanity and willingness to dialogue patiently with everyone”, calling him an extraordinary witness of God’s merciful love.

Francis died in Lyons on 28 December 1622. He was canonised by Alexander VII on 19 April 1665, and Pius IX declared him a Doctor of the Church in 1877. He remains a model of the good shepherd, missionary, spiritual writer, lover of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and lover of the Compassionate Mother of God.

MOTHER OF COMPASSION (OUR LADY OF SORROWS)

OUR PATRONESS

Fr. Mermier, the Founder of the MSFS, had a deep personal devotion to Mary, Mother of Compassion, Our Lady of Sorrows. At La Feuillette, he had an altar dedicated to her, which he visited every day for prayer. He considered this devotion an integral expression of Salesian spirituality. Inspired by St. Francis de Sales’ Treatise on the Love of God, Fr. Mermier contemplated Mary standing at the foot of the Cross on Calvary, the Mount of Lovers. For missionaries called to encounter the sufferings of Christ in the sufferings of humanity, and exhorted by Bishop Rey to approach sinners with the compassion of St. Francis de Sales, Mary, Mother of Compassion, was the natural patroness of the Congregation. On 21 November 1842, writing to Fr. Jacques Martin, Superior of the Indian Mission, Fr. Mermier wrote: “Today, on the Feast of the Presentation, I received the authorisation for canonically erecting in our chapel the Confraternity of our Lady of Seven Sorrows. It was the devotion of St Francis de Sales.”

This devotion is illuminated by the teaching of the Church. In Salvifici Doloris (11 February 1984), St. John Paul II writes of Mary at Calvary: “As a witness to her Son’s Passion by her presence, and as a sharer in it by her compassion, Mary offered a unique contribution to the Gospel of suffering.” On 15 September 2021, at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows in Šaštín, Pope Francis described Mary as the Mother of compassion who remains at the foot of the Cross: “Here is the proof of true compassion: to remain standing beneath the cross.” He further called us to “a faith that becomes compassion”, identifying with those who are hurting and suffering. The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on 15 September therefore reminds us of our missionary call to share in Christ's suffering for humanity. Compassion means “to be with”: to remain with suffering humanity, our people, and our confreres. In our schools, parishes, formation houses, and communities, we are called to cultivate compassion in a world marked by cruelty and indifference.

Mary, Mother of Compassion, teaches us to remain at the foot of the crosses of our time and to respond to suffering with presence, faith, and love. This remains at the heart of our Fransalian and missionary commitment.

OUR FOUNDER

SERVANT OF GOD FR. PETER MARIE MERMIER

Fr. Peter Marie Mermier, Founder of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales, was born on August 28, 1790, in Savoy, France, to François Mermier and Antoinette Bastian. His father was a peasant from a respected family of landowners, while his mother was a devout woman who deeply influenced his faith and vocation. During the Reign of Terror, Peter witnessed the closure of churches and schools, the destruction of the belfry and bells at Chaumont, and the persecution of priests. His mother sheltered priests who were being hunted by the revolutionaries. Reflecting on her influence, he later said, “I owe my vocation to the holiness of my mother.” Religious peace returned to Savoy in 1800, and Peter attended residential schools from 1801. He completed his studies at Melan under Fr. Marin Ducrey and entered the Seminary in Chambéry in the autumn of 1807. He was ordained priest on March 21, 1813, at the age of twenty-two and a half. In April 1813, he became assistant parish priest at Magland, where he combined pastoral ministry with theological study. In 1816, he was transferred to the residential school at Melan, where he taught and assisted poor children. During this period, he developed an interest in the foreign missions and religious life and considered joining the Society of Jesus.

In 1819, Fr. Mermier became Parish Priest of Le Chatelard-en-Bauges, a largely dechristianised rural parish. Seeking a new approach to renewal, he invited Fr. Joseph Marie Favre to preach a parish mission. They began on November 18, 1821, but, faced with a poor response, withdrew to La Grande Chartreuse for prayer and penance. Their return drew large numbers of parishioners, and the mission became successful. Both priests subsequently devoted themselves to this apostolate. Fr. Mermier received permission to become a full-time preacher in 1825, and from 1826 a small missionary community began to form around him. After a period of development, the missionaries established a simple common life under his leadership. On October 24, 1838, Bishop Rey formally approved the community as the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales, under the patronage of St. Francis de Sales. During Fr. Mermier's lifetime, the missionaries preached 573 missions in 226 parishes, besides numerous retreats and other spiritual exercises in the dioceses of Savoy and Annecy.

Fr. Mermier sought to extend the Congregation's missionary work beyond France. In 1843, he explored the possibility of missions in Africa. In 1845, the Holy See entrusted the Visakhapatnam Mission to the Congregation, an area then comprising nearly one-third of India. The first missionaries reached Pondicherry on September 8, 1845, and Visakhapatnam on February 19, 1846. Education also became an important apostolate. In the autumn of 1856, the missionaries were entrusted with the College of Evian and the College of Melan. Fr. Mermier, who had studied at Melan, returned there as a professor in 1857 and emphasised personal care for students and education rooted in faith. Concern for disadvantaged rural women led Fr. Mermier and Claudine Echernier of Feternes, Savoy, to found the Daughters of the Cross of Chavanod. Bishop Rey approved the foundation on November 4, 1841. For the MSFS, the Decree of Commendation (Decretum Laudis) was granted on June 2, 1843, and the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars granted final approval on May 19, 1860. Fr. Mermier suffered a stroke on June 11, 1858, but recovered. On June 6, 1860, he suffered another severe attack and recovered sufficiently to stand within seven days. In 1861, he learned of the Congregation's establishment in England, facilitated by Captain Dewel. Fr. Larive arrived in England on May 24, 1862.

On August 10, 1862, Fr. Mermier suffered a fall and sustained a double fracture of his leg. He received the Sacrament of the Sick on September 29, 1862, and died on September 30, 1862. In 1903, the MSFS lost its Mother House at Annecy when the state took it over, and the tombs of Fr. Mermier and other early missionaries became inaccessible. The MSFS established a new Mother House in an adjacent building. About six decades later, excavators rediscovered the original tombs. When Fr. Mermier's grave was opened in the presence of ecclesiastical and civil authorities, his body was reported to have been found incorrupt, with the vestments intact. His remains, along with those of other early MSFS members, were transferred to the new house on October 24, 1960. Fr. Peter Marie Mermier is recognised as Servant of God, the first stage in the process towards beatification and canonisation. His life and work were marked by missionary preaching, pastoral service, education, concern for social needs and a commitment to living the spirit of St. Francis de Sales. Through these works, he established the foundations of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales and its continuing missionary apostolate.