Wednesday, August 4, 2010

HAPPY FEAST DAY TO ALL PRIESTS - St John Vianney's feast day


Today is the feast day of the "Priests priest"; Saint Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney (and my mother's birthday ;)  
Saint John Vianney is known to have said, 
 "Virtue passes from the heart of a mother to the hearts of her children, who do willingly what they see her do." 
 This great saint learned this truth first hand from his own childhood experience. His own mother was truly a good woman of great piety, and she led him into the way of religion at an early age, and taught her six children to love God and to never offend Him" - The Life of the Curé d'Ars

 Here is a simple and concise article written on the life and holiness of St John Vianney  and also some leisurely viewing for you to enjoy on this special feast day!





Dear Saint John Vianney,
your childhood dream was to be a Priest,
to win souls for God.
You endured years of toil and humiliation
to attain the Priesthood.
You became a priest truly after God's own heart,
outstanding in humility and poverty;
prayer and mortification.
Totally devoted to the service of God's people.
The Church has exalted you as model
and patron saint of all Parish priests,
trusting that your example and prayers
will help them to live up
to the high dignity of their vocation
to be faithful servants of God's people,
to be perfect imitators of Christ the Saviour
Who came not to be served but to serve,
to give His Life in ransom for many.
Pray that God may give to His Church today
many more priests after His own Heart.
Pray for all the priests under your patronage,
that they may be worthy representatives
of Christ the Good Shepherd.
May they wholeheartedly devote themselves
to prayer and penance;
be examples of humility and poverty;
shining models of holiness;
tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God;
zealous dispensers of God's Grace in the Sacraments.
May their loving devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist
and to Mary His Mother
be the Twin Fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry.
Amen.

Simple St. John Vianney Prayer   
"O my God, come to me, so that You may dwell in me and I may dwell in you."
Happy Feast Day!!