Saint John Francis Regis

Priest, Apostle of the Poor
(1597–1640)

Saint John Francis Regis was born in 1597 at Fontcouverte in Languedoc, France, into a devout and noble family. From his earliest years he showed an unusual gravity of manner and a tenderness of conscience that marked him out from other children. He was educated by the Jesuits at Beziers, and at the age of eighteen he entered the Society of Jesus as a novice, filled with the resolve to spend his life entirely in the service of God and souls.

After his ordination to the priesthood, Father Regis threw himself into missionary labours among the poorest and most neglected people of southern France. The countryside of Languedoc and Auvergne had been left in great spiritual desolation following the wars of religion, and many villages had not seen a priest for years. Regis trudged through snow and over mountain passes in all seasons, preaching, hearing confessions, reconciling sinners, and establishing confraternities. His manner was gentle yet burning with zeal, and the most hardened souls found themselves moved to tears and repentance in his presence.

He had a particular care for the poor, the sick, and the outcast. He established refuges for women who had fallen into lives of sin, and worked tirelessly to restore them to a life of grace and dignity. He set up lace-making workshops to give these women an honest livelihood, and his practical charity was as great as his spiritual fervour. During a terrible famine, he organised relief for whole villages, begging from the wealthy and distributing to the hungry without rest.

It was said that thousands came to his missions, sometimes standing for hours in freezing weather to make their confessions. His preaching was direct and unaffected, reaching the hearts of simple labourers and shepherds, yet learned men also found in him a depth of spiritual wisdom. He bore with great patience the suspicions and opposition of some of his fellow clergy, who thought his methods too irregular, and he never answered his critics except by redoubling his charity.

In the winter of 1640 he undertook a long missionary journey in the high mountains of Auvergne despite severe illness. He arrived at La Louvesc barely able to stand, heard confessions throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and died there on the night of December 31, 1640, at the age of forty-three, worn out by his apostolic labours. He was beatified in 1716 and canonised in 1737 by Pope Clement XII. His shrine at La Louvesc has drawn pilgrims ever since, and he is venerated as one of the great missionaries of France.