July 26, 2025 • 7 mins
Discover the extraordinary life of Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, commonly known as St John Vianney, a French parish priest who is celebrated in the Catholic Church as a saint and the patron saint of all priests. Known fondly as the Curé dArs, his parish work led to a profound spiritual transformation in his community, making him an internationally recognized figure. His saintly life, dedicated ministry, and ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to Saint Philomena were all instrumental in this transformation. This brief biography, written before his canonization in 1925, offers a stirring glimpse into the life of this much-loved saint. (Summary Adapted from Wikipedia)
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter seven of the Life of Blessed John B. Marie Vienni,
Curie of Ours. This is the LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Jill Clancy,
Los Angeles, California, The Life of Blessed John B. Marie Vienni,
(00:20):
Curie of Ours by anonymous Chapter seven, Death and Beatification
of the Blessed Curee. It was in the summer of
eighteen fifty nine that the Venerable Curee showed that his
energies were nearly spent. He was then heard repeatedly to
exclaim alas the sinners will kill the sinner. On Friday,
(00:42):
July twenty ninth, after having as usual, spent from sixteen
to seventeen hours in the confessional, he returned to the rectory.
Completely exhausted. He sank into a chair, saying I can
do no more. The priest who saw him immediately put
him to bed. On the following morning. His illness was
so pronounced that a fatal termination was feared in the village,
(01:06):
and among the numerous visitors to Ours, the greatest sorrow
was felt. For three days. The church was crowded with
the faithful, praying that their Curee might not be taken
from them. The Curee did not join his prayers to
those of his people, for he felt that his last
hour was approaching. On Friday evening he received the last sacraments.
(01:26):
He shed tears of love when the Holy viacomb was
brought to him, and as extreme unction was being administered
for the last time, he blessed all who were present,
as well as his whole parish. On Wednesday morning, he
smilingly acknowledged the greeting of his bishop, who had hurried
to his bedside. On Thursday, August fourth, at two o'clock
(01:49):
in the morning, while his friend and assistant, that Abbe
Monin was saying the prayers for the dying, and had
just uttered the words, may the Holy Angels of God
come forth to meet him and conduct him into the
City of the Heavenly Jerusalem. The loving soul left his
frail body to be received as we may devoutly hope
and to the presence of the Divine Master, whom he
(02:11):
had served so long and so faithfully. The demise of
the good curee was immediately made known to the sorrowing community.
On Saturday of that week, the interment took place. Almost
six thousand persons, many of whom came from Afar, attended
the funeral. Three hundred priests accompanied the remains to the grave.
(02:32):
The Bishop of Valet, in his eulogy, selected his texts
from the office of the Feasts of the Saints and confessors.
Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the
joy of Thy Lord. All present understood the sentiments which
prompted the selection that particular texts, and trusted that their
hope would not be disappointed. Rarely has the process of
(02:54):
beatification been set in motion so quickly as was that
of John Baptist V. Hardly forty five years had elapsed
since the remains of the deceased were laid at rest
under the pulpit of his parish church when the Holy
See announced its decision permitting the beatification process to be
introduced as early as October third, eighteen seventy four. Pope
(03:17):
Pious the Ninth, after examining the various writings and biographical
notices relating to the deceased and published by reliable contemporaries
confirmed on the Humble Cure the title venerable servant of God.
On June twenty first, eighteen ninety six, Pope Leo the thirteenth,
presiding the last session of the Commission, took place, which
(03:41):
was to pronounce upon the saintly merits of the Venerable Curee.
The favorable conclusion, which everyone expected, was announced by Cardinal Parocchi.
On August first of that year, Pope Leo the thirteenth
issued a decree reciting the honors paid to the humble
Cure of ours and his own personal admiration for his
(04:01):
exalted virtue. Seven years later, in nineteen o three, the
same Pope called a session of the Commission to consider
the testimony and reports relative to the miracles which had
taken place at the tomb of the departed. This session, however,
was not held, for on the day which had been appointed,
the Venerable Pope lay at the point of death and
(04:23):
soon after viz on July twentieth of that year, the
Catholic world had to mourn the passing way of its
spiritual head. The happy distinction, however, of being able to
glorify the humble country curate had been reserved by God
for one who himself had been formerly a plain country curate.
(04:43):
On August fourth, nineteen o three, at the very hour
when at Ours they were celebrating a solemn high Mass
on the forty fourth anniversary of the death of John
Baptist Vienni, another solemn ceremony was taking place at Rome, viz.
The election of the former Village Cure of Salzano later
Cardinal Sartou, Patriarch of Venice to the Papacy, who chose
(05:08):
for himself the title of Pious tenth. As early as
January twenty sixth, nineteen o four. The new Supreme Pontiff presided.
At that session of the Cardinals over which his illustrious
predecessor had intended to preside, two cases in particular were
presented for examination. One was a question of the sudden
(05:29):
curate of the youthful Adelaide Jolie, and the other that
of little Leo Roussainte. The latter, after a violent attack
of epilepsy in the year of eighteen sixty two, had
to be carried to the grave of the late Curee,
one of his arms hung crippled at his side. His
power of speech was gone, and his breeding so difficult
(05:51):
that he was unable to retain the salava in his mouth.
After a short time spent in prayer at the grave
of the curee, he was removed. The hand, formally crippled,
was now able to give alms to the poor, and
the boy recovered the use of his limbs and walked about.
At the conclusion of the novena, he was able to
speak without further trouble. In February eighteen sixty one, the
(06:14):
girl Adelaide, owing to a malignant swelling of the arm,
had been given up as an incurable by the doctors
in the Lyons Hospital. Then one of her relatives, who
possessed a piece of linen which had belonged to the
Curee of ours, laid it upon the affected arm. In prayer,
they besought the intercession of the Venerable Saint of God
(06:34):
to obtain relief for the suffering girl. To the astonishment
of the doctor's the swelling was suddenly reduced in a
few hours, and the arm was restored to its normal condition.
After the Council of Cardinals had pronounced a favorable opinion
in respect to the miraculous nature of these cures. A
papal decree dated February twenty first, nineteen o four declared
(06:55):
these facts sufficiently established to justify the beatification of the
venerable man. The Holy Father himself gave unrestrained expression to
the joy which he felt when he was enabled to
admit into the ranks of the blessed one, who, according
to his own words, had been for many years a
shining example to him. End of Chapter seven
Chapter seven of the Life of Blessed John B. Marie Vienni,
Curie of Ours. This is the LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Jill Clancy,
Los Angeles, California, The Life of Blessed John B. Marie Vienni,
(00:20):
Curie of Ours by anonymous Chapter seven, Death and Beatification
of the Blessed Curee. It was in the summer of
eighteen fifty nine that the Venerable Curee showed that his
energies were nearly spent. He was then heard repeatedly to
exclaim alas the sinners will kill the sinner. On Friday,
(00:42):
July twenty ninth, after having as usual, spent from sixteen
to seventeen hours in the confessional, he returned to the rectory.
Completely exhausted. He sank into a chair, saying I can
do no more. The priest who saw him immediately put
him to bed. On the following morning. His illness was
so pronounced that a fatal termination was feared in the village,
(01:06):
and among the numerous visitors to Ours, the greatest sorrow
was felt. For three days. The church was crowded with
the faithful, praying that their Curee might not be taken
from them. The Curee did not join his prayers to
those of his people, for he felt that his last
hour was approaching. On Friday evening he received the last sacraments.
(01:26):
He shed tears of love when the Holy viacomb was
brought to him, and as extreme unction was being administered
for the last time, he blessed all who were present,
as well as his whole parish. On Wednesday morning, he
smilingly acknowledged the greeting of his bishop, who had hurried
to his bedside. On Thursday, August fourth, at two o'clock
(01:49):
in the morning, while his friend and assistant, that Abbe
Monin was saying the prayers for the dying, and had
just uttered the words, may the Holy Angels of God
come forth to meet him and conduct him into the
City of the Heavenly Jerusalem. The loving soul left his
frail body to be received as we may devoutly hope
and to the presence of the Divine Master, whom he
(02:11):
had served so long and so faithfully. The demise of
the good curee was immediately made known to the sorrowing community.
On Saturday of that week, the interment took place. Almost
six thousand persons, many of whom came from Afar, attended
the funeral. Three hundred priests accompanied the remains to the grave.
(02:32):
The Bishop of Valet, in his eulogy, selected his texts
from the office of the Feasts of the Saints and confessors.
Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter into the
joy of Thy Lord. All present understood the sentiments which
prompted the selection that particular texts, and trusted that their
hope would not be disappointed. Rarely has the process of
(02:54):
beatification been set in motion so quickly as was that
of John Baptist V. Hardly forty five years had elapsed
since the remains of the deceased were laid at rest
under the pulpit of his parish church when the Holy
See announced its decision permitting the beatification process to be
introduced as early as October third, eighteen seventy four. Pope
(03:17):
Pious the Ninth, after examining the various writings and biographical
notices relating to the deceased and published by reliable contemporaries
confirmed on the Humble Cure the title venerable servant of God.
On June twenty first, eighteen ninety six, Pope Leo the thirteenth,
presiding the last session of the Commission, took place, which
(03:41):
was to pronounce upon the saintly merits of the Venerable Curee.
The favorable conclusion, which everyone expected, was announced by Cardinal Parocchi.
On August first of that year, Pope Leo the thirteenth
issued a decree reciting the honors paid to the humble
Cure of ours and his own personal admiration for his
(04:01):
exalted virtue. Seven years later, in nineteen o three, the
same Pope called a session of the Commission to consider
the testimony and reports relative to the miracles which had
taken place at the tomb of the departed. This session, however,
was not held, for on the day which had been appointed,
the Venerable Pope lay at the point of death and
(04:23):
soon after viz on July twentieth of that year, the
Catholic world had to mourn the passing way of its
spiritual head. The happy distinction, however, of being able to
glorify the humble country curate had been reserved by God
for one who himself had been formerly a plain country curate.
(04:43):
On August fourth, nineteen o three, at the very hour
when at Ours they were celebrating a solemn high Mass
on the forty fourth anniversary of the death of John
Baptist Vienni, another solemn ceremony was taking place at Rome, viz.
The election of the former Village Cure of Salzano later
Cardinal Sartou, Patriarch of Venice to the Papacy, who chose
(05:08):
for himself the title of Pious tenth. As early as
January twenty sixth, nineteen o four. The new Supreme Pontiff presided.
At that session of the Cardinals over which his illustrious
predecessor had intended to preside, two cases in particular were
presented for examination. One was a question of the sudden
(05:29):
curate of the youthful Adelaide Jolie, and the other that
of little Leo Roussainte. The latter, after a violent attack
of epilepsy in the year of eighteen sixty two, had
to be carried to the grave of the late Curee,
one of his arms hung crippled at his side. His
power of speech was gone, and his breeding so difficult
(05:51):
that he was unable to retain the salava in his mouth.
After a short time spent in prayer at the grave
of the curee, he was removed. The hand, formally crippled,
was now able to give alms to the poor, and
the boy recovered the use of his limbs and walked about.
At the conclusion of the novena, he was able to
speak without further trouble. In February eighteen sixty one, the
(06:14):
girl Adelaide, owing to a malignant swelling of the arm,
had been given up as an incurable by the doctors
in the Lyons Hospital. Then one of her relatives, who
possessed a piece of linen which had belonged to the
Curee of ours, laid it upon the affected arm. In prayer,
they besought the intercession of the Venerable Saint of God
(06:34):
to obtain relief for the suffering girl. To the astonishment
of the doctor's the swelling was suddenly reduced in a
few hours, and the arm was restored to its normal condition.
After the Council of Cardinals had pronounced a favorable opinion
in respect to the miraculous nature of these cures. A
papal decree dated February twenty first, nineteen o four declared
(06:55):
these facts sufficiently established to justify the beatification of the
venerable man. The Holy Father himself gave unrestrained expression to
the joy which he felt when he was enabled to
admit into the ranks of the blessed one, who, according
to his own words, had been for many years a
shining example to him. End of Chapter seven
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