Description

Oil Dedicated to St John Francis Regis (for marriage)

St John Francis Regis a 17th-century French Jesuit known for his zealous missionary efforts. In a 1997 letter to the Bishop of Viviers honoring him as a lofty figure of holiness.

He urged the faithful to imitate the saint and “put themselves in God’s hands with total trust.”

John Francis Regis was the son of a wealthy merchant father and a mother descended from nobility. As a boy he was sensitive, devout, and eager to please his parents and teachers.

Educated by Jesuits from the age of 14, he entered the Society of Jesus in December of 1616. As he followed the traditional Jesuit path of teaching and extensive studies, John also became known as a skilled catechist.

He was eager to enter the priesthood and offered his first Mass in 1631. John spent much of the rest of that year caring for victims of a plague outbreak in the city of Toulouse.

In 1632, John received his assignment as a missionary to the French Protestants – known as Huguenots – as well as the country’s lapsed Catholics and others in need of evangelization. The rest of his life would be devoted to this mission with remarkable success.

John’s missionary work spanned both a large geographical distance and a broad social spectrum. In over 50 districts of France, he preached the Gospel to children, the poor, prisoners, and others forgotten or neglected by society.

His best-known work involved helping women escape prostitution. John’s labors reaped a harvest of conversions.

Because of his boldness – perceived as arrogance in some cases – led to a conflict with certain other priests, a period of tension with the local bishop, and even threats of violence from those whose vices he condemned. Against these obstacles the priest persevered, sustained by fervent prayer and severe asceticism