Chapter 2
Saint John Marie Vianney

We have heard the saying before - “The saints did not all start out well, but they all ended well.” Looking at the life of St. John Marie Baptiste Vianney, we see that he started out well, he continued well through the various seasons of his life, and as his life came to a close, he ended well.

John Marie Vianney was born May 8, 1786 in the small village of Dardilly in France. His parents, Matthieu and Marie Vianney, were poor farmers as well as devout Catholics. They had six children, of whom John Marie was the fourth.

The Vianney family farmed several acres of wheat fields and hayfields and also had a vineyard. When John Marie was seven years old, one of his duties was to watch the donkey, cows and sheep while they grazed in the fields. It was the custom for the children in Dardilly to knit socks while watching their animals in order to make constructive use of their time. During harvest season, the whole family worked together in the fields. At midday, they stretched out and took a siesta in the orchard before continuing their work.

The one and only elementary school in Dardilly was forced to close due to the political upheaval of the French Revolution. Because of that, Christine, John Marie’s sister, took it upon herself to teach him how to read. At nine years of age, he was finally able to attend public school where he learned history, arithmetic, geography, reading and writing.

As John Marie grew older, his farm duties increased. He ploughed the ground, raked and pitched hay, picked chestnuts, acorns and fruit from the various trees on their land and helped with the reaping and binding of corn. In addition, he cleared ditches, cut wood, cared for the cows in the stable, and worked in the vineyard.

Pierre Vianney, John Marie’s grandfather, was known for his exceptional kindness to the poor, a quality carried on by Matthieu and Marie, John Marie’s parents. One time several destitute men called at Pierre’s farmhouse. Pierre gave them a meal and allowed them to sleep in the bakehouse that night. Several weeks later, Pierre was surprised to receive a beautiful hand-written letter of thanks from Benedict Joseph Labre, one of the men he had given shelter to. Benedict Joseph Labre was revered as a saint and later canonized. He was known for his penitential lifestyle, his love for solitude and his long hours given to prayer.

John Marie’s father Matthieu remembered the incident well. He was seventeen years old when Benedict Joseph Labre paid a visit to their farmhouse. His father Pierre treasured the letter he received from Benedict Joseph, considering it a second-class relic. Later, when Pierre became elderly, he gave the letter to Matthieu who felt blessed to receive it. Many years later, Matthieu gave the letter to John Marie.

On December 8,1793, during the time of the French Revolution, attendance at Sunday Mass was abolished by law. The Vianney family faced the choice of supporting the priests who were part of the revolt against the Catholic Church or remaining faithful to those who refused to sign up in the new Order.

Matthieu and Marie Vianney sided with the priests who remained faithful to Rome. As a result, they had to practice their religion secretly as part of the underground church. Even though it was illegal, the Vianneys travelled at midnight to distant farms, barns and wooded areas to attend Masses celebrated by priests who had been forced to go undercover. Realizing that these priests risked their lives on a daily basis, John Marie began to look upon them as heroes and role models.

When John Marie was a youth, his mother gave him a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. He loved it so much that he kept it with him day and night. During the Reign of Terror, when crucifixes and religious articles were confiscated and destroyed, he kept the statue in his pocket. While taking the sheep to pasture, he put it in the hollow of a tree or on the grass beside him.

Although they were well-aware of the danger, the Vianneys sheltered hunted priests in their home. One was Father Groboz who sometimes went about the village disguised as a cook. Once when Father Groboz was staying at the Vianney farmhouse, he asked eleven-year-old John Marie how long it had been since his last confession. “I have never made my confession,” John Marie replied. Father Groboz heard his confession that very day. Later John Marie said, “I shall always remember my first confession. It took place in our farmhouse at the foot of our big clock.”

Father Groboz made arrangements for John Marie to join a catechism class in the town of Ecully in preparation for his first Holy Communion. The classes, which lasted for a period of two years, were held at night by candlelight and were taught by two Sisters of St. Charles whose religious community had been dissolved during the Revolution.

Thirteen-year-old John Marie made his first Holy Communion in 1799 along with fifteen other youth. The shutters were closed and hay carts were placed in front of the windows of the room where the ceremony took place. Everything had to be done in secret. When the Reign of Terror ended in 1802, the Catholic Church was re-established in France, resulting in religious peace and freedom throughout the country.

When John Marie was seventeen years old, he decided that he wanted to become a priest. However, his father Matthieu was against it and would not give his permission. John Marie’s sister Christine had just married and Matthieu had incurred expenses with the wedding. Also, Matthieu was getting older and depended on John Marie’s excellent help on the farm. He could not afford to pay a new farm worker to work in his son’s place.

Two years later, John Marie leaned that Father Charles Balley had opened a school in the town of Ecully for young men who were considering a vocation to the priesthood. The curriculum included math, history, Latin and other subjects, and was like a Junior Seminary for Junior High and High School aged young men. Matthieu now gave his consent for John Marie to enter the preparatory school for priestly studies.

John Marie’s mother, Marie Vianney, went to Ecully and introduced herself to Father Balley. Marie told Father Balley that her son John Marie wanted with all his heart to become a priest and would like to attend his school. Father Balley said that unfortunately he was not able to take even one more student.

John Marie’s sister Christine and her husband Melin wondered if anything could be done to help John Marie enter the school. Melin decided to talk to Father Balley in person. He asked Father Balley to reconsider his decision regarding John Marie’s admittance to his school. However, Father Balley would not change his mind. “I would at least like you to interview John Marie,” Melin said. “I feel sure you will be impressed by his excellent character,” he added. Father Balley agreed to the interview.

Nineteen-year-old John Marie, the lowly field laborer with very little formal education, accompanied by his mother, visited Father Balley at his parish in Ecully. Father Balley asked John Marie a number of questions and found that he was well-informed and knowledgeable about his faith. John Marie made a very favorable impression on Father Balley. Sensing the young man’s goodness and piety, Father Balley offered him admittance to his school. Wanting to help him in every way, he said to John Marie, “Do not worry about anything. If need be, I will make sacrifices for your sake.”

John Marie moved to Ecully and lived with his Aunt Marguerite Humbert on her farm. He attended Father Balley’s school each day and was the oldest student in the class. Some of the other students were thirteen-years-old. The school furnishings were sized for students in Junior High School and John Marie had to sit cramped behind a small desk. From the beginning, he had trouble with the academics. The other pupils made fun of him when he could not get through the lessons that they learned with ease. He was considered the dunce of the class. For John Marie, it was a terrible beginning. Although they made fun of him, all of the students in the class liked John Marie and admired him for his piety.

At Father Balley’s school, Latin was the subject that proved to be the hardest for John Marie. In the summer of 1806, to obtain the grace of learning Latin, John Marie decided to walk to the tomb of St. Francis Regis in the town of La Louvesc in order to pray for his intercession. It was a sixty-mile journey. On the way back home to Ecully, John Marie was convinced that St. Francis Regis was interceding for him. He had a deep sense of peace and was filled with renewed hope about his ability to succeed at his studies.

For three years, John Marie continued to study under Father Balley. He worked hard but the results were disappointing. His memory was poor, his understanding was slow, and his grades continued to be unsatisfactory. He told Father Balley that he was discouraged and wanted to go back to his home in Dardilly. He felt like a failure and did not believe he could succeed in his studies. Father Balley would not hear of it and said to John Marie, “If you go back to your home, your parents will want you to stay there and you will have no chance of ever becoming a priest.” With Father Balley’s constant support, John Marie was able to persevere.

In the autumn of 1809, John Marie’s studies were interrupted when he received his calling up papers for military service in the French army. John Marie was twenty-three years old. It was the same year that Napoleon had seized the papal states and arrested...