St. John Vianney

This window is centered on St. John Vianney also well

Known as the Cure of Ars. The Church declared St. John patron saint of parish priest. As a farm hand in his youth he taught other children their prayers and catechism. He was Ordained in 1815, though it took several years study as he had little education, as he was not a very good student, and learning Latin was difficult for him. He was assigned for a while to Ecully. In 1818 he was assigned to the parish of Ars, a tiny village near Lyons, which suffered from very lax attendance. He began visiting his parishioners, especially the sick and poor. He spent many hours in prayer, doing penance for his parishioners. Gifted with discernment of spirits, prophecy, hidden knowledge, and working miracles. At times he was tormented by evil spirits, especially when he tried to get his 2-3 hours of sleep each night. Crowds came to hear him preach, and to make their reconciliation because of his reputation with penitents. He often spent many hours a day (up to 10 hours) hearing confessions. By 1855 there were 20,000 pilgrims a year coming to Ars. Spent 40 years as the parish priest. Most of his sermons have been published and many excerpts from them have often been quoted. The following quotes are from his sermons and little catechesis he gave often on a daily basis. “All our religion is but a false religion, and all our virtues are mere illusions and we ourselves are only hypocrites in the sight of God, if we have not that universal charity for everyone - for the good, and for the bad, for the poor and for the rich, and for all those who do us harm as much as those who do us good. “

“If people would do for God what they do for the world, what a great number of Christians would go to Heaven.”

“You either belong wholly to the world or wholly to God.”

“I tell you that you have less to suffer in following the Cross than in serving the world and its pleasures. “

“You cannot please both God and the world at the same time. They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions. “

“We must always choose the most perfect. Two good works present themselves to be done, one in favor of a person we love, the other in favor of a person who has done us some harm. Well, we must give preference to the latter.”

Above the central image is the Holy Spirit surrounded by flames that represent the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Above the Holy Spirit on the outer frame are seven winged shapes that re present the seven spirits that surround the throne of God in the Book of Revelations. In the outer frame are twenty bright blue circles that represent the Holy Rosary, which is a contemplative prayer on the life of Jesus and Mary while on earth and now their life of glory in heaven. In between the rosary beads are eighteen diamond like shapes that represent the angles that were assigned to protect and assist St John Vianney and his work. Below the central image are three ovals. The oval on the left contains a reliquary of the incorrupt heart of Saint John Vianney. The middle oval contains the sacred Heart of Jesus, to which St John lovingly conformed his own heart. In the right oval, is the Holy Eucharist, which St. John Vianney celebrated and offered up to the Father for forty years, as a holy priest conformed most intimately with the great High Priest Jesus Christ.