Monument de la Rencontre in ArsDid you know that before the arrival of the curé, Ars was a little-known village of 200 souls, nestled in the heart of the Dombes. Who could have guessed what would happen here? How did this little man become as big as the universe?
Statue of the Holy Curé d'ArsBorn in 1786 in Dardilly near Lyon, Jean-Marie Vianney came from a modest farming family. His childhood was marked by the religious fervor and love of his parents. Working on the farm, he never went to school. At the age of 20, he prepared for the priesthood. In 1815, at the age of 29, he was ordained priest and appointed curé of Ars in 1818: “My God, how small this village is, it will never be able to accommodate all the crowds that will flock to it.”
Here, he reawakened the faith of the inhabitants through his preaching, his prayers and his way of life. He restored and embellished his church, founded an orphanage: the Maison de la Providence, and took care of the poorest. His reputation as a confessor soon attracted pilgrims from all over the world.
Ars-sur-Formans.
Feast of the Holy Curé d'ArsHere, he reawakened the faith of the inhabitants through his preaching, his prayers and his way of life. He restored and embellished his church, founded an orphanage: the Maison de la Providence, and took care of the poorest. His reputation as a confessor soon attracted pilgrims from all over the world.
Throughout his ministry, he spent long hours praying before the tabernacle, up to 17 hours a day in confession. Jean Marie Vianney, would remain in Ars until his death on August 4, 1859, now a day of pilgrimage.
Basilica in Ars-sur-FormansBeatified in 1905, he was canonized in 1925 and proclaimed Patron Saint of all parish priests worldwide in 1929. Who could have guessed that this modest country parish priest, who lived an exceptional life, would give this small, previously unknown village international renown. Since then, 350,000 pilgrims have flocked to Ars. His body, intact, is displayed in a shrine in the basilica. A chapel, the Chapel of the Heart, was built to house his heart in a reliquary. Did you know that his heart travels the world at the request of devout Catholics?
