Saint John-Marie Vianney, known as “the holy parish priest of Ars” during his lifetime, was an exceptional priest. Despite academic difficulties, he made every effort to follow the urgent call of the Lord and become a priest. He lived his vocation with incomparable impetus, never ceasing to bring back the lost sheep to the flock, and he made his parish a home of true Christian life. Filled with faith, the spirit of penance and prayer, he himself said: “I got from God everything I wanted, for myself as well as for others.” His whole life was filled with miraculous facts, healing, and staggering conversions. After his death, graces continue to rain on all those who approach his body or pray to him insistently. To discover more extraordinary facts about the life of the holy parish priest, discover the intuitions of the parish priest of Ars.
One day, a woman came to Ars with her paralyzed son. She waited in front of the church, and no sooner did the parish priest see her that he called out to her, and the woman confessed and forgot to talk about her son. She attended mass with the child and then presented him to Father Vianney to bless him. The parish priest exclaims, “but he is too big to be carried so, put him down” and he sent the woman to pray to Saint Philomene to obtain the miracle. The little one prayed by himself for an hour, then got up and ran to the door in socks. Seeing the rain, he asked for clogs to go play with the other children.
Another time, parents accompanied their sick little boy to see the parish priest of Ars. The mother confessed and communed, but the father, in coldness with the Lord, waited only for the healing of his son. Abbé Vianney invited him and encouraged him to confess, and the man was at first very closed off but, little by little, he was changed by the parish priest's words and opened his heart. When they left Ars, it was a renewed man who left with his healed son.
The holy parish priest had founded an orphanage in Ars, La Providence, with around 60 girls. One day, there was practically no flour left, and the helpless baker came to find Father Vianney, who reassured her: “pray and make your bread”. As she kneaded the dough, it started to swell up until it filled the entire bowl. The parish priest, learning this, simply said, “God is very good”.
Another time, the wheat reserve for orphan girls was depleted. Father Vianney did not have the heart to send the children away, so he made them pray to ask for daily bread. The parish priest gathered the last grains of the attic in a group and placed a relic of Saint Jean-François Régis in the middle, a saint whom he particularly revered. He retired in prayer and waited. After a while, he sent for the wheat. When the young woman arrived, she could barely open the door and the wheat began to flow through the gap. She ran to look for father Vianney and, together, they found that the storeroom was full to the brim with a wheat of a different shade than the old.
Discover the prayers and quotations of the parish priest of Ars.
On Hozana, discover other priests of fire who illuminated their time and all those who approached them: Saint Padre Pio, Saint Charbel, and Saint Anthony of Padua.
Many great female figures have also upset their surroundings with their holiness, the fragrance of which is still spreading today. It is safe to say that Christ lived in them and through them performed miracles: Saint Rita of Cascia, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Gemma Galgani.