John Francis Regis, Saint

JOHN FRANCIS REGIS, Saint. - Jesuit, b. 31 Jan. 1597 at Fontcouverte (Aude). He studied with the Jesuits at Béziers, and entered the Order on 8 Dec. 1616 at Toulouse. From 1632 he worked as a missionary in Languedoc, in the surroundings of Montpellier, in the Vivarais, Forez and Velay, full of zeal for souls. In winter he devoted himself to the apostolate in the most remote villages of the countryside and the mountains, in summer in the cities, founding social works for the redemption of fallen women, for the relief of the poorest, for the preservation and strengthening of the faith, especially by means of confraternities of the Most Blessed Sacrament. He died in the midst of his work, half desired by the snow, in the village of Lalouvesc (Ardèche), on 31 Dec. 1640. He was beatified in 1716 and canonized by Clement XII in 1737. His feast is on 16 June.

At the time of the anti-Jesuit campaign in France (1712) the Jansenists spread the rumor that the Saint had been dismissed from the Order before his death. The question was immediately studied by commission of a papal commission (1712) and also later (1879) and proved to be a pure invention. The great devotion of the faithful toward St. F. R. gave rise to the «Société de st. F. R.» founded in Paris (1 March 1826) with the aim of promoting the legitimization of illicit and invalid unions (later spreading to Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Italy), and to the union of the «Fratelli di s. F. R.» at Roche Arnauld (Le Puy) for the education of orphans and their preparation for work. A Congregation of «Suore di s. Fr. R.» was also established at Lalouvesc by the priest Therme in 1830 for the care of the sick.