Francis de Sales
Life and witness
Roman Martyrology (traditional English edition; normalized OCR transcription): At Lyons, in Gaul, St. Francis de Sales, bishop of Geneva, who on account of his most burning zeal for the conversion of heretics, was numbered among the saints by Alexander the Seventh. His festival, by command of the same pope, is kept on the fourth of the kalends of February, on which day his body was translated to Annecy.
Biographical overview
Francis de Sales (French: François de Sales; Italian: Francesco di Sales; Arpitan: Francês de Sâles; 21 August 1567 – 28 December 1622) was a Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva from 1602 to 1622. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation. He is known also for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, particularly the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God. He was canonized in 1665.