In his first official message to the Church in France, Pope Leo XIV marked the 100th anniversary of the canonizations of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Jean-Marie Vianney, and St. Jean Eudes with a call to embrace their enduring witness — offering a clear response to the challenges of modern secularism.
The letter, addressed to French bishops and released on May 28, coincides with nationwide celebrations of these three saints, all canonized in 1925.
For Pope Leo XIV, their lives offer more than a centennial memory; they are a living antidote to what he calls the “winds contrary and sometimes hostile” of today’s cultural climate — materialism, individualism, and religious indifference.
“These saints,” he writes, “loved Jesus with simplicity, strength, and authenticity,” living out their faith not in grand gestures but in daily acts of love and perseverance.
Far from being figures of the past, Leo XIV positions them as models for a renewed mission in France — one rooted not in nostalgia but in spiritual resilience.
In fact, the trend of the last few years shows that resilience. Even the secular media has noted the tremendous uptick in vocations, something that Aleteia analyzed by co-sponsoring a survey of the new Catholics, discovering that social media has been part of the impact.
The Economist pointed out the numbers:
At Easter 10,384 adults were baptised, a jump of 46% on last year and nearly double the number in 2023. This was the highest since France’s Conference of Bishops began such records 20 years ago. At 7,404, the number of teenagers baptised this Easter was more than double the figure in 2023, and ten times the one in 2019.
A world searching
The Pope's letter draws attention to France’s deep Catholic roots, yet it does so with a tone of realism. While acknowledging the decline in vocations and the pressures facing clergy, the Pope also expresses gratitude for the “courageous and persevering” commitment of France’s priests. His message is notably pastoral, offering support rather than reprimand.
But the broader context is impossible to ignore. In a country where laïcité — the French model of secularism — shapes public life and where religious affiliation had been on the decline, Leo XIV’s message could be read as both encouragement and challenge.
By spotlighting saints who lived through social upheaval, persecution, and personal suffering, he reclaims their relevance as credible voices for a world searching for meaning.
St. Jean-Marie Vianney, the humble parish priest of Ars, is praised for his total dedication to the priesthood, famously declaring: “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.” St. Jean Eudes is remembered for introducing the liturgical celebration of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. And Thérèse of Lisieux, the young Carmelite nun known for her “Little Way,” is recalled as a Doctor of the Church whose spirituality makes holiness accessible to all.
“In celebrating their canonizations,” the Pope writes, “we give thanks not only for their lives, but for the communities that nurtured them—communities where faith was lived, passed on, and made fruitful.”
France, often dubbed “the eldest daughter of the Church,” is here invited not to reclaim privilege but to rekindle vocation.
Pope Leo XIV’s letter frames this moment as an opportunity: not merely to remember saints, but to learn from them how to live with courage, faith, and tenderness in a secular world.
“God can renew the wonders of the past,” the Pope concludes, “through the saints He gave you and whom you now celebrate.”
