St. John Eudes

Founder of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary: 1601-1680

His life

+ John was born in France and after his ordination to the priesthood he spent years serving, giving missions and retreats.

+ In 1637, John published The Life and Kingdom of Jesus in Christian Souls, which contained the essence of his spirituality and theology.

+ Greatly devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he also promoted devotion to the Blessed Virgin at a time when devotions were often ignored by lay Catholics.

+ In 1643, he founded a new religious community of priests and brothers, the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (the Eudist Fathers). He later established a community of sisters: the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge.

+ Saint John Eudes died in 1680 and was canonized in 1925.

Spiritual bonus

The terrors and persecution of the French Revolution led to the disappearance of many historic religious communities throughout France, including many of the convents of Sisters of Our Lady of Charity established by Saint John. However, two sisters reestablished a community of Sisters of Our Lady of Charity in Tours in 1805. This community eventually became home to a woman we now honor as Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, the foundress of a new religious community inspired by the ideals of Saint John Eudes, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.

Quote

“You are one with Jesus as the body is one with the head. You must then have one breath with him, one soul, one life, one will, one mind, one heart.”—Saint John Eudes

To learn more about the Eudist Fathers, visit: https://eudistsusa.org/

To learn more about the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, visit: www.sistersofthegoodshepherd.com

Prayer

O God, who wonderfully chose the Priest Saint John Eudes
to proclaim the unfathomable riches of Christ,
grant us, by his example and teachings,
that, growing in knowledge of you,
we may live faithfully by the light of the Gospel.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

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Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.