“Saint Francis de Sales is my guide”

With Saint Francis de Sales, Denise Veyrat-Chatillon started from afar. Starting anew in the faith, the cult of the saints did not particularly speak to him. So, when her Savoyard mother-in-law one day showed her the statue of Saint Francis in place in her house in Manigod (Haute-Savoie) which he “blessed as she passed by one day”, she maintained a cautious reserve. The meeting will take place thirty years later.

“I left every morning at 7 a.m., I came back at 7 p.m.”: educational manager in a business school and mother, her life is dense, with its sorrows and its joys. Prayer at home and Sunday mass are not enough for him. “I stayed on the road, looking for a guide to live my faith. » A laywoman involved in the spiritual family of Saint Francis de Sales then introduced him to the Christian wisdom of this 17th century man.

The Savoyard saint wanted to be a guide to spiritual life for “those who live in the cities, in their household, at court and who, by their condition, are obliged to lead a common life externally”. For ten years, Denise has been training in her spirituality and is currently following an initiation to her work Introduction to the devout life, at the diocesan house of Chambéry (Savoie). “Whether in joys or trials, Saint Francis teaches us to live our faith from where we are. He tells us: “Bloom where you are planted!” »

Convince with gentleness

What are the fruits of this companionship with the saint – also patron of journalists? “It allows me to beautify my daily life,” summarizes Denise. In her profession as in her family, she cultivated conviction through gentleness. “It is better to convince than to conquer,” advises Saint Francis, adding that true progress is made “by love and not by force.” His way of communicating is progressing, as is his ability to remain confident: “He shows us that, through gentleness, we can shake the world. »

As in Savoy, several dioceses and parishes cultivate local figures of holiness: Saint Jean-François Régis in the Ardèche which he traveled; Saint Mary Magdalene around Sainte-Baume where she resided and her relics in Saint-Maximin; the martyrs of the STO, beatified on December 13 (read no. 7463). An invitation to rediscover these saints and blesseds of yesterday who can be our guides today.