John Baptist Mary Vianney, son of deeply Christian farmers, was born in Dardilly, near Lyon, in 1786. At his confirmation—received as an adult from Cardinal Fesch, Archbishop of Lyon and uncle of Napoleon—he added the name “Baptist” to his given names.
The French Revolution deeply marked his youth. At nineteen he resolved to pursue the priesthood, beginning his studies under the guidance of his lifelong friend and mentor, Abbé Balley, pastor of Écully. During the years when he was required to serve in the military, he went into hiding; an amnesty in 1810 freed him from any penalty, and he resumed his formation at the seminaries of Verrières and Lyon.
As a student, he was older than most and seemed poorly suited for study. Considered unfit for the priesthood, he was dismissed from the seminary. Yet Abbé Balley took him back, trained him carefully, and obtained his ordination in 1815. For three years, Balley kept him as his curate, reviewing all of theology with him. Out of caution, the diocesan authorities even withheld permission for him to hear confessions—though no one could have imagined then that John Vianney would one day be recognized as one of the greatest confessors in the history of the Church.
From Écully, he was sent to Ars as chaplain, and a few years later the small chapel was raised to the status of a parish. For the next forty years, until his death, Ars became his entire pastoral field. Repeated attempts to transfer him—sometimes his own, sometimes others’—were always resisted by the people. Hidden within Vianney were extraordinary gifts as pastor, organizer, and spiritual counselor, which only gradually came to light.
It is impossible to list all the aspects of his priestly ministry here. Suffice it to recall that with his goodness, simplicity, humility, sincerity, and remarkable gift for dealing with people, he not only transformed his once-indifferent parish into an exemplary Christian community but also, for many years, drew countless pilgrims who crowded around his humble confessional—the very one still preserved today in Ars.
His growing fame inevitably provoked envy and criticism, but the Bishop of Belley defended him and placed him under his protection. His life was marked by rigorous asceticism and mystical experiences, often visible to those around him. He chose to live in great poverty; the old parish church and rectory, still preserved beside the basilica built in his honor, bear eloquent witness to his austere way of life.
Worn out by his heavy ministry, Vianney tried four times to leave Ars to enter religious life or dedicate himself to contemplation. Each time, the people prevented him. Awarded an honorary canonry by the Church and the Legion of Honor by the state, he sold his canon’s robes to give to the poor and told the envoy who brought him the decoration that such an honor was far too much. With French wit, the representative of Napoleon replied that the award was not so much to honor him, but to honor the Legion itself.
The Curé of Ars died at the age of seventy-three on August 4, 1859. Canonized by Pius XI in 1925, he had already been canonized in life by the devotion of the faithful. Ars remains a major place of pilgrimage, and Saint John Vianney is venerated as the patron of parish priests.
