Important
dates in the life of the Curé of Ars
Some dates of the life and ministry
of Jean Marie Vianney …
- 8
May 1786 : Jean Marie Vianney is born in
Dardilly, near Leon. He is the fourth of six children, and will spend his
childhood on his father’s farm, during the tumultuous period of the French
Revolution.
- 1806 : having manifested the desire to become a priest, Jean Marie Vianney
begins his formation with Abbot Balley, in the presbytery of Écully.
- 23
June 1815 : following a long and often difficult period of formation, he is
ordained deacon in Leon.
- 13
August 1815 : he is ordained to the priesthood in
Grenoble by Mons. Simon.
He is then called as
vicar by Abbot Balley in Écully.
- 13
February 1818 : he arrives in Ars as assistant pastor of the church.
- 1821 : Ars receives the charter of parish and Jean Marie Vianney becomes the
Pastor.
- Beginning
in 1822, he
begins the work of restoration and beautification of the church, a task he will
bring ahead until his death.
- 1823 : the diocese of Belley, upon which the parish of Ars
depends, is reopened.
- 1824 : he opens the House of Providence
with the idea of making it a free school for girls; it will later become an orphanage.
- Towards
1830 : the beginning of the influx of
pilgrims and penitents to Ars. They will continue to come in always greater
numbers until his death. The Curé of Ars, in practice, will not be able to
leave his parish; he will dedicate himself exclusively to the parishioners and
pilgrims.
- 1843 : grave illness of the Holy Curé, which precedes his first "escape"
from Ars. There will be three other attempts at escaping, brought face to face
with the scale of the role of Pastor and the realization of his weaknesses.
- In
1849, he founds the boy’s school, which he
entrusts to the Brothers of the Holy
Family of Belley.
- Beginning
in 1853, a team of diocesan missionaries come
to assist the Holy Curé, "prisoner" of the confessional and assailed
by pilgrims.
- 1858 : approximately 100,000 pilgrims visit Ars this year. The Curé of Ars
spends as many as 17 hours per day in the confessional.
- 4
August 1859 : the Curé of Ars dies exhausted,
towards two in the morning, in his presbytery.
- 8
January 1905 : beatification at the hand of Pope
Pius X; he is declared "patron of the priests of France".
- 31
May 1925 : canonization at the hand of Pope Pius
XI.
- 1929 : he is declared "patron of all the pastors of the universe" by Pope Pius XI.
- 6 October 1986 : Pope John Paul II goes on pilgrimage
to Ars.
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