St. John Vianney, the patron of priests and confessors, is universally known as "Curé of Ars." Born near Lyons, France on May 8, 1786, his French given name was Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney. His parents were Matthieu Vianney and Marie Beluze.
{mosimage}Ironically, John Vianney almost did not become a priest. Initially, his father was reluctant to allow him to leave the family farm to study. Then John was conscripted into Napoleon's army to fight the war with Spain. On the morning his regiment departed, the young John went to the church to pray and on his return, found that his comrades had already left. He was threatened with arrest, but the recruiting officer heard and believed his story and sent John to catch up with his fellow soldiers.
Along the way, John met up with a man who promised to help him, but instead led him to a group of deserters who were staying at Noes. The mayor of that town persuaded John to work as a schoolmaster - under an assumed name - for 14 months. He was finally able to communicate with his family, but his father was not pleased by his actions. Finally, John surrendered as a deserter and his younger brother stepped in to serve in his stead.
John returned to school but he had trouble with his studies, especially Latin. He failed his first entrance exam at the seminary, yet was admitted three months later. When it came time to take final exams, John failed because he couldn't write well enough and became tongue-tied during the oral exams.
Finally, through a special appeal to the vicar general of France, he was ordained. The vicar general reportedly asked, "Is he pious?" Yes, he was a most pious man, came the answer. "Ordain him," the vicar general said. "The grace of God will do the rest."
After his ordination in 1815, Father Vianney was sent to Ars, a rough town with 40 houses and four taverns. Church attendance was low as farmers worked the fields on Sunday and the townsfolk spent much of their time drinking and swearing. Because Ars was known as a "punishment parish," people placed bets on how long the young priest would last there.
Before long, however, Father Vianney transformed Ars from a rowdy, rough dwelling to a village filled with pious, faithful Catholics. It is said that farmers began carrying rosaries with them in the fields. They were inspired by their pastor, who was a simple, caring man who gave away his clothes and belongings to the poor and ate only meager portions of bread and potatoes. He slept just a few hours at a time, often tormented by and wrestling with the devil at night.
A priest for over 40 years, Father Vianney was famous for his skill as a confessor, giving simple, clear instructions to penitents. He would sometimes divine sins that were left out of an incomplete confession. Over the last decade of his life Father Vianney spent 16 to 18 hours a day in the confessional, and by the time of his death he had been visited by people from all over the world. The miracles he performed included obtaining money for the poor and food for the orphans; supernatural knowledge of the past and future; and healing the sick, especially children.
St. John Vianney died in 1859 on the day we celebrate his feast day, Aug. 4. In the Springfield diocese, St. John Vianney Parish in Sherman is named in honor of this great priest. The parish was founded in 1931, just a few years after the saint's canonization on May 31, 1925.
The present church was built in 1961, in great part by the parishioners. At that time the parish included fewer than 30 families.
Today, St. John Vianney Parish is led by Msgr. Carl Kemme, who is vicar general of the Springfield diocese, and has grown to about 320 families and almost 950 parishioners. A statue of St. John Vianney stands in the church.