ST. JOHN VIANNEY - PATRON SAINT OF PRIESTS AND PASTORS..........

Born in Lyons, France in 1786, John Mary Vianney struggled as a young man for several years to be allowed to become a Priest of Jesus Christ. Thought to be a simpleton, once he was ordained a priest, Father Vianney's duties were restricted to celebrating Masses and hearing Confessions. But instead he became an exemplary pastor of souls as the Cure of Ars, who spend as many as 11 hours in winter, and 16 hours in summer, forgiveness sins as a Confessor in the Sacrament of Penance. He became the patron saint of priests, pastors, and parish clergy, as a result of his dedication as a Priest of Jesus Christ. In our Sacramento Diocese he is commemorated with St. John Vianney Parish in Rancho Cordova, which started in 1958, with Reverend Monsignor Richard Dwyer, a native Sacramento priestly vocation serving as Founding Pastor from 1958-1980; the St. John Vianney House for seminarians at St. Anne's Parish in Meadowview, South Sacramento; and with the erection of a St. John Vianney statue, now gracing the grounds of the Priests' Retirement Village in Citrus Heights. As we continue to work and pray for an increase in priests for service in the Diocese of Sacramento, particularly for more native vocations to answer God's Call, may this exemplary priest, St. John Vianney be an intercessor and guide for all of us..........As We Pray And Promote The Increase Of More Priests To Serve God's People In The Vineyard Of Our Church, Fr. Troy