St. Francis De Sales

Between 1594 and 1598, a preacher named Francois converted 72,000 Protestants to the Catholic Faith. These are his words.

One of the most remarkable and well-documented events in Catholic history began when a young priest, St. Francis de Sales, volunteered to re-evangelize the Calvinists of the Chablais.

Finding his preaching forcefully rejected, St. Francis de Sales shrewdly switched tactics and began a written apologetics campaign, posting pamphlets on walls and slipping them beneath doors under the cover of night.

His defense of the Faith was so clear and thorough that at the end of four years nearly the entire population of 72,000 had returned to the Catholic Faith!

These powerful little tracts are as relevant today as they were in the late 1500s. St. Francis de Sales draws support from Scripture, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church to address questions still frequently posed by modern Protestants.

Revered as some of the most cogent arguments against Protestantism ever penned; they present a defense of the Catholic Faith that has never been equaled.

Now with beautiful new cover, easier to read size, updated typesetting, and the original content. 320 pps PB

St. Francis de Sales was one of the most effective Catholic apologists and evangelists of the past five centuries. Undoubtedly, he is the most effective apologist to Protestant Calvinists who has ever lived.
Steve Wood (Family Life Center International)

In Consoling Thoughts on Sickness and Death, St. Francis de Sales, the beloved Doctor of the Church, teaches how to grow closer to God through suffering well the most bitter trials. The bed of sickness is an altar of sacrifice, writes the saint in this treasure of spirituality. He explains what prayers are suitable for the sick, how to persevere in patience, and even how to overcome an excessive fear of death. Most importantly, St. Francis de Sales teaches about abandonment to God's will in both life and death, drawing from his memories of the deaths of his own mother and sister. Readers of Consoling Thoughts on Sickness and Death will experience firsthand why St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is known to history as the Gentle Saint. St. Francis was Bishop of Geneva and a tireless preacher, who yet made time to correspond with numerous souls who wrote him for his insight and guidance. His Consoling Thoughts are compiled from these letters as well as from his other spiritual works.

If your life seems to make no sense, or if you don't know which path to take, St. Francis de Sales will console and inform you. In this warm little book, he explains to you what God's will is and how He reveals it -- yes, even to you, and even in the seemingly random events of your life.

No matter what you're going through now (or may have gone through), you'll see why you should love and trust in God's will -- and long for its fulfillment. Best of all, you'll learn a sure method for discovering God's will in any situation -- today!

As you begin to discern God's loving hand even in seemingly chaotic events, St. Francis de Sales will lead your mind and your heart to the still waters of God's gentle consolation.

From St. Francis de Sales you'll learn:

Four signs that your heart conforms to God's will -- does yours?

How to accept God's will even when it seems terrifying and painful

Sacred inspirations: n

Written over 400 years ago, Introduction to the Devout Life is still one of the most popular books for those pursuing holiness. St. Francis de Sales explains how to turn that desire for sanctity into resolutions that yield grace-filled results.

Themes include:

Pursuing a devout life whole-heartedly

Incorporating prayer and sacraments into a busy
schedule

Growing in virtue

Battling wisely against temptation

Making spiritual progress through daily, monthly, and yearly exercises

Whether you are just beginning your spiritual journey or are more advanced in the spiritual life, you'll be able to apply this timeless wisdom immediately. Let St. Francis de Sales illumine the path to holiness and strengthen your desire to walk that road with the Lord.

St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) was the Bishop of Geneva and a renowned spiritual director. Preaching during the Counter-Reformation, he is estimated to have converted 70,000 Calvinists in his short lifetime. He was a fervent proponent of the universal call to holiness and spent much of his time guiding lay people on the road to sanctity. Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1877, St. Francis is still helping to form saints through his many writings, of which Introduction to the Devout Life is the most famous.

As no sensible person would make a long road trip without first consulting a map, so the person intent upon gaining Heaven should first resort to a competent guide to reach that Goal of all goals. And no better guide to Heaven exists than An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Doctor of the Church. It is at once easy to read, being laid out in short chapters, yet thorough, authoritative, reliable, kind and gentle a mirror of its author. It is a book, moreover, for all, because all are called to the devout life. True devotion to God, the author points out, adorns every vocation. The devout life, moreover, is a lovely, a pleasant, and a happy life. (p. 5) Addressed as a personal letter to Philothea, the lover of God which genuinely represents the reader the book covers: our first desire to lead a devout life to our full resolution to do so, how we should approach God in prayer and the Sacraments, the practice of 16 important virtues, remedies against ordinary temptations, and becoming confirmed in our practice of devotion. St. Francis says, Devotion is spiritual agility and vivacity, by means of which charity works in us, or we in her, with love and readiness; and as charity leads us to obey and fulfill all God s Commandments, so devotion leads us to obey them with promptitude and diligence. (p. 3) An Introduction to the Devout Life is a book to be read with pencil in hand. It is a book to be read again and again. It is a book to make your guide for the rest of your life. It goes to the heart of becoming good. Its aim is to help you be rid of sin and even the inclinations to sin. Alone, its 10 brief meditations in Part I will orient you toward God for the rest of your life. No one will come away without being profoundly impressed and without being motivated to enter upon the devout life . . . which leads ultimately to God and to Heaven. This is the original TAN edition now with updated typesetting, fresh new cover, new size and quality binding, and the same trusted content.

Winner of a 2018 Catholic Press Association Award: First-Time Author, Spirituality Softcover (First Place) and a 2018 Association of Catholic Publishers Award: Inspirational (Second Place).

For more than four-hundred years, Introduction to the Devout Life by Doctor of the Church St. Francis de Sales has been regarded as the essential guide to holiness and loving God. This spiritual classic takes on new life in Lift Up Your Heart, where Rev. John Burns has interpreted ten meditations for the modern reader and distilled them into a ten-day mini-retreat that can easily be completed in the midst of a busy life.

This practical book goes right to the heart of helping you kick the habit of floating along on your spiritual journey to start actively pursuing holiness and devotion to God. During the course of the retreat, you'll learn the basics of forming a daily prayer routine, including how to offer yourself to God, meditate on his love, and maintain peace in the face of suffering and clarity in the midst of temptation. The meditations will help you:

Adopt gratitude as a daily prayer practice.

Examine and reorder your priorities and relationships to better reflect your love for God.

Discern between good and evil in your life.

Desire to love and serve as Jesus did.

In a very real sense, Burns helps you take St. Francis de Sales as your spiritual director for ten days. As you do so, you'll feel God's fatherly love and restart your faith life, equipped with the tools to connect with God and live for heaven now.

In this new book, Patrick Madrid uses the example of St. Francis de Sales to illustrate the zeal, spiritual principles, and attitude of one who sets out to live and share the faith. Christ sent his apostles into the whole world to make disciples of all nations, and by virtue of our baptism, we, too, are called to be apostles on this same mission. But how do we start? How can we accomplish in today's culture? In this book, Patrick shares his own time-tested methodology for teaching Catholics how to prepare themselves to:

Explain their faith more intelligently

Defend it more charitably

Share it more effectively

His methodology, derived from more than twenty-five years working in the field of apologetics, involves both practical techniques and theological truths revealed to us in Scripture and exemplified in the lives of the saints. It includes emulating the apologetics techniques of the original apostles, as well as the Fathers and Doctors of the Church in ensuing centuries. More importantly, it details the sanctifying process of cooperating with God's grace as he lovingly forms an apostolic heart for others within each of us.

The audio edition of this book can be downloaded via Audible.

Within this book are a multitude of precious insights on the Blessed Virgin Mary as perfect exemplar of the Christian virtues. These 13 sermons, preached by that great yet gentle Doctor of the Church, St. Francis de Sales, were remembered and carefully written down by the Visitation Nuns to whom he spoke. The many beautiful Catholic insights in these sermons give a new and fresh perspective on the Christian virtues, leading the soul to a renewed resolution to follow Our Lady's example in the pursuit of that holiness which binds the Christian ever closer to Our Lord Jesus Christ.

St. Francis de Sales, famous Doctor of the Church, is one of the four or five greatest masters of the spiritual life--a wise, learned and gentle teacher for all. In these 12 sermons, preached to the Visitation nuns in Lent of 1622, St. Francis covers most of the central teachings of the Christian life, including fasting, temptation and how to resist it, God's special providence toward those living a spiritual life, and the hidden spiritual meanings of the events of Our Lord's Passion.

Drawn from de Sales's immensely popular writings, this prayer resource for individuals or groups emboldens Catholics to encounter God and pray in their own unique way. A written invitation to a spiritual journey with a kind and gentle mystic, it is part of the popular and beautifully redesigned spirituality series, 30 Days with a Great Spiritual Teacher. (Catholic)

The St. Francis de Sales Signature Set are representative of why St. Francis was so well-received during the Counter-Reformation, and indeed, throughout history. One can easily see why St. Francis de Sales received the title "Doctor of Charity" from the works selected (Introduction to the Devout Life; Consoling Thoughts; Sermons; Catholic Controversies), as his outpouring of it is evident in each of the four works. Introduction to the Devout Life is his efforts to help other souls love God like he did; Consoling Thoughts expresses his love for suffering souls in giving them solace and exhortation to continue; Sermons relay his daily love for his flock, preaching to them about the different aspects God's love; and finally, Catholic Controversies is his apologetical love, exerting effort to win souls back to the Church.
Perhaps more than any other saint, St. Francis preached truth with love. His teachings, his works, and his very presence were consoling to those 72,000 lost souls of Switzerland and to millions of more over the centuries. Now, then, it is our hope that they will offer hope, consolation to a new generation of Catholics and spur on greater love of God and neighbor.