St. Jane Frances de Chantal
Feast day: August 12
Born in Dijon, France, Jane married Baron de Chantal and had four children. Her husband was killed in a hunting accident, and the brokenhearted baroness took a vow of chastity. Jane met St. Francis de Sales, who became her spiritual director, and with his support, she founded the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary in 1610. The Visitation convents accepted widows and others who could not endure the more rigorous life of other convents. In the following years, Jane established many more Visitation convents. She died in 1641 at age 69 and is buried near St. Francis de Sales in Annecy in eastern France. She was canonized in 1767. Jane is patron of widowers and of forgotten people.
Collect
O God, who made Saint Jane Frances de Chantal
radiant with outstanding merits in different walks of life,
grant us, through her intercession,
that, walking faithfully in our vocation,
we may constantly be examples of shining light.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
