He is known for his priestly and pastoral work in his parish in Ars , France , resulting in the radical spiritual transformation of the community and its surroundings. Catholics note his saintly life, mortification , persevering ministry in the sacrament of confession , and ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He was canonized in and his feast day is August 4. He is the patron saint of parish priests. Vianney was born on 8 May , in the French town of Dardilly , France near Lyon , and was baptized the same day.
His parents, Matthieu Vianney and his wife Marie Belize , [ 3 ] had six children, of whom John was the fourth. The Vianneys were devout Catholics who helped the poor.
Vianney's paternal grandparents once hosted Benedict Joseph Labre , the patron saint of the homeless, who passed through Dardilly on his pilgrimage to Rome in By , the anticlerical Terror phase of the French Revolution forced many loyal priests to hide from the regime in order to carry out the sacraments in their parish. Even though to do so had been declared illegal, the Vianneys travelled to distant farms to attend Masses celebrated on the run.
Realizing that such priests risked their lives day by day, Vianney began to look upon them as heroes. He received his First Communion catechetical instruction in a private home from two nuns whose communities had been dissolved during the Revolution. He made his first communion at the age of 13 [ 6 ] in a neighbour's kitchen; [ 7 ] during the Mass, the windows were covered so that the light of the candles could not be seen from outside.
