Saint Joseph

written by Mary Katherine Laird

St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus ~ 1625 ~ Guido Reni

Our Heavenly Father chose Joseph of Nazareth to be the foster father of Jesus and the husband/protector of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Tradition tells us that Joseph was a carpenter.  The first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew outlines the genealogy  of Jesus—Joseph was a descendent of King David, through whose line the Messiah would come.  Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but not living with him, when the angel Gabriel came to her.  Matthew tells us that “Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly.” (Matt 1:19) Several theories come up about this passage—one that Joseph had concerns, suspicions about Mary’s child and wanted her out of his life, but not subjected to stoning as would be her fate.  Another one that seems to be more accurate indicates that Joseph believed himself unworthy to live with Mary and her child.  Thomas Aquinas states “Joseph was minded to put away the Blessed Virgin not as suspected of fornication, but because in reverence for her sanctity, he feared to cohabit with her” ("Summa Theologica", III, q. 3, a. 3 ad 2).  An angel appeared and told him to not be afraid to marry his betrothed.  Joseph listened and obeyed.

Aquinas also discussed the necessity of the presence of Saint Joseph in the plan of the Incarnation for if Mary had not been married, the Jews would have stoned her and that in His youth Jesus needed the care and protection of a human father.  ("The childhood of Christ")  When Caesar demanded a census, forcing people to return to the land of their fathers to register, Joseph and Mary made the uncomfortable journey to Bethlehem—The City of David.  It was from Bethlehem that  the prophets foretold the birth of the Messiah (Micah 5:2) When Herod began his murderous rampage against the infant Hebrew boys, an angel again came to Joseph to warn him to get his Holy Family out of the country.  The angel comes one more time after the death of Herod to have Joseph return the child and His mother back to Israel (Matt 2:13-23)  The last time Scripture tells of St. Joseph is when the Boy Jesus is missing.  The concerned parents search for their Son, only to find Him in the temple astounding the teachers.   

          St. Joseph is noted for his willingness to immediately get up and do what God told him to do, even when common sense or custom may have said otherwise.  

Patronage:

Together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus,  Joseph is one of the three members of the Holy Family.  Pope Pius IX   proclaimed Saint Joseph the patron of the Universal Church in 1870,  St. Joseph is considered the patron saint of a happy death^[.  Having died in the "arms of Jesus and Mary" according to Catholic tradition, he is considered the model of the pious believer who receives grace at the moment of death.   He is one of the patrons of the Americas, as well as many individual Dioceses in the United States and throughout the world.

 St. Joseph is also considered a patron  families, fathers, expectant mothers, travelers, immigrants, emigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers,, and working people in general.

FEAST DAYS:

March 19, St. Joseph's Day, has been the principal feast day of St. Joseph in WesternChristianity [ since the tenth century,

In 1955 Pope Pius XII established the Feast of "St. Joseph the Worker", to be celebrated on 1 May.  This date counteracts "May Day", a union, workers and socialists holiday and reflects Joseph's status as what many Catholics and other Christians consider the "patron of workers" and "model of workers."  Catholic teachings and stories about or relating to Joseph and the Holy Family frequently stress his patience, persistence, and hard work as admirable qualities which believers should adopt.

Why We Celebrate Saint Patrick's Day

written by Mary Katherine Laird

Every March 17, people all around the United States celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  Politicians march in parades and friends, Irish or not, gather for parties.  They wear bright green clothes and funny hats; drink green beer and Irish Whiskey; eat corned beef and cabbage.  They sing songs of "the old country" and tell tales about the Wee Folk.

BUT just who was this Saint Patrick and why is he important to us as Catholic Christians?

St. Patrick was a bishop and missionary.His father, Calpurnius, was a deacon and  his grandfather a priest, (At this time there was no strict law of celibacy for Christian clergy). Patrick's own full name was probably Patricius Magonus Sucatus.

When he was 16,  Patrick and some others were seized and carried off by sea raiders to become slaves among the inhabitants of Ireland. He wrote in his "Confession" that at this time he still "knew not the true God."  But now as a herdsman for his Irish master, Patrick  turned to religion.  He tells us himself that "constantly I used to pray in the daytime. Love of God and His fear increased more and more, and my faith grew and my spirit was stirred up, so that in a single day I said as many as a hundred prayers and at night nearly as many, and I used to stay out in the woods and on the mountain. Before the dawn I used to wake up to prayer, in snow and frost and rain, nor was there any such lukewarmness in me as now I feel, because then my spirit was fervent within."

After 6 years of labor as a shepherd, Patrick, prompted by a voice in his sleep, escaped to the European continent, probably Gaul . He returned to Britain at the age of 22 determined to convert the Irish to Christianity. This goal led him to Gaul where he studied , was ordained to the deaconate and spent 15 years in the church of Auxerre .  Patrick's later prestige and authority indicate that he was prepared for his task with great thoroughness.  

At this time a heresy "Pelagianism" was spreading among the weak and scattered Christian communities of Britain and Ireland.  Pope Celestine I had sent Bishop Palladius there to combat it. This missionary was killed among the Scots in North Britain, Patrick was recommended to replace him. Patrick was consecrated in 432, and left for Ireland.

Biographers vary as to Patrick's routes through Ireland.  There is historical basis for the tradition of Patrick's preliminary stay in Ulster, and his founding of a monastic center there. It was at this time that he set out to earn the support of the powerful pagan King Laeghaire, who was holding court at Tara.  The outcome was royal toleration for his preaching. The text of the Senchus More, the old Irish code of laws,  mentions an understanding reached at Tara. Patrick was allowed to preach to the gathering, "and when they saw Laeghaire with his Druids overcome by the great signs and miracles wrought in the presence of the men of Erin, they bowed down in obedience to God and Patrick."

King Laeghaire seems not to have become a Christian, but his chief bard and his two daughters were converted, as was a brother, who is believed to have given his estate to Patrick for the founding of a church. From this time on, Patrick's apostolate, though carried on amid hardships and often at great risk, was favored by many powerful chieftains. The Druids, by and large, opposed him, for they felt their own power and position threatened. They subjected Patrick to imprisonment many times, but he always managed to escape.  Although opposed by priests of the indigenous religion, Patrick secured toleration for Christians and, through active preaching,

St. Patrick wrote of his love for the Irish people and his fervent desire for them to know our Lord in his "Confession":  "It was not any grace in me, but God who conquereth in me, and He resisted them all, so that I came to the heathen of Ireland to preach the Gospel and to bear insults from unbelievers, to hear the reproach of my going abroad and to endure many persecutions even unto bonds, the while that I was surrendering my liberty as a man of free condition for the profit of others. And if I should be found worthy, I am ready to give even my life for His name's sake unfalteringly and gladly, and there (in Ireland) I desire to spend it until I die, if our Lord should grant it to me."

About the year 442, tradition tells us, Patrick went to Rome and met Pope Leo the Great, who, it seemed, took special interest in the Irish Church. The time had now come for a definite organization According to the annals of Ulster, the cathedral church of Armagh was founded as the primatial see of Ireland on Patrick's return. He brought back with him valuable relics. Latin was established as the language of the Irish Church.

The story of his forty-day fasting and praying on Croagh. when Patrick was granted many privileges by God  is also associated with the end of his life. Patrick's marvelous harvest filled him with gratitude. During an apostolate of thirty years he is reported to have consecrated some 350 bishops, and was instrumental in bringing the faith to many thousands. He developed a native clergy, fostered the growth of monasticism, established dioceses and held church councils. 

Patrick died about 461, and was buried near the fortress of Saul, in the vicinity of the future cathedral town of Down. He was intensely spiritual, a magnetic personality with great gifts for action and organization. He brought Ireland into much closer contact with Europe, especially with the Holy See. Patrick's doctrine is considered orthodox.  Several of his writings, including his “Confession” and several letters still remain.  The building up of the weak Christian communities which he found on arrival and planting the faith in new regions give him his place as the patron of Ireland. His feast day is one of festivity, and widely observed. Patrick's emblems are a serpent, demons, cross, shamrock, harp, and baptismal font. 

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Sources: 

http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/P/stpatrick.asp

Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia

Feast day of St. Peter Claver

This article was written for the Catholic Encyclopedia and found at New Advent web site.

The son of a Catalonian farmer, was born at Verdu, in 1581; he died 8 September, 1654. He obtained his first degrees at theUniversity of Barcelona. At the age of twenty he entered the
Jesuit novitiate at Tarragona. While he was studying philosophy atMajorca in 1605, Alphonsus Rodriguez, the saintly door-keeper of the college, learned from God the future mission of his young associate, and thenceforth never ceased exhorting him to set out to evangelize the Spanish possessions in America. Peterobeyed, and in 1610 landed at Cartagena, where for forty-four years he was the Apostle of the negro slaves. Early in the seventeenth century the masters of Central and South America afforded the spectacle of one of those social crimes which are entered upon so lightly. They needed labourers to cultivate the soil which they had conquered and to exploit the gold mines. Thenatives being physically incapable of enduring the labours of the mines, it was determined to replace them with negroes brought from Africa. The coasts of Guinea, the Congo, and Angola became the market for slave dealers, to whom native petty kings sold their subjects and their prisoners. By its position in the Caribbean Sea, Cartagena became the chief slave-mart of the New World. A thousand slaves landed there each month. They were bought for two, and sold for 200 écus. Though half the cargo might die, the trade remained profitable. Neither the repeated censures of the pope, nor those of Catholic moralists could prevail against this cupidity. The missionaries could not suppress slavery, but only alleviate it, and no one worked more heroically thanPeter Claver.

Trained in the school of Père Alfonso de Sandoval, a wonderful missionary, Peter declared himself "the slave of the negroesforever", and thenceforth his life was one that confounds egotism by its superhuman charity. Although timid and lacking in self-confidence, he became a daring and ingenious organizer. Every month when the arrival of the negroes was signalled, Claver went out to meet them on the pilot's boat, carrying food and delicacies. The negroes, cooped up in the hold, arrived crazed andbrutalized by suffering and fear. Claver went to each, cared for him, and showed him kindness, and made him understand that henceforth he was his defender and father. He thus won their good will. To instruct so many speaking different dialects, Claver assembled at Cartagena a group of interpreters of various nationalities, of whom he made catechists. While the slaves were penned up at Cartagena waiting to be purchased and dispersed, Claver instructed and baptized them in the Faith. On Sundaysduring Lent he assembled them, inquired concerning their needs, and defended them against their oppressors. This work causedClaver severe trials, and the slave merchants were not his only enemies. The Apostle was accused of indiscreet zeal, and of having profaned the Sacraments by giving them to creatures who scarcely possessed a soul. Fashionable women of Cartagenarefused to enter the churches where Father Claver assembled his negroes. The saint's superiors were often influenced by the many criticisms which reached them. Nevertheless, Claver continued his heroic career, accepting all humiliations and adding rigorous penances to his works of charity. Lacking the support of men, the strength of God was given him. He became theprophet and miracle worker of New Granada, the oracle of Cartagena, and all were convinced that often God would not have spared the city save for him. During his life he baptized and instructed in the Faith more than 300,000 negroes. He was beatified16 July, 1850, Pius IX, and canonized 15 January, 1888, by Leo XIII. His feast is celebrated on the ninth of September. On 7 July, 1896, he was proclaimed the special patron of all the Catholic missions among the negroes. Alphonsus Rodriguez was canonized on the same day as Peter Claver.

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A miracle that was performed through the intercession St. Peter Claver happened at the Shrine of St. Joseph in St. Louis, MO.  It was authenticated by the Vatican and used in the canonization process of St. Peter Claver.

Watch this video for the story of the miracle:

Happy Saint John Marie Vianney Feast Day

This articles was written for the Ignatius Insight. It is very long but well worth the read.

"St. John Vianney's ministry gives parish priests a fundamental blueprint for a pastoral plan for any place and time."

St. John Vianney (1786-1859) is regaining popularity among diocesan seminarians. After a generation of being ignored, if not ridiculed, the patron saint of parish priests is once again finding his way into the hearts and minds of seminarians and priests. The Church names him as patron because this humble priest, assigned to the backwaters of southeastern, post revolutionary France, reveals things perennial about the priesthood and priestly ministry. The pioneering Pope Blessed John XXIII even wrote an encyclical letter on St. John Vianney recommending him as a model for diocesan priests to follow. The new generation of American priests is not discovering St. John Vianney because it simply has nostalgia for what is old, rather because it has a hunger for what perdures. This article is the fruit of this search and the summary of a discussion I had with a group of transitional deacons on the cusp of ordination. By the time this article is published, these men will already be priests.

Their assignment was to examine the beginning years of St. John Vianney's ministry in Ars through the lens of two questions: 1) What was the cultural landscape of his time? 2) What are the basic contours of his pastoral plan? How was it that within eight years of the Curè's arrival to Ars many of the people who were living indifferent and nominally Christian lives became fervent and committed believers? The biography used was Father Francis Trochu's The Curè D'Ars, whose research was based on the Curè's process of canonization. Notwithstanding the literary style of his time, the work is still the most comprehensive treatment of his life in English, and fortunately still in print [Trochu, Francis. The Curè D'Ars, tr. Ernest Graf (Rockville, IL: TAN, 1977)].

The group discovered that St. John Vianney's ministry gives parish priests a fundamental blueprint for a pastoral plan for any place and time. This assertion may strike some readers as naive, but I invite them to risk reading what follows. After all, if we are honest with ourselves and the current spiritual state of our parishes, we know that the various approaches of the last forty years have not borne much fruit, and we often feel that we are grasping at straws in knowing what to do. Perhaps we have settled into mediocrity and have allowed ourselves and our people to drift into lukewarm waters which deep down we know have drastic consequences (cf. Rev. 2:15 16).

Similar Cultural Landscapes

Although separated by thousands of miles, the topography around Ars is quite similar to that of mid Willamette Valley, Oregon where Mount Angel Seminary is situated. Both areas are largely agricultural, green with trees and fields spread over rolling hills and dotted with small towns. Even today, Ars is little more than a crossroads among farms.

Though separated by nearly two hundred years, the cultural landscape between 19th century France and 21st century America is also similar. Mentioned here are the relevant contours of 19th century France; the thoughtful reader can make the connections with present day America. Father Vianney arrived at his parish a generation after unparalleled cultural and political upheaval in France. The Revolution and subsequent Terror, the hardships under Napoleonic rule, the widespread devastation of churches, religious communities and practices, and the outright attack on the Church in France herself, were still fresh in the minds of many. The Revolution's spawn of secularism had permeated much of French society, with even the smaller villages feeling its reverberations. God and the Church were relegated more and more to the margins of French life.

Upheaval was also felt within the Church in France. In the wake of the Revolution, the faithful were often confused about the relationship between faithfulness to the Church and allegiance to the State. The State had sought to subsume the Church, going so far as to force the clergy to take an oath to the State, effectively making the priest more of an employee of the State than a servant of the Gospel. The faithful, moreover, were scandalized when many priests succumbed to this pressure, including the then pastor of Ars, Father Saunier. Educated at the Sorbonne, Ars's pastor took the oath in 1791 and the spiritual unraveling of the parish in Ars began. The next year the parish church was looted and Father Saunier left the priesthood. The sanctuary of the parish church was converted into a club where the "free thinkers" of the area held their meetings. Though restoration of the Church in France began in 1801, tension and confusion about the clergy still existed. Which priests could one trust? What of the priests who took the oath? What about those priests who refused and suffered or were even killed? France in the 19th century also was experiencing a priest shortage.

The religious ignorance and indifference spawned by the Revolution had their effect on the life of Ars. People frequently missed Sunday Mass, and work dominated the lives of most. The tiny settlement boasted of four taverns where the livelihoods of many families were squandered. The very people who could not find time for Sunday Mass spent themselves in festivities, lasting far into the night and ending in the usual evils. Religious ignorance was rampant in both children and adults. Ironically the efforts of the Revolution to replace worship of the living God with the goddess "Reason" reaped the fruit of widespread illiteracy, and only a minority in Ars could read. Ars, however, was no better or worse off than the other villages in France. Remnants of faith and morals were still found scattered about among some of the families. The faith and the priesthood were not despised, just ignored. The impact of the Revolution and Terror, and the poor example or lack of stable clergy left the parish unsettled, ignorant, confused and at best lukewarm.

Despite the many similarities to our own time, four primary differences exist between St. John Vianney's time and our own. One obvious difference is that Jansenism, with its harshness, scrupulosity and anxiety, was still felt within the faithful. The heresy had been put down, but its bitterness could still be tasted in the spiritual groundwater. A second difference was respect for priests, and their authority, still existed in the culture. A third difference was the local government, embodied in the mayor and municipal counselor, who supported his efforts in the religious and moral regeneration of the village because it promoted the common good. Fourthly, differences existed within the Church between then and now. For example, today's "culture of dissent" among some Catholic quarters and the problem of liturgical abuse were not so much part of Vianney's time.

Into this cultural milieu stepped the little priest from the village of Ecully, and he gave the people of Ars something they had never seen before. How did he do it? Our group detected eight basic features to his pastoral plan: 1) the conversion of his own life as a priest; 2) manifesting an approachable and available demeanor; 3) prayer and ascetical living; 4) channeling initial energy into those families already faithful; 5) giving special attention to the liturgy, preaching and catechesis; 6) addressing problems at their roots and not in their symptoms; 7) planting good habits of prayer and the works of mercy; and 8) doing it all with a strong priestly identity.

Reform Thyself

When we hear about pastoral plans, we often think first of implementing some packaged program motivating parishioners to "get involved." St. John Vianney's plan did not begin with the parishioners in what they needed to do, nor did it begin with what he needed to implement for them. He began with what he needed to do within his own life.

St. John Vianney did not come down from Mount Olympus to reform and save the poor parishioners of Ars. He first of all set out to save his own soul, and by example drew others into this path of holiness. In this he followed the spiritual maxim from the Desert Fathers and from the Lord himself: If you want to sanctify others, begin with yourself. Vianney's conversion of the parish started with his own, and his deepened along with theirs. One deacon in the group observed that early on, the Curè of Ars made the conscious decision to become a saint. Yet he did not arrive in Ars already a saint. He became one at Ars by being a priest for his flock, and gained sanctity over time through much grace and struggle.

The matter and form of his path to holiness came from his vocation as a priest. He did not go looking for "his spirituality." All he needed was found within the priesthood Christ had given him. He practiced chastity, obedience and simplicity of life, the same qualities that the Bishops of the United States list as necessary before a candidate can be recommended for ordination (cf. Program of Priestly Formation, nn. 544 545). Vianney's biographer focuses primarily on his simplicity of life. When the Curè arrived to his parish he brought with him "a few clothes, a wooden bedstead, and the books left to him by M. Balley [his mentor]" (p. 106).... "His cassock was made of coarse material, and his shoes were such as were worn by the peasantry" (p. 115). It was well known among the poor that beggars received "bountiful alms" from the new parish priest of Ars. It is thought that millions of francs passed through Father Vianney's hands, of which very little was spent on himself.

Approachable, Available and Real

This indispensable foundation in his own conversion as a man and priest blossomed into action. He soon established the habit of making rounds in his parish at the time he knew most people would be in. Even though his presence was not universally welcomed, the villagers judged their new Curè "to be full of kindness, cheerfulness, and affability" (p. 117). The Curè of Ars was an approachable and likeable man. In his approachability, Father Vianney exemplifies what Pope John Paul II has written in our time: "It is important that the priest should mold his human personality in such a way that it becomes a bridge and not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer of man" (Pastores Dabo Vobis, n. 43). The Curè of Ars did not wait for people to come to him; he was to be found mingling with his people. He exhibited a spirit of joy and energy in what he did. He loved being a priest. People generally knew where to find him, and he made it a point to be seen walking, often praying his breviary or his rosary. Though he loved solitude and quiet, he had no trouble exchanging words with the workers he passed.

When visiting his parishioners on their turf he began the conversation with ordinary things of interest to farmers and workmen: crops, weather, the work in progress, etc. But he obtained deeper information in these informal chats such as the number and ages of the children, the state of the relationships among family members, and the connection between the different families in Ars. He ended his visit with some questions about the faith whereby he could gauge how well they had been catechized and identify the primary spiritual problems. What he discovered in his visits may sound similar to what a parish priest today may discover: most parishioners knew little, and cared little, about their faith, especially the younger generation who were born during and after the Revolution. Vianney's approach was not to treat his parish in the abstract, and he did not pretend to convert the world. His priestly mission was not to the abstract "world" or "parish," Put the concrete reality of the people and place of Ars. All his priestly energy was directed uniquely to them.

For the rest of the article click here: Ignatius Insight

Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions

Saint Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese diocesan priest who was martyred in 1815. A Chinese soldier, he was attracted to and baptized in the Catholic faith because of Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse’s heroic example of patience and serenity in martyrdom. Bishop Dufresse was a missionary from the Paris Foreign Mission Society whom Augustine had been escorting as a soldier. Not long after his baptism, Augustine was ordained a diocesan priest, and soon followed to his own martyrdom.

Augustine was beatified on October 1, 2000 along with 119 other martyrs during this time period (1648-1930). Most of these martyrs (87) were born in China and included children, parents, catechist, laborers and four diocesan priest. The 33 foreign born martyrs were mainly priest and women religious from various orders. Among their number was an eighteen-year-old boy, Chi Zhuzi, who cried out to those who had just cut off his right arm and were preparing to flay him alive: "Every piece of my flesh, every drop of my blood will tell you that I am Christian."

July 9 is an optional memorial for Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions.

Tour of the Church Continued...

written by Pat Thompson

Since  we just discussed the Sacrament of Reconciliation and this is the Year of the Priest perhaps it would be interesting to read about St. Jean-Marie Vianney and his efforts to save souls, especially things for the confessional.

"If on my arrival at Ars I had foreseen all I was to suffer there. I should have died on the spot."  These words spoken by Jean-Maire Vianney provide some idea of the struggles this priest endured as he worked so hard to save souls.He was born in Dardilly, France, May 8, 1786, and baptized the same day.  His parents were faithful Catholics who taught their six children to love and serve the Lord.  By the age of fifteen months Jean-Marie had learned to make the sign of the  cross before his meals, and by four years of age he regularly followed his mother's habit of  "blessing the hour", meaning when the clock struck the hour, he would cross himself and say a Hail Mary.

As he grew older, he said about his love for prayer and the Catholic Church, "After God, I owe it to my mother; she was so good.  Virtue passes readily from the heart of a mother into that of her children."

Jean-Marie was drawn to the priesthood, and in spite of difficulties with his studies, especially Latin, he showed such holiness and he was ordained.  In 1818 he was appointed Cure' of Ars.  He soon discovered that many of his parishioners were a hard-hearted, sinful folk who felt no sorrow for missing Mass, worked in the fields on Sundays, drank to drunkenness, took the Lord's name in vain, and lived impure lives.  Those few who came to church were often irreverent, and the children were allowed to stay away from religious instruction.

The young Cure' (pastor) began by visiting all of the households of his parish.  Of the devil he said, "That which beats him is the curtailment of one's food, drink, and and sleep,"  so Jean ate very little and spent a good part of the night praying in his church.  Over the years most of the people slowly began to respect their holy priest, who loved them so much, and to follow his teaching.

"Oh, my dear parishioners," he said to them, "let us endeavor to get to heaven...What a pity it would be if some of you were to find yourselves on the other side!"

More and more people began to attend Mass, say the rosary, bless the hours, avoid temptations, examine their consciences, and go to Confession.  The Cure' of Ars often spent 14 to 18 hours a day in the confessional as even people from neighboring villages sought to make their peace with God and reform their ways.

To win these souls for God, the Cure' fought a very personal battle with Satan.  The devil often made loud noises, started fires, shook the parsonage, etc. to torment Jean.  Once, using the shape of a woman, he even followed the priest into the confessional.  Penitents outside heard him say, "If it were not for the B...(vulgar word for the Blessed Mother), we would have gotten you a long time ago!  But she protects you too much, she and that big dragon at the door of the church (St, Michael the Archangel)."

Especially dear to the Cure' of Ars' heart were the Mass and the Blessed Eucharist.  He said, "What a joy for a Christian to get up from the Sacred Banquet and go forth with all Heaven in his heart."  For the souls "suffering terribly" in Purgatory, he said, "...let us offer to God, through the Holy Sacrifice, His Beloved Son with all the merits of His Death and Passion.  He will not be able to refuse us anything."

The beloved Cure' died at Ars on August 4, 1859.  He was canonized in 1925 and named the Patron of Parish Priests in 1929.