One of the works by which St Francis de Sales is best remembered is the Treatise on the Love of God, written for the group of Religious Sisters that with Jane Frances de Chantal he had founded.
As the de in her name suggests, St Jane Frances also came from a noble family, was well educated, married the Baron de Chantal, administered his estates and those of her father-in-law when he was away, cared for the poor on the estate, and had four children. In 1601 she was 28 when her husband died in an accident. She straightened out his affairs and those of her family. In 1604 she heard Francis de Sales preach Lenten sermons and asked him to be her spiritual guide.
After her children were settled, she moved to Annecy, distributed her wealth among her children, and in 1610 joined the group that became the Order of the Visitation. It was notable for encouraging women who were elderly and sick, excluded from other Congregations, to join it, and initially worked among the poor. Her response to critics of her generous admission policy was typically feisty, ‘What do you want me to do? I like sick people myself; I’m on their side’.
By the end of her life there were over 80 convents of the Sisters, to whom she brought her generosity and administrative ability. Both she and Francis de Sales brought to their following of Jesus natural gifts, gentleness, and a deep love for people living with disadvantage.
Jane Frances de Chantal
28 January 1572–13 December 1641
Feast Day: 12 August
Patron: Forgotten people, in-law problems, loss of parents, parents separated from children, widows
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Image: St. Francois de Sales giving the Rule of the Visitation to St. Jeanne de Chantal, by Noel Halle (1711-1781). Wiki Commons images