“Here is a rule for everyday life: do not do anything which you cannot offer to God.”

St. John Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests. Today’s celebration is a very simple one, but one with profound implications for our family’s respect for and admiration of the priesthood. Through prayer and a little offering of thanksgiving, I hope it will serve to encourage our parish priests as well!

St. John Vianney, or Jean-Marie Vianney, was a man of humble beginnings. Born to farmer parents during the French Revolution, he knew from an early age that he wanted to be a priest. He studied and worked diligently, and even though he struggled in Latin, he was ordained and assigned to a tiny village church in the town of Ars, France. The tiny town lived without regard to the faith, but slowly but surely, through the prayers, sacrifices and diligence of St. John Vianney, they turned back to the faith.

St. John Vianney was known to spend hours in the confessional.Pilgrims flocked from miles around to have their confessions heard by him. He lived simply, giving away his belongings and gifts in service of the poor. He challenged his flock to live their lives as an offering to God in all that they do.

The Plan

Story and Scripture

The story for today can easily be found for free at the Loyola Press Saints Stories for All Ages.

If you’d like to read from a hard copy, and are ready to invest in some children’s saints books check out these options for the younger set:

John Marie Vianney: The Holy Cure of Ars by Janet Cheerier and Sophie de Mullenheim. This title, published by Magnificat, is intended for ages 5 and up!

A Story of St. John Vianney by Brother Ernest, C.S.C., is another recommended for the younger age group.

Read or tell his story emphasizing the qualities he exhibited you’d like to focus on.

For the scripture today I’ve chosen the Alleluia verse said before the gospel in the Mass for St. John Vianney’s day:

The greatest among you must be your servant, says the Lord. Whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:11, 12b

If you’re interested in reading some primary source reading from St. John Vianney I highly recommend the excerpt included in the Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours for his feast day. You can find it here. Here’s a little quote:

Prayer is nothing else but union with God. When one has a heart that is pure and united with God, he is given a kind of serenity and sweetness that makes him ecstatic, a light that surrounds him with marvelous brightness. In this intimate union, God and the soul are fused together like two bits of wax that no one can ever pull apart. This union of God with a tiny creature is a lovely thing. It is a happiness beyond understanding.

Which bring us to…

Prayer

St. John Vianney said:

“If there were not priests, the passion and death of Jesus would serve no purpose. What use is a treasure chest of gold if there is no one who can unlock it? The priest is the key to the treasures of heaven.”

Our priests work tirelessly in service to our Lord and the Church. Take this one day to say thank you and offer a prayer on their behalf. I challenge you to do it without wishing they were different, said different, or worked different than they do. Pray, instead, in gratitude for the offering they’ve made of their life and work, and for their continued faithfulness to the teachings of the Church and their work in it. Also pray for an increase in vocations. Pray this out loud together. Who knows? Maybe a little mister listening will begin that discernment process right then and there!

As a formal prayer, one you can read aloud or together, try this one for the Liturgy of the Hours:

Almighty and merciful God,
who made the Priest Saint John Vianney
wonderful in his pastoral zeal,
grant, we pray,
that through his intercession and example
we may in charity win brothers and sisters for Christ
and attain with them eternal glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. 

–or–

St. John Vianney, patron of parish priests, pray for us!

Coloring Page

Click to download the coloring page, today from AZ Coloring Pages

Or the Catholic Playground option:

Craft

This day’s craft is more of an activity. Since St. John Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests, take this opportunity to thank your own pastor and priests. Have the children draw pictures, write a note, or send a little gift over to the parish office. You can mail cards or hand deliver them if you’re not too far from your parish. Be sure to date the notes if you mail them today! Even if they get to them in a few days, they’ll see it was sent on St. John Vianney’s feast day!

Treat

Since St. John Visnney lived and worked in France let’s have a French treat!

The store bought option: find a loaf of French bread and spread some butter and jam on nice and thick! So simple and one of the best little treats in the world. 
The homemade option: Crepes! They’re not as hard as they might seem, though they cook up one at a time, so plan ahead! 
We like ours with Nutella and strawberries or sprinkled with powdered sugar and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice. 

I’m going to share Alton Brown’s recipe because everything he shares is pretty much fool-proof and scientifically tested (and there’s a little video instruction!). The basic gist is that you use a blender to whip the batter up, refrigerate for an hour or more, heat the pan well and grease with butter a little bit. They don’t take long to cook and the flipping isn’t as hard as it might seem initially. He flips by flicking the pan, but a spatula works well too. The result is a thin and light pancake perfect for sweet or savory filling!

What is your family’s favorite French inspired treat? 

The Plan

As I’m away from my computer at the time this post goes live I won’t have a downloadable plan ready until closer to the day. I’ll get it up as soon as I can!