E-text prepared by Michael Gray
THE LIFE
OF THE
BLESSED JOHN B. MARIE VIANNEY
CURÉ OF ARS.
WITH A
NOVENA AND LITANY
TO THIS ZEALOUS WORKER IN THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD.
COMPILED FROM APPROVED SOURCES.
NEW YORK:
JOSEPH SCHAEFER,
9 Barclay Street.
Nihil obstat:
THOMAS B. COTTER, PH.D.,
Censor.
Imprimatur
JOHN M. FARLEY,
Archbishop of New York.
October 22, 1910.
Copyrighted, 1911, by Joseph Schaefer.
PREFACE.
Spiritual reading has always been encouraged by our Holy MotherChurch, because it strengthens our faith and stimulates us to be moredevout in the practice of our religion. The materialistic tone andtrend of most modern literature, however, makes the reading anddissemination of Catholic books all the more urgent and necessary atthe present time.
The mind is moulded largely by reading and good minds were never moreneeded than to-day, to combat the effects of the mental poison, whichis daily absorbed by young and old through the medium of degradingliterature. True, there are issued good books and periodicals whichare not strictly religious in tone, but which, nevertheless, have asalutary influence upon the reader's mind. Their number, however, iscomparatively small.
Good spiritual reading should not be made merely an infrequentdeparture from the reading of every day literature, but should beindulged in regularly and systematically by the Catholic laity ingeneral.
Good books play an important part in fostering the early evidences ofvocation. The youth, under their influence, voluntarily moves nearerto the goal of his aspirations, unforced by the caprice of thethoughtless or over-enthusiastic parents. Numerous little incidentsare associated with the life of Blessed Jean Baptist Vianney, whichwill help to develop the germ of sacerdotal vocation.
The young seminarian will find Vianney's life to be a genuineexhortation which will operate to fortify him in the face of trialsand temptation.
The priest himself, who aims to acquire all the graces which may blessthe priesthood, may justly take pleasure in imitating the virtues,zeal, piety and charity of the humble curé of Ars.
The little volume describes in simple language the life of a man, who,in our own time, earned by his holiness, acts of self-sacrifice, self-abnegation and miracles, wrought through the intervention of God, theblessings of beatification.
Vianney's life may be read with profit by everyone. The descriptionsof h