St. Jane Frances de Chantal was born in Dijon, France, in 1572 and was the spiritual daughter of St. Francis de Sales. Like St. Clare, St. Jane Frances was drawn to the Lenten preaching of a holy man named Francis. Francis de Sales’ spiritual direction helped Jane through the difficult circumstances she faced after losing her husband. Their spiritual friendship bore fruit again when they founded the Order of the Visitation together. In honor of St. Jane Frances’ Aug. 12 feast day, learn from their friendship in “Wisdom from the Lives and Letters of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal” by Louise Perrotta.
The greatest of the saints is the Blessed Virgin Mary. She learned from her parents Sts. Joachim and Anne, temple leaders, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Himself. As the first and most devoted follower of Jesus, Mary offers us the ultimate example of holiness. She was rewarded when she was assumed body and soul into heaven and crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth. We celebrate her Assumption on Aug. 15 and Queenship on Aug. 22. Get to know more about Mary’s Assumption in “The Bible & the Virgin Mary: Journey Through Scripture” on the Formed app, which examines the dogma of the Assumption and Mary’s connection to the woman described in the Apostle John’s vision in Revelation.