Short Biography and Novena Prayer to St. Jane de Chantal

Novena and Prayers to St. Jane Frances de Chantal

O Glorious Saint, Blessed Jane Frances, who by thy fervent prayer, attention to the divine Presence, and purity of intention in thy actions, didst attain on earth an intimate union withGod, be now our advocate , our mother, our guide in the path of virtue and perfection.  Plead our cause near Jesus, Mary and Joseph, to whom thou wast so tenderly devoted, and whose holy virtues thou didst so closely imitate.  Obtain for us, O amiable and compassionate saint the virtues thou seest most necessary for us; an ardent love of Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament, a tender and filial confidence in His blessed Mother, and like thee, a constant remembrance of His sacred passion and death.  Obtain also, we pray thee, that our particular intention in this novena may be fulfilled.
V.     St. Jane Frances, pray for us.
R.     That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.
Almighty and merciful God, who didst grant blessed Saint Jane Frances, so inflamed with the love of Thee, a wonderful degree of fortitude through all the paths of life, and wast pleased through her to adorn Thy Church with a new Religious order; grant, by her merits and prayers, that we, who sensible of our weakness confide in Thy strength, may overcome all adversities with the help of Thy heavenly grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Prayer to implore fidelity to Divine Grace

O great Saint Jane Frances! who, to follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, when thou wert called to the religious state, didst despise all the ties of nature and of blood; obtain for us also the grace to correspond faithfully with all divine impulses, and to sacrifice to God whatever is most dear and precious to us.  Amen.

SHORT BIOGRAPHY

Jane Frances de Chantal was born on January 28, 1572 in Dijon, France. At the age of 20, Jane married the Baron Christophe de Chantal, who had inherited not only a feuded estate at Bourbilly, but a mountain of debts as well. It was through Jane’s personal stewardship of the estate that the debt was paid and financial stability restored.

Jane and Christophe were completely devoted to each other and their four children, and his untimely death as a result of a hunting accident in 1601 left Jane as a despondent widow at the age of 28. Jane opted to take a vow of chastity at this time, and in her prayers she beseeched God to send her a spiritual guide to advise her. In visions, God showed her the spiritual advisor He had chosen for her – whom she would later meet and befriend – St. Francis de Sales.

To secure her children’s inheritance, it became necessary for Jane to move her children and herself to the home of her father-in-law at Monthelon. Here she lived a rather subservient and difficult life for seven years, but her time at Monthelon enabled her to carve out a prosperous future for her children as well as provide for their education.

It was on a trip to visit her father at Dijon in 1604 that Jane first encountered the spiritual advisor chosen for her by God. St. Francis de Sales was preaching at Sainte Chapelle, and Jane immediately placed herself under his direction. With the help of St. Francis, Jane journeyed to Annecy, where she founded the Congregation of the Visitation in 1610. This Order welcomed women who had been rejected by other religious communities for reasons of poor health or old age. She was criticized for accepting into her Order an elderly woman of 83!

For the remainder of her days, Jane Frances de Chantal lived a life of simple virtue behind the cloistered walls of her convent. Renowned for her sanctity, Jane provided spiritual direction for many people who sought her advice, including ambassadors, royalty and archbishops. When she ventured out of her convent, she was perplexed to receive ovations from a grateful coterie of admirers.

Jane passed away at the age of 69 on December 13, 1641 at the Visitation Convent at Moulins. Beatified in 1751 and canonized in 1767, St. Jane Frances de Chantal’s feast day is celebrated on August 12th, but had previously been commemorated at different times on August 21st and December 12th. She is the patron saint of widows and those suffering from difficulties with their in-laws.