Saint Francis De Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Francis de Sales was born on August 21, 1567, at the Château de Sales in the Duchy of Savoy, in what is now Thorens-Glières, France. Raised in a noble family and given an excellent education, he studied in Paris and later at the University of Padua. As a young man he endured a painful crisis of despair, but in prayer before an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary he entrusted himself to God, embraced chastity, and found peace in the simple truth that God is love. Ordained a priest in 1593, Francis preached with clarity and gentleness, winning hearts without harshness. Sent as a missionary to the largely Calvinist region of the Chablais, he faced threats and opposition, yet persevered through patient teaching and personal charity. In 1602 he became Bishop of Geneva, serving from Annecy and guiding souls with wise spiritual direction. His enduring legacy shines in his writings, especially Introduction to the Devout Life and Treatise on the Love of God, which invite ordinary Christians to holiness. He is honored as a patron of communicators and scribes. His feast day is January 24.

Saint Exuperantius of Cingoli lived in the fifth century; his birthplace is uncertain, though some traditions suggest he may have come from Africa before making his home in Italy. He became bishop of Cingoli in the Marche region, serving the Church around the year 496. While few details of his life have come down to us with certainty, his memory has been cherished for centuries because of the holiness attributed to his pastoral care and the many miracles linked to his intercession. Both during his lifetime and after his death, the faithful turned to him in times of need, and tradition especially remembers his prayers as bringing relief during an outbreak of plague. His enduring place in the heart of Cingoli is clear: the town later called him its “head and guide,” and it took special responsibility for the church dedicated in his honor, today the Collegiate Church of Sant’Esuperanzio. Venerated in both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, he is honored as patron of Cingoli. His feast day is January 24.

Saint Felician of Foligno was born around the year 160 in Forum Flaminii, along the Via Flaminia in what is now San Giovanni Profiamma, into a Christian family. Formed in faith as a spiritual disciple of Pope Eleuterus, he devoted himself to preaching the Gospel throughout central Italy, bringing Christ’s light to places such as Foligno, Spello, Bevagna, Assisi, Perugia, Norcia, Trevi, and Spoleto. Around 204, Pope Victor I consecrated him as bishop of Foligno, and tradition remembers him as the first bishop to receive the pallium as a sign of his office. His long episcopate—more than fifty years—helped root the young Church in the region, and he is also remembered for ordaining Valentine of Terni to the priesthood. In extreme old age, during the persecution under Decius, Felician was arrested for refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods. After imprisonment, torture, and scourging, he died near Foligno while being taken to Rome for execution. Venerated as the patron saint of Foligno, his feast day is January 24.