The Missionary Strategy of St. Francis de Sales

The Missionary Strategy 
of St. Francis de Sales

by Fr. Alfred Maravilla SDB, General Councilor for Missions

(ANS – Rome – December 14, 2022) – Inspired by the goodness, zeal, and optimistic humanism of St. Francis de Sales, Don Bosco chose him as the patron of his congregation and called his followers Salesians (SDB Const 4, 17). But we can also learn a lot from the missionary strategy of St. Francis which he developed during his experience in the Chablais region of France (1594–1597), and during his ministry as exiled bishop of Geneva (1602-1622).

First, to be near the people St. Francis accepted to live in the chateau of Allinges accompanied only by his cousin. By choosing to walk down to Thonon every day, he met people in their ordinary daily life: workers in their shops, farmers in their fields, and villagers in their homes. Thus, he established a simple personal relationship with them. Becoming their friend, his witness of life became even more appealing. This apostolate of relationship and friendship became the foundation of his missionary work.

Second, St. Francis lived poor, deprived of resources. He had little by way of human support. Although he was housed in the chateau of Allinges as guest of the baron of Hermance, he refused to preach the Gospel protected by weapons of the Catholic army.

Third, he placed his hope in God alone. His strength was in prayer and daily Mass in the small chapel of the chateau before descending to Thonon. Even if he was insulted and mocked, even if the Protestants avoided or assailed him, he treated them with great respect and profound charity.

Fourth, he was convinced of the natural inclination to love of every human heart. For Francis the missionary challenge was to help every person believe, by the gift of faith, in the existence of a God of love, incarnate in our humanity in Jesus, crucified for love of us, and risen so that we may enter fully the communion of love with God.

Fifth, he prepared himself well to preach with the same care for his rather small flock of faithful in the Chablais as he would for a crowd of the faithful. When people refused to listen to him, Francis wrote pamphlets and distributed them. Like the Protestants, he also used Scriptures in his preaching and discussions with some of them.

Finally, during St. Francis’s time, academies were the predominant venue for intellectual endeavors among the increasingly educated population in Europe. Thus, in 1606 he founded the Florimontane Academy, together with Antoine Favre, the president of the Senate of Savoy. Its ultimate purpose was to foster a “devout humanism” by infusing gospel values in literature and science, thus creating a link between faith and culture and fostering the integration of faith and reason. In this light, “devotion” (holiness) is infused in all dimensions of our ordinary daily human life. The Florimontane Academy ceased its activities in 1610 when the Senate of Savoy was relocated to Chambery. Its founding members included the poet, Honoré d‘Urfé, and the two sons of Favre, one of whom (Claude Favre de Vaugelas) would later serve as one of the original academicians in the renowned French Academy in Paris.

Indeed, St. Francis de Sales touched people’s hearts above all, through his personal witness of life – by way of his missionary zeal, his courage, his faith, his charity, and his preaching – which led to the conversion of many.

For reflection and sharing:

What can I learn from missionary strategy of St. Francis de Sales that is applicable in my context?

What importance do I place on my personal witness of life?