St. John Eudes was born in Normandy, France. He vowed to chastity at the young age of 14. He studied under the Jesuits at Caen and later joined the French Oratory of Cardinal Berulle. Ordained at just 24 years old, St. John Eudes became a prodigious missionary priest and held over 110 missions in the next 20 years. He preached against all types of sin while showing compassion to those in need. He risked his life twice to help those afflicted by the plague and prepare them for a peaceful death. In 1643, St. John Eudes founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary with the approval of Cardinal Richelieu. His seminaries were instrumental in overcoming Jansenism, a theological movement that emphasized human sinfulness and divine predestination. Despite the success of his mission, the Jansenists initiated a slanderous campaign against him and the enclosed Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge congregation, which was dedicated to rehabilitating women with a troubled past.
During his ban from preaching and hearing confessions, St. John Eudes focused on ascetical writing and promoting devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He composed a Mass and proper office for their feasts, which were first celebrated in 1672 and 1648, respectively. He also founded the Society of the Heart of the Most Admirable Mother, which functions as a kind of Third Order. St. John Eudes passed away on August 19, 1680, and was beatified in 1909 by Pope Pius X. Pope Pius XI canonized him on May 31, 1925, and proclaimed him "Father, Doctor, and apostle of the liturgical cults of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
Prayer of St. John Eudes
O Heart all loveable and all loving of my Saviour, be the Heart of my heart, the Soul of my soul, the Spirit of my spirit, the Life of my life and the sole principle of all my thoughts, words, and actions, of all the faculties of my soul and of all my senses, both interior and exterior. Amen.
Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Most High Servant,
Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love
(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)
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