was also one of the greatest catechists (a sample) the Church has seen in her long history--but not because of the crowds or the hours in the confessional.
Before all that, he was sent by his diocese to serve in the little town of Ars, so small, it wasn't even a parish. In the wake of the catastrophe that was the French Revolution and the Napoleonic years, Jean Vianney rescued the town from acedia, indifference, hedonism, and social breakdown. Sometimes harsh, often strident, but eminently successful, Jean Vianney remains a model for modern evangelists and catechists for one reason: his successes stemmed from his deep and total love, that is, his total self gift to God which led to his total self gift to his parishioners.
Behind all the fasts, all the prayers, all the penances, there lies this loving total living of the gift. He preached against the sins of his parishioners, not because he delighted in condemnations, but because he delighted in saving souls. He suffered alongside them the entire way, and they saw it. They saw his love of God and his love of them, of the poor. They saw him pour out his money and his life for the beautification of God's holy temple--the local church, and their souls. They saw his love, and knew him a Christian, and followed him wherever he led them.
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