Saint of the Day — 16 June
Saint John Francis Regis
The Priest Who Went Where No One Else Would Go
He did not wait
for the poor to come to him.
He went to them.
Saint John Francis Regis
was a Jesuit priest
born in France in 1597 —
a man of learning
who chose to spend his life
among the forgotten.
He walked to the most remote
mountain villages in France,
often in brutal winter conditions,
to bring the Gospel
to people who had not seen a priest
in years.
Sometimes decades.
He travelled on foot
through snow and ice
in the French Alps —
arriving in isolated villages
where faith had grown cold
and communities had collapsed
from poverty and neglect.
He did not arrive with
grand theological lectures.
He arrived with food
for the hungry.
Firewood for the freezing.
Legal help for those
imprisoned unjustly.
A path out of prostitution
for women who had no other choice.
He reconciled families.
He established schools.
He set up centres
to help women
rebuild their lives with dignity.
He preached with such warmth
and conviction
that hardened hearts opened.
Communities that had forgotten God
remembered Him.
And here is the part
that stays with me:
Regis did not do any of this
from a position of comfort.
He slept in barns.
He walked through blizzards.
He was refused entry by parishes
who thought he was too disruptive.
He died in 1640
at just forty-three years old —
worn out from a life
poured out completely
for others.
When he died,
crowds came from the mountains
to mourn him.
The people he had served —
the forgotten ones —
they remembered.
He was canonised in 1737.
And today's Gospel fits him perfectly:
Jesus says to love your enemies —
to go to the difficult people,
the difficult places,
the difficult conversations.
Regis did not love
only those who made it easy.
He loved most
where it cost most.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because He has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor."
— Luke 4:18
"Whatever you did
for one of the least
of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me."
— Matthew 25:40
Prayer
Saint John Francis Regis,
you went where others refused to go
and loved those others refused to love.
Pray for us —
that we may have
the same reckless generosity.
That we may stop waiting
for those in need to come to us,
and begin instead
to go to them.
Amen.
Truth for Today
The Gospel is not comfortable.
And neither was the life
of the one who gave it to us.
Reflection
Is there someone difficult in your life —
someone you have been avoiding —
that God might be calling you
to reach out to?
Comment "St. John Francis, pray for us"
or "Amen"
#SaintOfTheDay #SaintJohnFrancisRegis #June16 #RiseWithTheWord🏅 Saint of the Day — 16 June
Saint John Francis Regis
The Priest Who Went Where No One Else Would Go
He did not wait
for the poor to come to him.
He went to them.
Saint John Francis Regis
was a Jesuit priest
born in France in 1597 —
a man of learning
who chose to spend his life
among the forgotten.
He walked to the most remote
mountain villages in France,
often in brutal winter conditions,
to bring the Gospel
to people who had not seen a priest
in years.
Sometimes decades.
He travelled on foot
through snow and ice
in the French Alps —
arriving in isolated villages
where faith had grown cold
and communities had collapsed
from poverty and neglect.
He did not arrive with
grand theological lectures.
He arrived with food
for the hungry.
Firewood for the freezing.
Legal help for those
imprisoned unjustly.
A path out of prostitution
for women who had no other choice.
He reconciled families.
He established schools.
He set up centres
to help women
rebuild their lives with dignity.
He preached with such warmth
and conviction
that hardened hearts opened.
Communities that had forgotten God
remembered Him.
And here is the part
that stays with me:
Regis did not do any of this
from a position of comfort.
He slept in barns.
He walked through blizzards.
He was refused entry by parishes
who thought he was too disruptive.
He died in 1640
at just forty-three years old —
worn out from a life
poured out completely
for others.
When he died,
crowds came from the mountains
to mourn him.
The people he had served —
the forgotten ones —
they remembered.
He was canonised in 1737.
And today's Gospel fits him perfectly:
Jesus says to love your enemies —
to go to the difficult people,
the difficult places,
the difficult conversations.
Regis did not love
only those who made it easy.
He loved most
where it cost most.
📖 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because He has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor."
— Luke 4:18
📖 "Whatever you did
for one of the least
of these brothers and sisters of mine,
you did for me."
— Matthew 25:40
🙏 Prayer
Saint John Francis Regis,
you went where others refused to go
and loved those others refused to love.
Pray for us —
that we may have
the same reckless generosity.
That we may stop waiting
for those in need to come to us,
and begin instead
to go to them.
Amen.
💭 Truth for Today
The Gospel is not comfortable.
And neither was the life
of the one who gave it to us.
❓ Reflection
Is there someone difficult in your life —
someone you have been avoiding —
that God might be calling you
to reach out to?
❤️ Comment "St. John Francis, pray for us"
or "Amen" 🙏
#SaintOfTheDay #SaintJohnFrancisRegis
#June16 #RiseWithTheWord
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