Today is a special day very dear to us – it is the Feast of Saint Francis de Sales! This amazing saint is responsible for our namesake, Finding Philothea. When we were starting our website, we had the idea of writing love letters to each other, which has always been a key part of our relationship. We thought about famous love letters, and the many letters of St. Francis de Sales came to mind! He would address his letters to Philothea, or, “the one who loves God,” as a general address to all of the Faith. Therefore we took on this name, aiming to find the one who loves God in each other!
Francis de Sales is known as “the Gentleman Saint” due to his patience and gentleness. He loved horseback riding, dancing, and fencing. He was an intelligent and handsome man, receiving his doctorate in law and theology. Francis became the Bishop of Geneva in 1602.
Francis was filled with love. He devoted his time to spiritual direction of laypeople (the common man), which was extremely unusual for the time. His way of teaching Catholic spirituality is known as the Way of Divine Love, or the Devout Life. This is reflected in the title of one of his most famous works, Philothea, or An Introduction to the Devout Life. Francis once developed a sign language in order to teach a deaf man about God, and so is known as the patron saint of the deaf. He is also the patron saint of writers and journalists!
We hope you celebrate with us today, and dive a little deeper into the life of this great man who has touched so many lives!
– M
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