Jane Frances was a widowed mother of four when she met Francis de Sales, who became her spiritual director. Together they founded the Visitation Order, opening religious life to widows and women of frail health.
Life
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal was born in 1572 in Dijon, France. She married the Baron de Chantal and they had children and a happy home, but in 1601 her husband died in a hunting accident, leaving her widowed while still young.
In her deep grief she met Saint Francis de Sales, bishop of Geneva, in 1604, and he became her spiritual director. After fulfilling her duties to her children, she founded the Order of the Visitation with Francis de Sales at Annecy in 1610. The order welcomed women who were frail or older, inviting them to live humility and gentleness. She died in 1641 and was canonized in 1767.
Spirituality
Saint Jane Frances's spirituality is a love that surrenders itself wholly to God's will. Through the grief of losing her husband, the deaths of children and long inner darkness, she never let go of prayer. She believed holiness grows less from great penances than from humility and gentleness in small things.
Reflection
After great loss, Saint Jane Frances found a new path in God. How could I offer comfort and companionship today to someone who is grieving?