feb 19 e covers 1 17 final.qxp layout 1 1/17/19 3:19 pm …...the relic for personal veneration....

FEBRUARY 2019FEBRUARY 2019

COLUMBIACOLUMBIAKNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

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Some 17,000 young people gathered for Mass Jan.12 at the annual conference of the Fellowship ofCatholic University Students (FOCUS). They

stood in reverence as a reliquary holding the incorruptheart of St. Jean-Marie Vianney was solemnly processedinto the convention center in Indianapolis. Throughoutthe conference, participantswaited in long lines to approachthe relic for personal veneration.

There have been similar scenesin churches and chapels acrossthe United States since the“Heart of a Priest” pilgrimage,organized by the Knights ofColumbus, began last Novem-ber. The relic has been entrustedto the Order by the Shrine ofArs, France, where St. Jean Vian-ney (1786-1859) served formore than 40 years.

The possibility of the pil-grimage was first presented lastspring, before the clergy sexual abuse crisis erupted. InSeptember, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson suggestedthat the pilgrimage would serve as a “spiritual re-sponse” to the crisis, remarking, “We welcome as prov-idential this opportunity to invoke the intercession of

the patron of parish priests, whose holiness and in-tegrity are a singular model for clergy.”

Father Patrice Chocholski, St. Jean Vianney’s successoras curé, or pastor, of Ars and rector of the shrine there,brought the relic to the 136th Supreme Convention inBaltimore last August. The pilgrimage officially began

Nov. 10 at St. Mary’s SpiritualCenter in Baltimore, in thechapel where Venerable FatherMichael J. McGivney, founderof the Knights of Columbus,prayed during his seminary stud-ies. While in Baltimore, the relicwas present at the U.S. bishops’Fall General Assembly during afull day of spiritual discernmentand prayer, as well as at two areaseminaries.

Following stops in NewHaven, Conn., where FatherChocholski offered a series ofreflections at St. Mary’s Church

and the Knights of Columbus Museum, the relic hasvisited dozens of cities from New Orleans to Atlantato Washington, D.C.

The pilgrimage continues until early June. Visitkofc.org/vianney for the schedule and more information.

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Thousands of Catholics venerate the incorrupt heart of St. Jean Vianney as it makes a nationwide pilgrimage

by Columbia staff

Above: Supreme Knight Carl Anderson and Father Patrice Chocholski, rector of the Shrine of Ars, hold a reliquary containing the incorrupt heartof St. Jean Vianney and a chalice that belonged to the saint, during Father Chocholski’s visit to the Supreme Council headquarters April 14,2018. Behind them hangs a painting of another model for parish priests, Father Michael J. McGivney. • Opposite page: The heart relic is seen atthe Saint John Paul II National Shrine in Washington, D.C., with a mosaic of Christ the High Priest in the background.



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Father Patrice Chocholski, a native of northeastern France,was ordained in 1989 in Rome. The pastor and rector of

the shrine in Ars since 2014, he has extensively studied thelife of his predecessor, St. Jean Vianney. Educated in France,Italy, Poland and Jerusalem, Father Chocholski teaches at theInternational Seminary of Ars and has served as the generalsecretary for the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy in Rome(2008), Kraków (2011), Bogotá (2014) and Manila (2017).

When Father Chocholski visited the United States last No-vember to give a series of reflections coinciding with the pil-grimage of the St. Jean Vianney’s heart, Columbia editor AltonPelowski interviewed him about the saintly Curé of Ars and thesignificance of the pilgrimage.

COLUMBIA: The French Revolution began in 1789, shortlyafter St. Jean-Marie Vianney’s birth. What effect did it have onhis family and on his vocation?

FATHER PATRICE CHOCHOLSKI: During the French Revolu-tion, it was very dangerous for priests who remained faithful

to Rome, and many Christians died as martyrs, especially inLyon. The Vianney family followed the Church, which wasforced underground, and Jean-Marie received his first Com-munion during a clandestine Mass.

The transition in the years that followed was difficult. Jean-Marie was later allowed to enter seminary, but he was thenforced to join the Napoleonic army. Somehow he got lost inthe mountains on the way to Spain and received the status ofdeserter. We do not know how it really happened, but we doknow he remained more than one year in the village of LesNoës, where he taught children and was appreciated by thepeople there.

When he returned home, his father refused to let him intothe house because of how much the family had suffered in hisabsence. His brother, Francis, had to take his place in the armyand later died on the German front. With both sons gone, hismother died of grief. His father told him to go pray at hismother’s tomb. Jean Vianney felt guilty and wounded and laterwrote letters to his father begging for his pardon.

An interview with St. Jean Vianney’s successor about the patron saint of parish priests

‘Alive in Christ’



We can see how this impacted his fu-ture as a priest. This sensitive man wasable to relieve so many people of theirguilt by welcoming them with the ten-derness of God in the sacrament ofconfession. And he helped them expe-rience the healing of Divine Mercythrough absolution.

COLUMBIA: What other challengesdid Jean-Marie face in pursuing hisvocation?

FATHER CHOCHOLSKI: His fatherhoped that he would become a farmerlike him. He didn’t give Jean-Marie theopportunity to go to school and learnLatin like other boys. When Jean-Marieeventually entered the seminary, he wastold he needed nine years of study, and

As the relic of St. Jean Vianney hasmade its way across the country, theSupreme Council has received manynotes expressing gratitude for sponsoringthe pilgrimage.

“A few months ago we read a biog-raphy of the saint in the refectory. Iwas impressed by his humility and pas-toral love, but now I feel like I’ve ex-perienced these myself because hewanted to come here to us!

“While I was praying with the heart,I found this verse in John 18: ‘This wasto fulfill the word which he had spo-ken, Of those whom thou gavest me I lostnot one.’ This thought seems so fittingfor a pastor who ‘lost not one’ of themultitude of souls entrusted to him andwho will lose not one of the intentionsentrusted to him on this tour.”

— Sister Dominic Mary of Mercy,O.P., Monastery of Our Lady of Grace,North Guilford, Conn.

“I am very touched and humbled tobe in the presence of my great-great-great-great-grand uncle, St. John Vian-ney. Someday, I hope to visit Ars,France. I hope and pray for a blessedtour and great healing and hope.”

— Wade Anders Vianney, WestHartford, Conn.

“It was an amazing experience for usin Pensacola. We estimated that 600visitors passed through the doors ofthe Basilica between our four Masses,vespers and extended hours of beingopen. I could not have been morepleased with the response of theCatholics in the area, plus those whojoined us from outside Florida.

“As I observed people in prayer be-fore the relic, the intensity of theirprayer was quite visible. We have re-ceived a number of expressions of grat-itude for having the relic present inour diocese.”

— Very Rev. Joseph P. Callipare, rec-tor of the Basilica of St. Michael theArchangel, Pensacola, Fla.

“To see a heart that was totally inlove, a heart that was undivided andpurified by love of the Cross, was aninspirational event. It was amazing tobe able to see the heart of the parishpriest who lived the life we are seekingto emulate. It reminded me that, withthe grace of God, it is possible to be-come a saint despite any challengesthat might be in our way.”

— Louis McHale, seminarian forthe Archdiocese of Washington at theSaint John Paul II Seminary and amember of The Catholic University ofAmerica Council 9542

“Welcoming the holy and incor-rupt heart of the Curé of Ars was ahistoric moment for the Apostolatefor Family Consecration. At this timein the Church when so many heartsyearn for healing, it was a privilege toprovide the over 400 faithful in atten-dance — families, students, priestsand religious — with an opportunityto encounter the heart of a manwhose love for God and his Churchwas unshakable.

“As a Knight, it’s my personal prayerthat God, through the intercession ofSt. John Vianney and VenerableMichael J. McGivney, grant me a heartlike the Curé of Ars.”

— J. Basil Dannebohm, vice presi-dent of advancement and evangeliza-tion for the Apostolate of FamilyConsecration in Bloomingdale, Ohio

“What an incredible blessing for usto have St. John Vianney’s incorruptheart at the recent SEEK conference!Priest after priest told me how powerfulit was to have the relic there. The thou-sands of young people present loved ittoo, venerating it in the eucharistic ado-ration chapel. We are very grateful forthe Knights for making this possible.”

— Curtis Martin, founder and CEOof the Fellowship of Catholic UniversityStudents (FOCUS) and a member ofArchbishop Fulton J. Sheen Council7502 in Northglenn, Colo.

SPEAKING FROM THE HEART

Father Chocholski gives a reflection at St. Mary’sChurch in New Haven during a prayer vigil Nov.18. The vigil concluded three nights of prayer atthe parish for healing, reparation and purification.



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he had difficulty keeping up. He would not have been allowedto become a priest if Abbé Balley, the priest of Écully, had nottold the bishop he would take him in and prepare him.

There were a lot of humiliations. One of his fellow semi-narians was young Mathias Loras, who had no problem withhis studies. Mathias once became impatient and lashed out atJean-Marie, who instead of getting angry knelt down andasked for forgiveness. Mathias immediately reconciled withhim, weeping. He later became the first bishop of Dubuque,Iowa, and the two remained lifelong friends.

COLUMBIA: How did St. Jean Vianney have such an impacton Ars and become so popular during his lifetime?

FATHER CHOCHOLSKI: When he arrived in Ars, he found anabandoned, disheveled parish. There were fewer priests inFrance at that time, and some were swept up in the spirit ofthe Enlightenment. But a new clergy began to organize mis-sions to the villages and towns in each diocese — evangelizing,preaching and hearing confessions.

Jean Vianney’s popularity began with his involvement inthese missions. He did not preach because his theology wasconsidered weak, so he was asked to hear confessions instead.He had a gift for listening and understanding with the ten-

Above: Father Mark Ivany, director of spiritual formation at the Saint JohnPaul II Seminary and director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Washing-ton, leads seminarians in prayer before the relic. • Left: Parishioners standin line to venerate the relic at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven.



derness of Christ, and so it was in the confessional that thepeople encountered a saint. More and more people came tohim. In Trévoux, for example, it is said that the pressure ofthe waiting crowd moved his confessional.

Then people began coming to Ars for his spiritual guidance.Before long, penitents were arriving from all around France,as well as from Italy. Some had to wait a week to go to con-fession. People were also attracted to his teaching, which wassimple and inspired by the Gospel and the Fathers of theChurch. He spoke in a language that both children and adultsunderstood. So Ars became a shrine and place of pilgrimage.

But Jean Vianney tried to be very poor and free from this

fame. He went through terrible trials, and there were petitionsagainst him. People in the village wanted to get rid of him.He even had to endure a false accusation that he had fathereda child. It was not an easy fame.

COLUMBIA: Four years after canonizing him in 1925, PopePius the XI declared St. Jean Vianney the patron saint ofparish priests. Why is his witness so exemplary?

FATHER CHOCHOLSKI: I believe that St. Jean Vianney becameconfigured to Christ in a very special way. Christ is universal,and the more Jean Vianney became similar to Christ, themore his life and message became universal.

Because Jean Vianney emptied himself in humility andpoverty, Christ could find a free space to dwell in him. Andso what he was experiencing, living and expressing was moreand more Christ. Christ alone.

When my bishop asked me to become a successor to St.Jean Vianney, I was afraid, and I told him, “Please, find some-body else.” Since coming to Ars, I’ve witnessed the graces re-ceived by pilgrims all over the whole world. They givetestimony to what Christ has done in their lives, and I feelpoor, somehow like Jean Vianney.

COLUMBIA: The life of St. Jean Vianney overlapped withthat of Father Michael McGivney. Do you see any similari-ties between them?

FATHER CHOCHOLSKI: They each bore witness to Christ’s lovefor everyone in their parish, and they paid special attention to

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Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore celebrates Mass at Baltimore’s Basilica of the Assumption Jan. 11. The major relic of St. JeanVianney was also present for veneration in the basilica’s crypt church (pictured below) before the Mass and at a reflection that followed.

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the poorest people. They were not self-centered. They encour-aged a communion of saints around them.

The nucleus of St. Jean Vianney’s spirituality was the DivineMercy. Experiencing and sharing Divine Mercy with others —this is what will attract hearts, and transform them, and makethem run to Christ. He was convinced that the renewal of theChurch would come through mercy, not the fear of hell.

I see something similar in the spirituality of Father Mc-Givney and the Knights of Columbus. They trust in the Di-vine Mercy, and they work to build a civilization of love.

Also, we cannot imagine Jean Vianney as a priest alone inhis shrine. Like Father McGivney, he was a priest carrying acommunity. Jean Vianney was revolutionary in his day,working together with the lay people. He used to find aplace, a mission for everybody in his village, even for those

From top: Father Jack Campbell, parochialvicar of St. Paul Church in Pensacola,Fla., concludes the procession of the heartrelic before Mass at the Basilica of St.Michael the Archangel Dec. 3. FatherJoseph P. Callipare, rector of the basilica,is seen at right. • The relic is displayed forveneration Jan. 8 at the St. John VianneyChapel and Welcome Center, operated bythe Apostolate for Family Consecrationin Bloomingdale, Ohio. • Catholicschoolchildren pray before the relic of St.Jean Vianney at Holy Spirit CatholicChurch in Atlanta Dec. 7. • DominicanFather Patrick Mary Briscoe carries thereliquary in procession before Mass atSEEK 2019, a conference of the Fellow-ship of Catholic University Students(FOCUS) that drew more than 17,000participants to Indianapolis in January.



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Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolicnuncio to the United States and a nativeof France, celebrated Mass at the Basilicaof the National Shrine of the ImmaculateConception in Washington, D.C., Dec. 9,2018, on the occasion of the reception andveneration of the relic of St. Jean Vianney.Below are excerpts from his homily.

WHEN I WAS 15 YEARS OLD, myfamily traveled to Ars for a few daysduring the summer. I remember stop-ping to pray before the famous sculptureby Émilien Cabuchet.

St. Jean-Marie Vianney has been andremains an attractive figure to me. Andwhy? What did I see there in the image?That image incarnated what he was —a man of prayer.

The saint himself wrote: “Prayer isnothing else but union with God. Whenone has a heart that is pure and unitedwith God, he is given a kind of serenity

and sweetness that makes him ecstatic,a light that surrounds him with mar-velous brightness. In this intimateunion, God and the soul are fused to-gether like two bits that no one can everpull apart. This union of God with atiny creature is a lovely thing. It is hap-piness beyond understanding.”

These are profound words of St. Jean-Marie Vianney. I desired this happiness,and he inspired me to seek this deeperunion with God. …

After signing his letter of appointment[to Ars], the vicar general reportedly saidto him, “There is not much love for Godin that parish; you will bring some intoit.” That was his mission.

Indeed, St. Jean Vianney brought somuch love to it that a tiny village be-came the center of the world in just afew short years. …

Once during an exorcism, the devilcried out, “Three more like Vianney and

our whole kingdom will be ruined.” Per-haps, there will be three men here — oreven more — whom the Lord will raiseup to be his faithful priests!♦

who did not practice their faith. For Jean Vianney, every-body was important in the mission of the Church. I am surehe would have been very happy working together with theKnights of Columbus.

COLUMBIA: How did St. Jean Vianney’s heart become a relic?FATHER CHOCHOLSKI: His body was exhumed in the early

20th century in view of his beatification, and it was a surpriseto discover it to be incorrupt. Some partswere kept for veneration.

Why did the Church pay special attentionto his heart? First, because it was incorrupt,but also because it related to his spirituality.He used to say that priesthood is the love ofJesus’ heart. For Jean Vianney, the mission ofthe priest is to be a heart in the middle of acommunity, to represent actually and sacra-mentally the love of Jesus. So his heart trulydefined his presence as a priest.

COLUMBIA: What do you tell people who are unfamiliar oruncomfortable with the Church’s veneration of relics?

FATHER CHOCHOLSKI: As Christians, we believe in the Incar-nation, “the Word became flesh.” It is an ancient tradition inthe Church to keep physical signs of this closeness of the saints.

As a priest, St. Jean Vianney was a friend of God and a

friend to his people. He used to pray and intercede for them.Though dead, he is alive in Christ and is still a friend to hispeople. This physical presence reminds us of his intercession,of his prayer for us.

COLUMBIA: Can you share how this pilgrimage came about,and speak of its significance at this time when the Churchfaces so many challenges?

FATHER CHOCHOLSKI: Yes, it is providentialthat it is happening now. The inspirationcame from the Knights of Columbus in NewHaven, and it was intended to help peoplerediscover the beauty of being a priest — toencourage priests in their ministry and topromote vocations. It is very hard to organ-ize such a pilgrimage, and it had beenplanned for some time.

St. Jean Vianney was very drawn to thespirituality of St. Francis of Assisi. At a cer-

tain time, he wished to become a Capuchin. We could saythat he is a kind of Franciscan — his devotion to Jesus cruci-fied, his poverty, the repentance of the penitents and so on.

We recall how the Lord said to St. Francis that his missionwas to rebuild the Church. We can see how St. Jean Vianneyhelped to rebuild the Church in France after the revolution.He can also help rebuild the Church today.♦

A MAN OF PRAYER, A MISSION OF LOVE


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