St John Eudes

Jean Eudes was born 1^st November 1601 in the village of Ri; his father was a surgeon. At the age of 14 he made a private vow to remain chaste; he studied with the Jesuits but decided to join the Oratorians in 1623 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1625. By 1633 he was preaching missions throughout Burgundy and Brittany, and being referred to as ‘the prodigy of the age’. He founded seminaries and dedicated them to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. In 1643 he severed his connexion to the Oratorians and established a new order, known as the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (popularly known as the Eudists), with the apostolate of the education of priests and the offering of parish missions. He also founded the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, whose apostolate was caring for young girls escaping prostitution. He spread the devotion to the Sacred Heart and composed the Office and the Mass for its observance. His health began to decline in 1671; he died in Caen 16^th August 1680. He was canonised by Pope Pius XI in 1925.