John Francis Regis
Encyclopedia
John Francis Regis, also known as Saint Jean-François Régis, Saint François Régis, and St. Regis, (31 January 1597 – 30 December 1640), was a French priest
of the Society of Jesus
, recognized as a saint
by the Roman Catholic Church
.
, (Aude
) in the Languedoc
region of southern France. His father, Jean Régis, had recently been ennobled as a result of service rendered during the Wars of the League
. His mother, Marguerite de Cugunhan, was of a noble family. He was educated at the Jesuit College of Béziers
. On 8 December 1616, in his nineteenth year, he entered the Jesuit novitiate
at Toulouse
and he took his vows two years later.
After finishing his course in rhetoric
at Cahors
, John Francis was sent to teach grammar
at several colleges: Billom
(1619–1622), Puy-en-Velay (1625–1627), and Auch
(1627–1628). While he was teaching, he also pursued his studies in philosophy
at the scholasticate at Tournon
. Owing to an intense love of preaching and teaching the Faith
, as well as the desire to save souls, Regis began his study of theology
at Toulouse
in 1628. Less than two years later, in 1630, he was ordained a priest
at the age of thirty-one. The following year, having completed his studies, Regis made his Third Probation.
Regis was now fully prepared for his lifework and entered upon his apostolic career in the summer of 1631. As a newly ordained priest, he worked with bubonic plague
victims in Toulouse. From May 1632, until September 1634, his headquarters was at the Jesuit College of Montpellier
. Here he labored for the conversion of the Huguenots, visited hospitals, assisted the needy, withdrew from vice wayward women and girls, and preached Catholic doctrine
with tireless zeal to children and the poor.
Regis established the Confraternities
of the Blessed Sacrament, which organized charitable
collections of money and food from the wealthy. He also established several hostels for prostitutes, and set up girls as lacemakers to give them an income.
In 1633, Regis went to the Diocese of Viviers at the invitation of the local bishop, Monsignor
Louis II de la Baume de Suze, giving missions throughout the diocese. From 1633 to 1640 he evangelized
more than fifty districts in le Vivarais
, le Forez
, and le Velay.
Regis laboured diligently on behalf of both priests and laymen. His preaching style was said to have been simple and direct. He appealed to the uneducated peasantry and numerous conversions resulted. Although he longed to devote himself to the conversion of the Indians
in Canada, he remained in France all his life.
Regis suffered incredible hardships throughout for his apostolic journeys over rugged mountains in the depths of winter, and did not allow anything to stand in his way in the salvation of souls.
. He died of pneumonia
at age forty-three on 30 December 1640, at Lalouvesc
(Ardèche
), in France's Dauphiné
region.
John Francis Regis was beatified by Pope Clement XI
on 18 May 1719, and canonized by Pope Clement XII
on 5 April 1737.
He is the patron saint
of lace
makers.
Regis University
in Denver, Colorado
is named in his honor, as are numerous elementary and high schools worldwide, including Regis High School
in New York City.
St. Regis Mohawk Reservation is also named in his honor due to a Roman Catholic Church
built on their reservation which was named after him, due to his admiration for Natives in Canada and the States.
The junior school campus of Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview is named after him, and is called the Regis Campus.
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, recognized as a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
Life
John Francis Regis (Jean-François Régis) was born in FontcouverteFontcouverte, Aude
Fontcouverte is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:-Sights:* Monument Saint Régis.* Fontaine de la Place de la Révolution, built in the late 19th century....
, (Aude
Aude
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
) in the Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
region of southern France. His father, Jean Régis, had recently been ennobled as a result of service rendered during the Wars of the League
Catholic League (French)
The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary Roman Catholics as the Holy League, a major player in the French Wars of Religion, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in 1576...
. His mother, Marguerite de Cugunhan, was of a noble family. He was educated at the Jesuit College of Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
. On 8 December 1616, in his nineteenth year, he entered the Jesuit novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
at Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and he took his vows two years later.
After finishing his course in rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
at Cahors
Cahors
Cahors is the capital of the Lot department in south-western France.Its site is dramatic being contained on three sides within an udder shaped twist in the river Lot known as a 'presqu'île' or peninsula...
, John Francis was sent to teach grammar
Grammar
In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules, and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, often complemented by phonetics, semantics,...
at several colleges: Billom
Billom
Billom is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-People:It was the birthplace of philosopher Georges Bataille.Hugh Aycelin was a French Cardinal.-References:*...
(1619–1622), Puy-en-Velay (1625–1627), and Auch
Auch
Auch is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Midi-Pyrénées, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony.-The Ausci:...
(1627–1628). While he was teaching, he also pursued his studies in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at the scholasticate at Tournon
Tournon
Tournon is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Tournon, in the Savoie département* Tournon-d'Agenais, in the Lot-et-Garonne département* Tournon-Saint-Martin, in the Indre département...
. Owing to an intense love of preaching and teaching the Faith
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
, as well as the desire to save souls, Regis began his study of theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1628. Less than two years later, in 1630, he was ordained a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
at the age of thirty-one. The following year, having completed his studies, Regis made his Third Probation.
Regis was now fully prepared for his lifework and entered upon his apostolic career in the summer of 1631. As a newly ordained priest, he worked with bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
victims in Toulouse. From May 1632, until September 1634, his headquarters was at the Jesuit College of Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
. Here he labored for the conversion of the Huguenots, visited hospitals, assisted the needy, withdrew from vice wayward women and girls, and preached Catholic doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
with tireless zeal to children and the poor.
Regis established the Confraternities
Confraternity
A confraternity is normally a Roman Catholic or Orthodox organization of lay people created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy...
of the Blessed Sacrament, which organized charitable
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
collections of money and food from the wealthy. He also established several hostels for prostitutes, and set up girls as lacemakers to give them an income.
In 1633, Regis went to the Diocese of Viviers at the invitation of the local bishop, Monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
Louis II de la Baume de Suze, giving missions throughout the diocese. From 1633 to 1640 he evangelized
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
more than fifty districts in le Vivarais
Vivarais
Vivarais is a traditional region in the south-east of France, covering the département of Ardèche, named after its capital Viviers on the river Rhône...
, le Forez
Forez
Forez is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire département and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme départements....
, and le Velay.
Regis laboured diligently on behalf of both priests and laymen. His preaching style was said to have been simple and direct. He appealed to the uneducated peasantry and numerous conversions resulted. Although he longed to devote himself to the conversion of the Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
in Canada, he remained in France all his life.
Regis suffered incredible hardships throughout for his apostolic journeys over rugged mountains in the depths of winter, and did not allow anything to stand in his way in the salvation of souls.
Death and later veneration
John Francis succumbed to illness during the winter of 1640, while he was contemplating the conversion of the CévennesCévennes
The Cévennes are a range of mountains in south-central France, covering parts of the départements of Gard, Lozère, Ardèche, and Haute-Loire.The word Cévennes comes from the Gaulish Cebenna, which was Latinized by Julius Caesar to Cevenna...
. He died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at age forty-three on 30 December 1640, at Lalouvesc
Lalouvesc
Lalouvesc is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France.-Population:-Sights:The Basilica of St. Regis, designed in Byzantine Revival style and completed in 1877, contains the relics of St. John Francis Regis . The windows of the basilica recount the life of the saint and the frescoes...
(Ardèche
Ardèche
Ardèche is a department in south-central France named after the Ardèche River.- History :The area has been inhabited by humans at least since the Upper Paleolithic, as attested by the famous cave paintings at Chauvet Pont d'Arc. The plateau of the Ardeche River has extensive standing stones ,...
), in France's Dauphiné
Dauphiné
The Dauphiné or Dauphiné Viennois is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of :Isère, :Drôme, and :Hautes-Alpes....
region.
John Francis Regis was beatified by Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI
Pope Clement XI , born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was Pope from 1700 until his death in 1721.-Early life:...
on 18 May 1719, and canonized by Pope Clement XII
Pope Clement XII
Pope Clement XII , born Lorenzo Corsini, was Pope from 12 July 1730 to 6 February 1740.Born in Florence, the son of Bartolomeo Corsini, Marquis of Casigliano and his wife Isabella Strozzi, sister of the Duke of Bagnuolo, Corsini had been an aristocratic lawyer and financial manager under preceding...
on 5 April 1737.
He is the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of lace
Lace
Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric. Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was...
makers.
Regis University
Regis University
Regis University is a private, co-educational Roman Catholic, Jesuit university in the United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1877, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
is named in his honor, as are numerous elementary and high schools worldwide, including Regis High School
Regis High School
Regis High School may refer to several schools in the United States:* Regis High School , Iowa* Regis High School * Regis High School * Regis High School...
in New York City.
St. Regis Mohawk Reservation is also named in his honor due to a Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
built on their reservation which was named after him, due to his admiration for Natives in Canada and the States.
The junior school campus of Saint Ignatius' College, Riverview is named after him, and is called the Regis Campus.