| Jane Frances de Chantal | |
|---|---|
| Foundress | |
| Born | 28 January 1572 Dijon, Burgundy, France |
| Died | 13 December 1641 (aged 69) Moulins, France |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 21 November 1751, Rome by Pope Benedict XIV |
| Canonized | 16 July 1767, Rome by Pope Clement XIII |
| Major shrine | Annecy, Savoy |
| Feast | 12 August 21 August (General Roman Calendar 1769-1969) 12 December (General Roman Calendar 1970-2001) |
| Patronage | forgotten people; in-law problems; loss of parents; parents separated from children; widows |
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (Jeanne-Françoise Frémiot, Baronne de Chantal, 28 January 1572 – 13 December 1641) is a Roman Catholic Saint, who founded a religious order after the death of her husband.
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Jane Frances was born in Dijon, France on 28 January 1572. The mother of six children (three died shortly after they were born), she was widowed at the age of 28. She met Saint Francis de Sales when he preached at the Sainte Chapelle in Dijon. She was inspired to start a religious order for women, the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary with his support, an order for women who were rejected by other orders because of poor health or age. When people criticized her, she famously said, "What do you want me to do? I like sick people myself; I'm on their side."
She died on 13 December 1641 at the age of 69, at the Visitation Convent in Moulins, one of those she founded, and was buried in Annecy.
She was beatified on 21 November 1751 by Pope Benedict XIV, and canonized on 16 July 1767 by Pope Clement XIII.
Saint Jane Frances's feast day is currently celebrated in the Roman Catholic Calendar of saints on 12 August. When in 1769 it was for the first time inserted into the Roman calendar, the date chosen was 21 August. In 1969, the feast day was moved to 12 December, as close as possible to the anniversary of her death, 13 December, a date occupied by the feast day of Saint Lucy.[1] Her 12 December celebration became superseded in a large part of the world by the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, whom Pope John Paul II's on 25 March 1999 declared Patroness of the Americas. In 2001, when the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe was made a feast in every country, that of Saint Jane Frances was transferred to 12 August.[2] In some American countries which already had a feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Saint Jane Frances was already celebrated on dates other than 12 December. In the case of the United States, this date was 18 August, eventually being transferred to 12 August.[3] Traditionalist Catholics who continue to observe pre-1970 calendars celebrate Saint Jane Frances on the 1769-1969 date of 21 August.
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal wrote some exemplary letters of spiritual direction.[4]
She was the paternal grandmother of the French letter-writer Madame de Sévigné.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). "St. Jane Frances de Chantal". Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.