Fences

Oct 29

Oblate Frs. Joe Newman, Tim McIntire, and Ron Olszewski in the Chapel Chateau Allinges, France, with friends and members of the St. Francis de Sales School (Toledo, OH)

I recently returned from leading a pilgrimage to Annecy, France, which is the birthplace of St. Francis de Sales and the place where he founded the Visitation Order with St. Jane de Chantal.

One of our visits was to the Castle of Allinges, a fortress high on a hill overlooking the district of Chablais. It was here that a young priest, Francis de Sales, lived while serving as a missionary in that region. Because his life was often in danger during this mission, he stayed within the safety of the fortress each night, walking down to the village each morning to minister to the people and returning up the hill at day’s end.

Francis had been sent to bring the people of Chablais back to the Catholic faith, and he did so through dialogue, prayer, and perseverance. His method was one of conversation and presence, and not force or fight. His efforts took years.

As I walked the same path that Francis once took down from the fortress, I found myself reflecting on his efforts, the long, often weary road of conversion and renewal. In a letter to his friend and supporter, Antoine Favre, Francis once described this work as “a burden which depletes my strength, but I am resolved not to abandon it.”

At the foot of the hill, I paused beside a large cow pasture. The field was lush and green, with plenty of good grass. Yet one cow stood by the fence, straining with great effort to reach the grass just beyond it. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched her fight the fence and teach me a lesson.

I know that feeling, fighting the fence and forgetting the field. Attending to the good and holy work in front of me is the lesson of the Chablais. St. Francis’ ministry moved from striving to staying. His witness was one of “withness.”

Francis de Sales shows another way: to trust the slow work of God, to remain steadfast, to love those right in front of us. His perseverance in Chablais reminds me that true transformation takes time, and that faithfulness in the field we’ve been given is itself an act of evangelization.

May God be Praised!