Francis de Sales: Patron of Catholic Writers
             The American Heritage Dictionary defines a hero as "a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose. A person noted for special achievement in a particular field." Francis de Sales was a hero to Catholics in France during a violent and contentious age when the Protestant religion reigned and Catholics were being persecuted for their beliefs. He is noted for bringing heretics back to the Church, but most importantly for bringing Catholics in the world – rich and poor alike – back to the devout life. As a hero, Francis possessed determination, vision, courage and performed deeds that went beyond the normal.
             Francis was determined to help the less fortunate and teach Christianity to all that did not have faith in God. "At Annecy he found time to organize his lay Confraternity of the Holy Cross. It exacted no special austerities of its members but asked generosity in the corporal and spiritual works of mercy: visiting the sick, accompanying the Blessed Sacrament when taken to them, reconciling enemies, and making acts of adoration and reparation – particularly to the Holy Cross which like the Mass, was so strangely insulted by the early Protestants."(Brégy, p.25) Later he was sent to Chablais, Thonon to care for the persecuted and intimidated Catholics. Protestants as well as the rough winter made the mission difficult, but Francis was not to be deterred. He decided to reach followers using "handmade copies prepared of leaflets giving explanations of Catholic doctrines and devotions. Then he saw to it that these placards – treating in a vivacious Savoyard manner of the mission of the Church, the Rule of Faith and such controverted doctrines as Purgatory and the Sacraments – were weekly affixed to friendly doorways and otherwise distributed throughout Thonon. The important result was that those who were afraid to list...