Saint Claude de la Colombiere
![[drawing of Saint Claude]](saintc28.gif "8kb gif drawing of Saint Claude, artist unknown, date unknown; please do not write to ask about the image")
- Also known as
-
Claudius
Claudius de la Columbiere
Claude
- Memorial
- 15 February
- Profile
- French nobility who felt a call to religious life from an early age.
Educated at Jesuit college in Lyons, France.
Priest.
Taught humanities at Avignon.
Studied in Paris.
Tutor.
Preached against Jansenism, advocating dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Jesuit in 1659.
Spiritual director of Saint Margaret Mary of Alocoque.
Chaplain to Mary Beatrice d'Este, the Duchess of York.
He converted many Protestants through the example of his holy life.
Due to rumours of "Popish plots" against the king and the reestablishment Catholicism, Claude was imprisoned, accused of being part of the Titus Oates Plot.
It was only by the efforts of Louis XIV, who had recommended him for the assignment, that he was not martyred.
Banished from England.
His health was ruined by prison, and he returned to Paray to die.
The day after his death in 1682, Saint Margaret received supernatural assurance that Claude La Colombiere needed no prayers, as he was in already heaven.
He is considred a "dry" martyr, having suffered every abuse for the faith but death.
- Born
- 2 February 1641 at Saint-Symphorien d’Ozon, Rhône, France
- Died
- 15 February 1682 at Paray-le-Monial, Saône-et-Loire, France of hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
- Venerated
- 11 August 1901
- Beatified
- 16 June 1929 by Pope Pius XI
- Canonized
- 31 May 1992 by Pope John Paul II in Rome
- Name Meaning
- lame one
- Patronage
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toy makers
turners
- Prayers
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Despair Prayer
An Act of Hope and Confidence in God
- Additional Information
- John Paul II's Book of Saints, by Matthew Bunson and Margaret Bunson
- Translate
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- Readings
- The past three centuries allow us to evalutate the importance of the message which was entrusted to Claude.
In a period of contrasts between the fervor of some and the indifference or impiety of many, here is a devotion centered on the humility of Christ, on his presence, on his love of mercy and on forgiveness.
Devotion to the Heart of Christ would be a source of balance and spiritual strengthening for Christian communities so often faced with increasing unbelief over the coming centuries.
- Pope John Paul II, during the canonization of Saint Claude