Francis de Sales

Born in Savoy in August 1567, Francis de Sales became Bishop of Geneva in 1602, stepping into a region split by Protestant and Catholic hostilities. Where others hardened battle lines, he chose persuasion over force, a pastoral style that drew attention precisely because it ran against the grain of his era. He wrote two works that outlasted the politics: the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God, both guides to inner discipline that found readers far beyond his diocese. He served until his death in December 1622. The Church canonized him in 1665.