Coached by the Curé (Lessons in Shepherding with St. John Vianney)

St. John Vianney, the humble curé of France’s tiny town of Ars, is celebrated for the thousands upon thousands of hours he spent in his confessional, attracting droves of penitents in wonder at his closeness with God. Here, though, we learn why he turned himself over to poor sinners: he understood he was the shepherd of their souls. At an hour when the consciences of Catholic youth are hourly invaded by a modernist secular culture—and so few clergy are regarded as their rescuers—Vianney emerges in this book as a titan to young souls. Parents, laity, and clergy will learn much more about the heart of a saving martyr and his desire to sacrifice all for the sake of even one single soul. Brought to bear are his fortitude amidst obstacles, his humility in his shortcomings, his Eucharistic love, courage to boldly proclaim the Good News, his intense life of prayer and undying hope, and his longing to unite himself to Christ through mortification and sacrifice. Coached by the Curé is a loving dialogue between the travailed reader and St. John Vianney. The words “spoken” come directly from his writings and accounts of his life. In these pages, Vianney coaches his saintly characteristics into the modern Christian, so that we can all learn the self-offering and self-giving needed to protect and save our loved ones.