PATRON OF THE FRANSALIANS (M.S.F.S)
St. Francis De Sales (1567 - 1622)
St. Francis De Sales was born in an aristocratic family on the
21 of August 1567 at Savoy in France.
His father was Monsieur
De Boisy. He received the best type of education of that time and
took doctorate in Civil and Canon low from the University of Padua
in Italy. After the formal education his parents wanted him to join
the legal profession in the Senate of Savoy, but he was determined to
become a Priest. In spite of many obstacles, he fulfilled his desire
and was ordained a priest in December 1593. He was made the
Bishop of Geneva in 1602.
Francis De Sales, known as the 'Gentleman Saint', was an able Pastor and Teacher: As a Bishop he preached frequently, visited his diocese often, advised and guided his priests and people with a paternal care and reformed many monasteries. He was a spiritual director to many people of all classes of society through his personal interviews and numerous letters. He became one of the greatest masters of spiritual life through his world famous writings: "The Introduction to Devout Life"; "The Treatise on the Love of God" and "The Spiritual Conferences". He died in Lyon on 28th December 1622 at the age of 55.
Pope Alexander VII canonized Francis De Sales a saint of the
Church in 1661.
He was declared "Doctor of the Church" (a Great
Teacher) in 1877 by Pope Pius IX and Patron of Catholic
journalists and writers by Pius XI in 1923.
FOUNDATION OF THE M.S.F.S
Rev. Fr. Peter Merie Mermier (1790 - 1862)
Rev. Fr. Peter Mermier was born on 28 th August 1790, at Savoy in France. His father was Francois Mermier and mother Antoniette Bastion. He grew up, as a child, dedicated and hardworking, endowed with a calm character, alert mind, bright intelligence and genuine piety. He did excellently well in his studies. He was a model and an inspiration to the rest of the students.
As a body manifested his desire to become a Priest to serve people. He was ordained a Priest on 21 st March 1813. He was then only Twenty Two and a half years old. Then he worked as a teacher at Melan where he formulated his own philosophy of education. He founded the congregation of the sisters of the Cross of Chavanod for the education of poor peasant girls. He initiated the educational apostolate of the Missionaries by undertaking the management of the secondary schools of Melan and Evian in France. After an eventful life, leaving behind a heritage of dazzling holiness, heroic courage, and faith, Fr. Mermier breathed his last on 30 th September 1862.
Optimism, fidelity, gentleness, hospitality, kindness, cordiality
and positive regard for others were some of the shades of his saintly
personality.
Fr. Mermier firmly believed that education is a work of love and that it is incomplete without religious formation. He envisaged an educational programme marked by respect for children. He advised his teacher-confreres to love their pupils to be a mother to them by their tenderness and a father by their prudence. "True education," according to him, "is opening the heart rather that mind". He expected from the pupils three things: knowledge, wisdom and discipline.
FRANSALIANS (M.S.F.S.) Since 1838
The congregation (M.S.F.S.)was founded in 1838, more than two centuries after the death of St. Francis De Sales, our Patron. Our founder, Father Peter Mermier, was born in 1790 and as a child experienced the terrorism let loose by some extremities of the French revolution. His parents were farmers, and his mother was a wonderful woman from whom he learnt to have faith in God, to face troubles in life with courage and to help those who were subjected to suffer by the terrorists.
As a young man, Peter Mermier decided to dedicate his life to the service of God and others as a Priest. For some time he was put in charge of teaching and discipline in a residential school for boys. But he soon realized that his mission was to go from place to place helping young and old to live the ideals taught by Jesus and which St. Francis De Sales had practiced so well. Everyone should have faith in God who loves us. Kindness, patience, forgiveness and readiness to help people in any kind of need, whether material or spiritual, were the objectives of the Fransalians.
In reply to an appeal made by the Pope, six Fransalians, four Priests and two brothers, landed in India in 1845, only seven years after the foundation of the society, speaks volumes about their missionary commitment. Over the years they were joined by other dedicated and courageous men.
These Missionaries of St. Francis De Sales are a congregation of Fathers and France. It was his Brothers founded by Father Peter Mermier in 1838 at Annecy, desire to instruct the youth and lead them along the right path. For this purpose, he started preaching missions, conducting camps and running Educational Institutions. The members of the M.S.F.S. are in the educational arena of India for the last 160 years. Under them there are 115 educational institutions throughout our country. They are engaged in education ministry-conducting schools, technical and sociological institutes, hostels, orphanages, home for the aged and mentally challenged, besides catering to the spiritual needs of the people.