My Favorite St. John Vianney Story

When St. John Vianney arrived at the obscure little village of Ars, someone said to him bitterness, "Here there is nothing to do." "Therefore there is everything to do," replied the saint.

And he immediately began to act. What did he do? He arose at 2 a.m. in the morning and went to pray near the altar in the dark church. he recited the Divine Office, he made his meditation and he prepared himself for Holy Mass. After the Holy Sacrifice, he made his thanksgiving; then he remained at prayer until noon. He would always be kneeling on the floor without any support, with a Rosary in his hand and his eyes fixed on the Tabernacle.

Things continued this way for a short time.

But then...he had to start changing his timetable; and things reached a point requiring radical changes in his program. The Eucharistic Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary, little by little, drew souls to that poor parish, until the Church did not seem big enough to contain the crowds, and the confessional of the holy curate became swamped with endless lines of penitents. The holy curate was obliged to hear confessions for ten, fifteen, and eighteen hours a day! How did such transformation ever come about? There had been a poor Church, an altar long unused, an abandoned tabernacle, an ancient confessional and a priest of little talent with no means to do anything. How could these things achieve such a remarkable change in that obscure village?

~ Father Stefano Manelli, OFM CONV.
Jesus Our Eucharistic Love