Saint Claude de la Colombière(1641-1682) St. Claude de la Colombière was born in Saint-Symphorien-d'Ozon, a small town south of Lyons in France. He entered the Society of Jesus at Avignon when he was seventeen and, following his two-year novitiate, he went on through the variousstages of the Jesuit education system to be finally ordained a priest in 1669. St. Claude progressed through his vows, gaining a reputation for the clarity of his sermons. In 1675, he became the rector of the Jesuit community at Paray-le-Monial and spiritual director of the nuns at the nearby Monastery of the Visitation. He believed the truth of Sr. Margaret Mary Alacoque's visions and supported her in her devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1676, St. Claude was sent to England as chaplain and preacher to the Duchess of York, Mary Beatrice of Modena, who later became the second wife of King James II and so Queen Consort of England, Scotland and Ireland. Hard work and the English climate weakened his health and in 1678, while awaiting his recall to France, he was arrested and imprisoned amid false accusations of a Catholic plot against the English throne. The poor conditions in King's Bench Prison further worsened his health and though he was saved from a death sentence due to his position at the Court of St. James and the patronage of King Louis XIV of France, he never fully recovered after being expelled from England. He died two years later at Paray-le-Monial, the remote location he had worked in as rector seven years before. St. Claude was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1992. His relics are preserved in the Jesuit Church at Paray-le-Monial. Read More Read Less