PROVIDENCE — A reliquary containing the incorrupt heart of Saint John Vianney will be visiting Rhode Island on Monday, April 22, from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. with vespers scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The veneration will take place at the chapel of the Seminary of Our Lady of Providence, located on 485 Mount Pleasant Ave., Providence. The heart of the well-known saint is a first class relic and has remained intact for more than 150 years.
Saint John Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests, having been a famed parish priest in Ars, France during the late 18th and 19th centuries. He was known especially for his work within the confessional, where he absolved the sins of humble penitents for up to 18 hours a day. This priest of God lived as a holy example, not only to priests, but to all men and women.
“The heart of a priest is, by the Sacrament of Holy Orders, conformed to the sacrificial Heart of Jesus, the Good Shepherd,” said Father Christopher Murphy, rector of Our Lady of Providence Seminary and Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Providence. “It is fitting, then, that the heart of St. John Vianney makes a visit to our diocesan seminary, where young men study and pray in preparation for the priesthood. Please come to venerate the heart of this holy saint and patron of priests.”
The relic’s United States pilgrimage is being sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. For more information, call Our Lady of Providence Seminary at 401-331-1316.
