St. Claude de la Colombière

St. Claude de la Colombière was born on 2 February 1641 at Saint-Symphorien-d'Ozon, near Lyon in France, and died on 15 February 1682 at Paray-le-Monial. He entered the Society of Jesus and became a gifted preacher and spiritual director, esteemed for his balance, discretion, and holiness. Appointed superior of the Jesuit house at Paray-le-Monial, he became the confessor of a humble Visitation nun there, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.

Recognizing the authenticity of her revelations of the Sacred Heart when many doubted, he became their steadfast supporter and a zealous apostle of the devotion, consecrating himself to the Heart of Jesus. Sent to England as preacher to the Catholic Duchess of York, he was swept up in the anti-Catholic hysteria of the fabricated 'Popish Plot,' imprisoned, and expelled from the country, his health broken by the ordeal. He returned to France, where he soon died. Canonized in 1992, he is honored as a herald of the Sacred Heart.