St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life
Francis de Sales’ “Introduction to the Devout Life” has remained a uniquely accessible and relevant treasure of devotion for nearly four hundred years. As Bishop of Geneva in the first quarter of the seventeenth century, Francis de Sales saw to the spiritual needs of everyone from the poorest peasants to court ladies. The desire to be closer to God that he found in people from all levels of society led him to compile these instructions on how to live in Christ. Francis’s compassionate Introduction leads the reader through practical ways of attaining a devout life without renouncing the world and offers prayers and meditations to strengthen devotion in the face of temptation and hardship. (Embraced By God carries several translations and you can also access a PDF of the Introduction.)
St. Francis de Sales: Treatise on the Love of God
Having shown in his Introduction to the Devout Life how people in all careers and on all levels can truly and fully live Catholic Christian lives, St. Francis de Sales next sought to bring them to a deeper knowledge of the origin and fulfillment of all devotion in this truly classic work. (Embraced by God carries several translations and you can also access the full text online.)
Francis de Sales: Essential Writings
The Crossroad Spiritual Legacy Series. Wright, Wendy M. New York: Crossroad, 1993.
This popular presentation of the life and writings of St. Francis de Sales includes many rich segments from Introduction to the Devout Life and Treatise on the Love of God. Wright introduces the reader to the world of de Sales and distills from his masterworks the insights that are as applicable today as when first written. (Amazon.com carries this book.)
St. Francis de Sales, Selected Letters
Translated, with introduction by Elizabeth Stopp. London: Faber & Faber/New York: Harper, 1960. (Find it on Embraced By God and other online sellers.)
The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Prayer
Edited by Lewis S. Fiorelli, translated by the Nuns of the Visitation [Frances Therese Leary], with a preface by Fr. M. Basil Pennington, and introduction by Canon Henry Benedict Mackey. Sermons of St. Francis de Sales, vol. 1. Rockford, Ill.: Tan Books, 1985.
St. Francis de Sales: A Testimony by St. Jane de Chantal
Newly edited in translation with an introduction by Elisabeth Stopp. London: Faber, 1967.
Spiritual Directory of St. Francis de Sales: A Simple Guide for Living Each Day in a Life-Giving Way (Standard Version | Extended Version)
Wisdom from St. Francis de Sales
Compiled on the website of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, sorted by theme
www.oblates.org/st-francis-wisdom
These sayings from St. Francis de Sales have been gleaned from his collected letters, homilies, conferences and publications. While almost always taken from within a larger context, these quotes provide convenient distillations of his rich insights on the love of God, self, others and the created order.
