St John Regis

French Jesuit priest. Born near Narbonne in 1597, John Francis Regis was the son of a well-to-do merchant. He joined the Jesuits at 18 and was ordained in 1631. as a young priest he longed to work as a missionary among the indigenous peoples of Canada, but he was to live out his vocation in France, running missions in the very poor rural areas of the Auvergne and Languedoc.

A tireless preacher, many people were converted by him. He made great efforts to help prisoners and prostitutes - with little support from his superiors. He also set up many Confraternities of the Blessed Sacrament.

He encountered rigorous winters, snowdrifts and other deprivations, but continued preaching missions and earned a reputation as a saint. One man, entering the town of Saint-Andé, came upon a large crowd in front of a church and was told that people were waiting for 'the saint' who was coming to preach a mission.

St John Regis died on the evening of 31 December 1640, while on a preaching mission at La Louvesc in Dauphine. His final words were: "Into thy hands I commend my spirit."

He was canonised in 1737. His shrine at La Louvesc is still visited by many thousands each year.