Introduction to the Devout Life

Francis de Sales’s Introduction to the Devout Life has remained a uniquely accessible and relevant treasure of devotion for nearly 400 years. As Bishop of Geneva in the first quarter of the 17th century, Francis de Sales saw to the spiritual needs of everyone from the poorest peasants to court ladies. The desire he saw in all levels of society to seek a deeper spiritual life led him to compile these instructions for lay people on how to live in Christ. Francis’s compassionate Introduction leads the reader from an understanding of the devout life through practical ways of attaining it without renouncing the world. It also provides prayers and meditations to strengthen devotion in the face of temptation and hardship. In his preface, Cardinal Egan pays tribute to Francis’s genius in providing straightforward and essential advice for the laity, an effort that contributed to the saint’s proclamation as a Doctor of the Church and prefigures the teachings of Vatican II.