Why Salesian Spirituality?

The Wisdom of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal

Visitors to our website often wonder why we offer spiritual direction based on the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. Or how the teachings of saints who lived four hundred years ago have relevance to lives in the modern world.

And yet, their spirituality is very appropriate to Christians in today’s world. When spiritual direction is grounded in through these two saints, it becomes deeply wise, humane, and accessible. Their approach avoids extremes. Spiritual direction is not about pressure or performance. It does not overwhelm. It does not demand heroic leaps. It respects temperament, vocation, wounds, limitations, and daily responsibilities. It is the careful art of helping a soul recognize God’s loving action already at work in ordinary life.

This is precisely why their spirituality forms the foundation of the School of the Visitation. Properly presented, it meets people where they are — busy parents, professionals, caregivers, priests, religious, and lay leaders — and gently invites them into deeper union with God without removing them from their real lives.

Their path is both ancient and astonishingly modern.

The Spirituality of St. Francis de Sales — Holiness Is for Everyone

Francis de Sales insisted that sanctity is not reserved for monasteries. In his Introduction to the Devout Life, he addressed lay men and women directly, teaching that devotion must be adapted to one’s state in life. A business owner, a mother, a retiree, and a priest each walk a distinct but equally holy path.

For spiritual direction, this principle is foundational. The director does not impose a template but helps the directee discern how grace unfolds within the person’s real vocation and circumstances.

Gentleness as the Method

Gentleness was not merely a personality trait for Francis; it was a theological conviction. God leads souls patiently. Therefore, spiritual growth must unfold patiently.

In direction shaped by this spirit:

• Scrupulosity gives way to trust.

• Failure becomes an occasion to begin again.

• Self-knowledge is cultivated without harshness.

His famous conviction that “you catch more flies with honey than vinegar” applies just as much to guiding souls as to preaching sermons.

Trust in Divine Providence

Francis taught that God’s will is most often encountered in present duties and unexpected interruptions. Spiritual direction in this tradition trains the soul to recognize divine providence in the ordinary — in family life, illness, workplace tensions, aging, and even dryness in prayer.

The goal is not spiritual intensity, but loving fidelity.

Many Salesian followers begin each day with “The direction of intentions”:

My God, I give you this day. I offer You now all the good that I shall do and promise to accept, for love of You, all the difficulties that I shall meet. Help me to conduct myself this day in a manner pleasing to You.

St. Francis de Sales wrote another spiritual classic, Treatise on the Love of God. It is comprised of 12 books written for individuals more advanced in the spiritual life and addresses topics such as the human tendency to love God, meditation and prayer, an explanation of the history of divine love, the difference between benevolent and complacent love, and affective and effective love.

Salesian spirituality has helped many people over the centuries to follow the Salesian motto to “Live Jesus,” to allow Jesus to live in them and to love through them, and to reproduce in their life, as did St. Francis de Sales, the gentleness and humility of Jesus. We hope that our directees look to St. Francis de Sales for the means by which to attain holiness and a devout life.

The Spirituality of St. Jane de Chantal — Strength Through Surrender

Jane de Chantal’s path was forged in loss. Widowed with four young children at the age of 28, she knew grief intimately. Under Francis’ guidance, she learned that surrender is not passivity but courageous trust.

In spiritual direction, her witness reminds us that suffering is not an obstacle to holiness — it is often its forge.

Deep Interior Life in Active Responsibility

Jane became a founder, administrator, and spiritual mother to many religious communities. Yet her activism flowed from contemplative depth.

This balance is essential to the Visitation spirit. Prayer and action are not rivals. A well-guided soul learns to carry interior peace into outward responsibility.

Humility and Hidden Love

The Order of the Visitation was designed with gentleness at its core — welcoming women who might not endure severe asceticism. Their emphasis was not on dramatic penances, but on humility, simplicity, and charity.

This ethos shapes spiritual direction profoundly. Growth is measured not by extraordinary experiences but by increased patience, steadiness, and quiet love.

Why This Spirituality Is So Well Suited for Today

We at the School of the Visitation find that modern seekers often arrive burdened — anxious, overextended, perfectionistic, or discouraged. A harsh spirituality can break such souls. The Salesian-Visitation approach heals them.

It offers:

• A theology of patience

• A psychology of gradual growth

• A spirituality integrated with daily life

• A path accessible to both laity and clergy

Properly presented, this spirituality prevents both rigorism and laxity. It forms steady, mature Christians capable of living deeply in the world without being consumed by it.

The Foundation of the School of the Visitation

The School of the Visitation exists precisely to form souls — and spiritual directors — in this balanced, deeply human tradition. The wisdom of Francis and Jane is not treated as a historical artifact, but as a living pedagogy.

• Through its Programs, participants receive structured formation grounded in Salesian principles.

• Through Live Courses, students encounter guided teaching and interactive learning rooted in lived spiritual experience.

• Through Self-Paced Courses, individuals can absorb this spirituality thoughtfully and prayerfully at their own rhythm.

• Through Parish-Based Seminars, entire communities are introduced to a gentle, practical path of holiness suited to ordinary life.

Each offering reflects the same conviction: holiness is possible here and now, in the vocation you already inhabit.

Love through Daily Fidelity

The spirituality of Francis de Sales and Jane de Chantal teaches that God is patient, grace is gradual, and love is proven in daily fidelity. Spiritual direction formed by this vision is wise because it respects the soul’s pace, humane because it mirrors God’s gentleness, and effective because it integrates contemplation with ordinary responsibility.