The Shrine of Ars – St Jean Marie Vianney

The Shrine of Ars belongs to the Roman Catholic Church, and more specifically to the Diocese of Belley-Ars, of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lyon [at present its bishop is Guy-Marie Bagnard]. The Shrine therefore wishes to live in full communion with the Holy See in Rome.

Since the death of Jean Marie Vianney, who was the parish priest of Ars until 1859, the Shrine’s mission is to welcome pilgrims, make known the Holy Curé, who was the patron saint of the priests of the whole world, and safeguard his memory in this holy place.

Coming to Shrine of Ars and having the best stay:

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The priests of the Society of Jean Marie Vianney, along with all the other priests of the Shrine, the Benedictine Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, the Brothers of the Holy Family of Belley and all those who run the Shrine are happy to welcome you during this visit when you pass through Ars.

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By coming to Ars or by becoming a disciple of Saint Jean Marie Vianney we invite you to:

encounter the Lord,

entrust your intentions, your concerns to Him, and thank Him,

pray for priests, for vocations,

deepen and strengthen your spiritual life through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the Eucharist,

participate in the prayer life of the Church,

hear and live out a pressing call to holiness,

discover and learn to love the Holy Curé of Ars.

If you have only one day or a few hours free to visit Ars, we propose the following:

Mass in the Basilica

Weekdays 11am, 6pm

on Sundays 8am, 9.30am, 11am, 6pm

Confessions

in the Basilica (according to availability of confessors)

from 9am to 11am – from 1.30pm to 6pm

A video about the life of the Holy Curé of Ars

(52 minutes) in English – and in other languages)

Guided spiritual visits of the Shrine

Basilica, The Holy Curé’s house, Exploration of the places in which Jean-Marie Vianney lived and prayed.

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Basilica

1.30pm to 3.30pm

Prayer of the Rosary in the Basilica

3.30pm

The Liturgy of the Hours of the Church sung in the Basilica

Lauds, Vespers, Compline

The Pilgrims’ Shop

open all year round

Bookshop

Liturgical objects and vestments,

For priests

the possibility of celebrating mass, and welcome in the sacristy (from 6.30am to 9pm).

During your visit to Ars, over and above the times for prayer and adoration in the Basilica (Agenda of Activities) the Shrine proposes other possibilities.

Celebrating or participating in Mass

Alone, or with your group, you can join in the Masses celebrated daily in the Shrine (Timetable of Celebrations) or otherwise call us to book a mass at another time, according to what is possible in the Basilica.

Receiving the sacrament of reconciliation

Experience the joy of reconciliation in the village of the Curé of Ars. Individuals can meet a priest at the usual hours (Timetable of Celebrations).

Pay the visit

The Basilica, the Curé of Ars’house and the Chapel of the Heart are open every day, and the visit is free of charge. For groups, free guided visits of the presbytery are available and accompaniment for visiting the Basilica.

Everyone is invited to retrace the same path as Jean-Marie Vianney by going to the Monument of the Encounter (where a statue commemorates the arrival of the Saint in Ars in February 1818).

Discover the Holy Curé’s life

Alone or in a group there is the possibility of discovering the life of the Curé of Ars through a 52 minute video (available in different languages).

Seek information at the Pilgrims’Reception. Groups can ask for a discussion on the life of the Curé of Ars with a member of the Shrine team.

Furthermore extensive literature is available in the Pilgrims’shop and Saint Jean-Marie Vianney bookshop.

Life of the Holy Curé – Jean Marie Vianney

Jean Marie Vianney was born on 8th May 1786 at Dardilly near Lyon into a family of farmers and his childhood was deeply influenced by the fervour and love of his parents. However the context of the French Revolution made a powerful mark on his youth.

He made his first confession beneath the great clock in the living room of the house in which he was born, instead of in the village church and he received absolution from an underground priest.

Two years later he made his first communion in a barn, during a clandestine mass celebrated by a non-juror priest. At the age of seventeen he chose to answer the call of God, saying to his mother Marie Béluze: “I would like to win souls for the Good Lord”. Yet his father opposed to this choice for two years for labour was scarce in his father’s house.

At the age of twenty he began to prepare for the priesthood with the Abbé Balley, the parish priest of Ecully. His difficulties matured him : he oscillated between discouragement and hope, and went on pilgrimage to La Louvesc to the tomb of Saint François Regis.

He chose to become a deserter when he was called into the army to go and fight in the war in Spain. However the Abbé Balley was able to help him during these years of trials. He was ordained a priest in 1815 and at first was curate at Ecully.

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