Jane Frances de Chantal, Wife, Mother and Religious

Jane Frances was born in Dijon, France. At the age of twenty, she married Baron Christopher de Chantal. The couple had seven children, three of whom died in infancy. When her husband died in a hunting accident in 1601, Jane Frances sank into a depression. She and her children moved into her father-in-law's house when he threatened to disinherit her children.  Despite his oppressiveness, she managed to regain her cheerfulness and raise her children in a happy atmosphere. Inspired by Francis de Sales, Jane made provisions for her children’s care and, along with three other women, formed the first community of Visitation nuns. During the last years of her life, Jane suffered a spiritual dryness. She overcame these cares and worries by losing herself in God. “To live no more in oneself, but lost in God, is the most sublime perfection which the soul can reach,” was Jane Frances’ advice to those with misgivings and concerns.

All of us experience spiritual dryness at some point in our lives, a time when God seems to have abandoned us. Jane’s advice “to live no more in oneself, but lost in God,” offers wise words of counsel. We can persevere, as she did, in our faith life despite not feeling connected to God.