Savoy France, 1592. Francis' desire to spend his life in the service of the church is about to become a reality. But now he faces a new challenge that may endanger his life. The Saints. Adventures of faith and courage. Francis DeSales. Episode 3, To the Shablé. Listen to all the episodes and discover new shows at thesaintspodcast.com. Excuse me, Monsieur de Boise. But there's a gentleman here to see you. Who is it, Antonette? Count Rocher. Show him into the library and tell him I'll be there shortly. Oui, Monsieur. But dearest, François has something to tell us. Yes, of course. You were saying that if I grant you something, you'll never ask anything of me again? Yes. So what is it? And why is this all so mysterious? I don't mean to make it mysterious. It's just that... Well, I've received some rather amazing news from the Bishop of Genève. The Bishop? Yes, and the Pope actually. Pope Clement? What is it? I visited Louis yesterday and he gave me this. What's this? I don't understand. Without telling me, Louis spoke with Bishop Gagnet about naming me Provost of the Diocese of Genève. I can't believe it! Nor could I. That's an enormous honour! Yes, and then the Bishop asked Louis to go to Pope Clement to make it official. Let me see that document. But you're not a priest. Don't you have to be a priest to be a Provost? Yes. Then... I have a law degree. Because of that, the Bishop says ordination will come quickly. You're accepting this position? Yes. But I thought... What about the Senate? That's not what I want for my life, Father. I want to be a priest to spend my life serving God. My dear, this guarantees a brilliant ecclesiastical career for François. That's what you hope, Madame. Oh, but it certainly does! Our son, a Provost in the church! This is what you desire, François? I desire to serve the church and its people in any way I can. I see. Well then, it looks like what I've envisioned for you is over. I never wanted to hurt you, Father. I'm sorry if I'm disappointing you. Well, perhaps your younger brother Antoine will be a senator one day. François, give me a hug. I'm so proud of you! Thank you, Mama. Father, I'm sorry. Thank you, Mama. Father, will you grant me this and give me your blessing? It's clear I'll only lose time arguing with you. Go then, and serve God only. Thank you, Father. Grant, we pray, Almighty Father, to this your servant, François De Saël, the dignity of the priesthood. Renew deep within him the spirit of holiness. May he henceforth possess this office which comes from you, O God, and by the example of his manner of life, may he instill right conduct. Amen. This was a great idea of yours, Louis. Being out in the countryside is just what I needed. What I needed, too, François. By the way, I'm still thinking about that omelette of yours last Sunday. The measure of love is to love without measure. Which includes having patience. We must be patient with all things, but especially with ourselves. Not always easy. Never easy. I struggle with it every day. No one would know. Thanks to the Blessed Mother, when I feel my blood rising, I immediately invoke her intercession. Oh, look! An eagle! To soar on the wind like that, how magnificent! O Lord, your creation is a miracle of splendor and beauty. It is indeed. François, remember when I said how wonderful it would be if we could work together in the church? I do. And here we are, working together at the Cathedral in Arnazis. How long have we been here? Almost a year. I wonder what Deser-Granier wants to see us about tomorrow. He said he had a mission in mind for us. Well, it will be interesting to find out. Welcome, Father Louis and Father François. Hello, Your Excellency. Please, sit down, both of you. Thank you, Your Excellency. I'm concerned about our people in the Chablis. Although the Duke of Savoy has regained control of the region, Calvinism has put down deep roots. Anti-Catholic feelings are becoming increasingly violent. It's an abomination. Indeed. Out of 30,000 of our people, barely 100 remain Catholic. And that number recedes daily. Of course. Because they are afraid. All our churches were destroyed. The statues torn down. The crosses burned. They fear the prizels. Which is why I wanted to speak with you. We must have a presence there. Then our mission is to the Chablis. They need to hear the truth. The lies of the Calvinists must be refuted. But it won't be easy. Anti-Catholicism there can be vicious, even life-threatening. Especially when they find out we're priests. Yes. Your Excellency, if you believe we can be useful in this mission, I'm ready to go. So am I. Oh, God bless you both. As much as I'll miss you here, you're the only priests in the diocese capable of taking on such a mission. Thank you for your confidence. But, I warn you, your lives will be in danger. Every day. No. No, no, no. I forbid it. Father, I allowed you to serve the church. But I cannot give you up to be a martyr. Your father is right, François. You could be killed if you enter the Chablis. God will be with us. Yes, but… And if he's with us, it doesn't matter where we go. Oh, François. Here we are, Louis, on the feast of the exaltation of the Holy Cross, entering the Chablis. Feeding day to begin. How are you doing? This pack on my back is feeling heavier by the hour. At least there's a forming on my feet. Should we take a rest? No. Let's keep going. We're almost at the border. Look, in the distance. The ruins of a church. Ow! What's this on the ground? A broken wood cross. We should kneel and pray, Louis. Right here by this fallen cross as we enter the Chablis. Dear Father of all, O Master of the universe, hear our prayer. May you bless our time here. May we be vehicles for your words and instruments of your peace. May hearts and minds be turned back to you. May we rebuild your sanctuaries, re- erect your altars, and gather the lost sheep into the true fold. We thank you and praise you, Father, for counting us worthy to serve you. And may the name of your Son, Jesus, be glorified. We ask all these things through His holy and precious blood. Amen. Amen. It certainly looks like we'll be safe inside this fortress, Louis. It's definitely impressive. Look at those cannons. We just need to make it over the bridge. Father Francois, Father Louis, welcome to Château des Alanges. I'm Baron Dermans. Hello Baron, it's nice to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to give us lodging Baron. I'm delighted to meet both of you. And staying here is, for your safety, a necessity. That's what Bishop Grenier said. He's right. There are many in the Chablis who won't be happy to see you, especially in Tonant, the capital. Where we'll be spending most of our time. When will you begin? Tomorrow. I'll be sending soldiers with you. That won't be necessary. For your well-being, it is. The Calvinists may have used force to persuade the people here, Baron, but that's not what we'll be doing. What will you be doing? Talking with them, preaching to them, but with charity, kindness. You will take swords with you? No. No weapons of any kind? We have the best weapons available. What are those? The Sword of the Spirit. The Divine Word. Very commendable, fathers, but those are the weapons the Calvinists hate, especially when wielded by Romanists. They'll want to stop you at any cost. That's just the chance we'll have to take. Hi, this is Peter Atkinson from The Mary Beggars. Tune in to episode four, Winning Back Souls, to hear the next installment of Francis De Sales. Listen to all the episodes and discover new shows at thesaintspodcast.com.
