He was confessor and protector of Saint Margret Mary Alacoque, the visiting visionary of the Sacred Heart.
Newsroom (16/02/2026, Gaudium Press) Saint Claude de la Colombière was born in 1641 near Lyon, France, in Saint-Symphorien, from a family of justice magistrates. His mother passed on her faith, without falling on the good ground of her noble spirit.
He was a student of the Jesuits of Lyon, training that marked their spirit, and began to teach in the Company. Being a student, his current career was chosen as preceptor of two sons of Louis XIV’s famous economic minister, Colbert.
Allí, in turn, in addition to receiving much knowledge, became a hidalgo.
El P. Nicolás La Pesse, editor of his “Sermones”, describes the main features of his character:
“A living spirit, a sure, fine and penetrating judgment, a noble soul, savoir faire [know how to do] and grace. He was distinguished above all by his way of thinking and by his elegance and precision of expression. When he speaks with the people, his distinction and sweetness conquers their spirits and their hearts. The union with God shines through on his face and in his words. The prayer in this was habitual. As it was straight and enlightened, I considered with extreme justice any subject that he had to deal with.”
He was ordained a priest in 1669, and was sent to teach at the Colegio de la Trinidad, for 3 years. He vowed to “observe the Constitutions [of the Compañía de Jesus], the common rules, the rules of modesty and of the Priestly life” in an excellent manner.
“You need to be a saint to make saints” he wrote one day, and for that reason he asked God to achieve this degree of virtue, which he was granted.
Go to Paray-Le-Monial
One day his authority was transferred as superior of the Jesuits of Paray-le Monial. Ahí, in the convent of the visitors of that city, He met a nun who decided to be favored with mystical graces, Sr. Marget Mary.
When the nun knew him, he heard an inner voice that told him: “Here is the one I send you”. Father Claudio became her spiritual director, whom the world knew as the Holy Mystic of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This Jesuit – recognized for her prudence and virtue – served as the nun’s defense.
But with obedience, Saint Claudio moved to England. I was chosen as the confessor of the wife of what would become King James II. This occurred in 1676.
His personality began to attract many people. He visited the sick, rescued the apostasy of many priests, instilled devotion to the Sacred Heart. But the hatred of the demon and heresies broke loose, and Saint Claudio was falsely accused of a plot against the king, for which he was sent to the dark dungeons of the King’s Bench.
In December 1678 he was expelled from England to France. He was very sick, in prison he had developed tuberculosis.
Before he died, he instilled among the Jesuits close to him the devotion to the Heart of Jesus.
He died in Paray-Le-Monial on February 15, 1681.
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
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