The Wondrous Childhood of the Most Holy Mother of God

by John Eudes

Saint John Eudes was born at Ri, a country parish near Caen, Normandy, in 1601. Endowed with extraordinary talents and filled with burning zeal for the salvation of souls, he devoted 50 years of life, until his death in 1680, to the preaching of missions and to the organization of ecclesiastical seminaries. He founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, generally known as the Eudist Fathers, for missionary and seminary work; the Order of Our Lady of Charity with its two observances of the Refuge and of the Good Shepherd; the Society of the Most Admirable Heart for lay persons aspiring to perfection in the world; and lastly, Confraternities of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary for the propagation among the faithful of the devotion, of which he was the first apostle. He wrote the first Mass and Office for the special feast in honor of the Sacred Heart and of the Holy Heart of Mary, which he established thirty years before the revelations of the Sacred Heart to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.

290 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2004

About the author

John Eudes, C.J.M. (French: Jean Eudes) was a French missionary and priest, who founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge, and was the author of the propers for the Mass and Divine Office of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church.

Reviews

[ShepherdsDelight · Rating 5 out of 5]

96/100 (= 5.7/6) ≈ 5 Stars

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Another book that I'm daunted by the task of trying to praise adequately. It's that good. His other book that I read, "Admirable Heart" didn't strike me the way this one did. Maybe I was too young. I don't know how to say it. The style of the writing is just so elevated compared to so many other books on the spiritual life. There's no fluff. It's also written so saintly, attempting to awaken love in his readers. Written like a prayer, so very humbly. As for the subject matter, incredible mysteries are asserted, but based on Tradition passed down through the Fathers, etc. It's very edifying to hear the same things told from Tradition that one might hear from private revelation.