On November 14, 1601, John Eudes—the son of a farmer—was born in Ri, Normandy, France. He enrolled in the Jesuit college in Caen when he was 14 years old, and in 1623, against the wishes of his parents, he joined the Congregation of the Oratory of France. After completing his studies in Paris and Aubervilliers, he was ordained in 1625. He then spent the following ten years conducting missions, earning acclaim for his outstanding preaching and confessional abilities as well as his opposition to Jansenism.

He developed a passion for assisting downtrodden women and, in 1641, together with Madeleine Lamy, established a sanctuary for them at Caen that was run by the Visitandines. In 1643, he left the Oratorians and established the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (the Eudists), a group of non-denominational priests who are committed to preaching missions and elevating the clergy by creating successful seminaries.

The Oratorians and Jansenists opposed his foundation, and he was unable to secure papal approval for it. Nevertheless, in 1650, the Bishop of Coutances urged him to start a seminary in that diocese. Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge was the new congregation that the Bishop of Bayeux recognized after the sisters in his refuge in Caen left the Visitandines that year.

In an effort to get papal sanction for his congregation, John founded schools in Lisieux in 1653 and Rouen in 1659. He was unsuccessful in this endeavor, but in 1666 Pope Alexander III approved the Refuge sisters as an institution to recover and care for penitent wayward women. John kept up his charitable work and founded additional seminaries in Evreux (1666) and Rennes (1670).

Together with St. Mary Margaret Alacoque, he had the honor of founding devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (he wrote the Mass for the Sacred Heart in 1668) and the Holy Heart of Mary. He popularized these devotions with his "The Devotion to the Adorable Heart of Jesus" (1670) and "The Admirable Heart of the Most Holy Mother of God" (1680), which he completed a month before his death at Caen on August 19, 1680.

Pope Pius X beatified him on April 25, 1909, in Saint Peter's Basilica in the Kingdom of Italy, and Pope Pius XI canonized him there on May 31, 1925. August 19th is his feast day. He is the patron saint of missionaries, the Diocese of Baie-Comeau, the Order of Our Lady of Charity, and Eudists.

Other Saints of the Day
Saint Namadia
Saint Donatus
Saint Julius
Saint Andrew the Tribune
Saint Mochta