St John Eudes

French priest. Founder of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. John was born in 1601 to a farming family in Ri, Normandy. He was educated by the Jesuits at Caen. In 1623, inspired by Philip Neri, he joined the French Oratorians, staying with them for 20 years, preaching and caring for the sick during a series of epidemics that swept through France.

He was one of the most popular preachers of his day. He also found many women's refuges. In 1643 he founded his new congregation dedicated to improving the standard of education of priests in seminaries. The 'Eudist family' now, is composed of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and the Little Sisters of the Poor, and the Associates.

St John developed a strong devotion to the Sacred Heart. He taught about the mystical unity of the hearts of Jesus and Mary writing: 'You must never separate what God has so perfectly united. So closely are Jesus and Mary bound up with each other that whoever beholds Jesus sees Mary; whoever loves Jesus, loves Mary; whoever has devotion to Jesus, has devotion to Mary. The most striking characteristic of the teaching of St John Eudes on Devotion to the Sacred Heart - as indeed of his whole teaching on the spiritual life - is that Christ is always its centre.'

He died on this day in Caen, at the age of 79, after preaching in the open air every day for nine weeks.

He was canonised in 1925.