OUR FOUNDER

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Fr. Peter Marie Mermier was born on 28th august 1790, in Savoy, France. It was a time when French revolution had brought deep spiritual crisis and people became indifferent towards their religious duties. Peter’s parents risked their lives by helping priests perform their duties secretly. Peter had the rare chance of assisting these priests at the Holy Eucharistic celebrations which motivated him to make a decision for the lord. The revolutionaries had closed churches and schools. So Peter Mermier had his primary education by his own mother. He did his secondary school studies in Melan. In 1807 he joined the major seminary in Chambery and was ordained priest on 21st march 1813. He worked as assistant parish priest, teacher at the college of Melan and parish priest in 1819.

Fr.peter Mermier was a tireless worker with unbounded zeal. He preached parish missions to enliven the people in true faith, and felt the necessity of a religious congregation of missionaries and the meaning of the patronage of St. Francis de Sales. A small group of missionaries were formed who were known as missionaries of Annecy. Fr. Mermier founded the congregation of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales for parish mission, foreign mission and education of the youth. His missionary zeal impelled him to ask the Holy Father for a mission abroad and accept mission territory in India, when there were eleven members. Today the congregation has more than thousand three hundred members. In India there are six provinces and the SFS School Jhajjar belongs to the Province of Nagpur. Fr. Mermier left his heavenly abode on 30 September 1862.

He passed away at the age of fifty-five of cerebral hemorrage at Lyons on 28th December, 1622. On 28th decembr, 1661 he was beatified by Pope Alexander VI and was canonized on 19th November 1877 by pope Pius IX. Pius IX proclaimed him as the Heavenly patron of all the writers, on January 26, 1923.St. Francis de Sales is the apostle of Chablais, the gentleman saint, a Doctor of the church and the patron of writers. Various religious congregations have been founded under the patronage of St.Francis de Sales. And he is the heavenly patron of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales also known as Fransalians.