(1572-1641) Jane (Jeanne in French) was born to nobility in Dijon, France. She married Baron de Chantal at 20, had four children, and her husband died in her arms following a hunting accident when she was 28. Jane took a vow of chastity and became a close friend and spiritual student of Saint Frances de Sales. At 38, she founded the Order of the Visitation of Our Lady, which was established for women who felt a call to religious life but not the level of asceticism common in orders of that time.

Jane asked very specifically in her prayer that God send her a guide. She received a vision of Saint Frances de Sales before ever having met him. A sponsor is an essential part of 12-Step recovery. This is not a program we do on our own or in our own way. In the words of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, “Anyone who takes himself for his own spiritual director is the disciple of a fool.” Have you touched base with your sponsor lately? Have you considered sponsoring others?

“Hold your eyes on God and leave the doing to him. That is all the doing you have to worry about” (Saint Jane Frances de Chantal).

Reflection by Brad Farmer