An entirely new Translation, Complete & Unabridged 

by Frs. Antony Mookenthottam msfs, Armind Nazareth msfs, Antony Kolencherry msfs

Bangalore, India: SFS Publications, 1995

Francis had first pulled the book together rather quickly between 1607 and 1608 in the midst of his busy schedule by reworking a series of memos he had written to Madame de Charmoisy and others like her. Because he often responded to people's requests for advice on the Christian life and because they often shared what he had to say with their friends, Fran­cis had made it a habit to write, alongside his personal letters of spiritual guidance particularly tailored to respond to the needs of the addressee, more general memos of advice that could be circulated among a circle of acquaintances. He had reworked the memos sent to Louise de Charmoisy into chapter form and ad­dressed them to an imaginary "Philothea," a feminine name that means simply "lover of God."

This little book, Introduction to the Devout Life, became an im­mediate success throughout the Europe of Francis' day. Both its popularity and the fact that after the first printing sold out, pirated and unauthorized editions were widely circulated, prompted the bishop to expand the work the next year. The ver­sion that lay on Francis' desk in 1610 was an enlarged five-part version of the original manuscript. In subsequent years he was to refine it even more, finally (in 1619) producing the work in the form familiar to readers well into the twentieth century. In the intervening three centuries the Introduction has gone through innumerable printings and been translated into dozens of lan­guages, making it one of the most enduring of religious classics in the Christian tradition.

At the time of its first printing the book on the devout life filled a very real need in Catholic culture. Interest in the spiritual life was high among persons in all walks of life. Many of the classic works on prayer and spiritual practices were newly available in vernacular translations and people were hungry to read them. People were also seeking out guides to the spiritual life, and men like Francis, who had much to say on the topic, were in great de­mand. Yet because so many of the classic treatments on prayer were written for and by individuals in the monastic vocation and thus reflected a spirituality appropriate to a life of withdrawal, and because able spiritual directors were not easy to come by, there was a crying need for a book that could distil some of the collective wisdom of centuries of Christian experience and make it accessible to persons in various walks of life.

(Credit: Wendy M. Wright, "Francis de Sales and the Introduction to the Devout Life," in Francis de Sales,

New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997)