Leaping from heaven to earth and from earth to heaven again: the missionary style of St Francis de Sales yesterday and today

Abstract

The main research question that this dissertation is seeking to answer is: How can the missionary style of St Francis de Sales as seen through his life and written work, inspire an effective sharing of the Good News of the Gospel in the world today? This question is important to ask because times are always changing and there is a need to look carefully at the way the Gospel is being brought to the souls of our contemporary society. As a natural result of the research question, others naturally follow: What can we learn and apply from past missionaries like Francis de Sales with regard to the work of evangelisation? Are the methods used to evangelise effective today? How can we adapt to the changing times to ensure that our evangelisation efforts are relevant to contemporary society? How can we adapt our efforts and yet avoid diluting the teachings of the Catholic Church as we use the language and images of contemporary society to proclaim the Good News? Ultimately, how relevant are Francis de Sales’ methods today? References will be made to contemporary authors throughout the dissertation to show the relevance of Francis’ de Sales missionary style in the present as it was in the past.