St. John Eudes (1601-1680)

St. John Eudes was a religious, a parish missionary, founder of two religious communities and a great promoter of the devotion to the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. His gifts as preacher and confessor won him great popularity. In his concern with the spiritual improvement of the clergy, he realized that the greatest need was for seminaries. Originally a member of the Oratorians, he had permission from his general superior, the bishop and even Cardinal Richelieu to begin this work, but the succeeding general superior disapproved. After prayer and counsel, John decided it was best to leave the Oratorians and start a new religious community. The same year he founded a new one, ultimately called the Eudists (Congregation of Jesus and Mary), devoted to the formation of the clergy by conducting diocesan seminaries. He founded another new religious community, called the Sisters of Charity of the Refuge. He is probably best known for the central theme of his writings: Jesus as the source of holiness, Mary as the model of the Christian life. He was canonized in 1925.
(From AmericanCatholic.org)