Today we celebrate the life and the heroic virtue of Saint John Vianney, who is one of the most extraordinary priests in the history of the Church. It's difficult to think of a saint who embodied the vocation of the parish priest more completely than him. He was not a brilliant theologian, or an eloquent preacher, or orator, or even a great organizer. In fact, he struggled academically and almost failed to become a priest because Latin was so difficult for him. And I can sympathize. Yet grace transformed what the world saw as weakness into astonishing holiness. And so it's no surprise, my brothers and sisters, that in 1929, Pope Pius XI declared him the patron saint of parish priests. He did this because Saint Vianney showed that the heart of priesthood is not brilliance, but holiness.