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Francis de Sales (21 August 1567 – 28 December 1622) was a French Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva where he worked to restore the Church after the tumult of the Calvinist Reformation movement. He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation. He is known also for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, particularly the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God. He inspired religious congregations as well as St. John Bosco to form the Silesian Family of congregations in the 19th century. 
De Sales was canonized in 1665 and named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1877. In 1923, Pope Pius XI proclaimed him a patron of writers and journalists, because he made extensive use of broadsheets (newspaper format) and books both in spiritual direction and in his efforts to convert the Calvinists of the region. De Sales developed a sign language in order to teach a deaf man about God. Because of this, he is also the patron saint of the deaf. The Roman Catholic Church celebrates St Francis de Sales' feast on 24 January, the day of his burial in 1624. 
The UFN features the commemoration of the 450th anniversary of St. Francis de Sales' birth in the Southeastern French border town of Thorens-Glières. Artist Marco Ventura depicts de Sales in front of a stained-glass window with a quill pen because he is patron of journalists and writers. The €2,55 stamp was printed in sheets of ten. 
View the reference below for an interesting article on Marco Ventura that appeared in the 2018 Vatican Notes: Volume: 66 Issue: 377 Page: 48-51. 
Reference: <a href='https://vaticanstamps.org/vaticannotes/idisplay.php?p=66-377-48-49&r=0'>Essays of the Francis de Sales Stamp</a>

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