Answer: One afternoon Francis de Sales was riding his horse. He fell three times. Each time his scabbard fell from his belt and the sword fell from the scabbard. Each of the three times his scabbard and the sword formed a cross. Francis de Sales took this as a sign that he was meant to follow Christ.
Francis de Sales (1567 – 1622) was born into nobility and was well educated. Despite his father's wishes, he received Holy Orders in 1593. His book, Introduction to the Devout Life, enjoyed wide popularity and was well received in both Protestant and Catholic circles. In 1923, Pope Pius XI proclaimed him a patron of writers and journalists. The Vatican Post Office used St. Francis de Sales image on two of the eight stamps issued for the 1936 Catholic Press Conference.
St. Francis de Sales
Catholic Press Conference Issue
Scott # 53-54 (1936)
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