The origins of the "Golden Counsels," beloved by many people, are not clear. A pamphlet called "St. Francis de Sales: Wise and Loving Counsels" was published by Paulist Press early in the twentieth century. It seems to have been an abridgement from a French work compiled by Pere Huguet.
An English translation from the "Seventh French Edition" appeared as The Consoling Thoughts of St. Francis de Sales. Pere Huguet says that he read all the works of St. Francis with pen in hand. He noted all the passages which referred to the same subject, then arranged them as a single chapter. A page might be from seven or eight sources in Francis's writings, but almost nothing was taken from the Introduction because the author assumed everyone had a copy of that. (This use of various sources has resulted in the intertwining of first and second person. Some sections use
'we' while others are directed to 'you' as the quotations alternate from letters to sermons to published books.)
By the 1930's, a sister at the Visitation Convent in Saint Louis, Missouri, was printing the "Golden Counsels of Saint Francis de Sales," noting that it was a revision of the earlier pamphlet. It has continued to be published there and has also been adapted and published by other groups.
This present revision has been done to present Francis's ideas in contemporary English and to include information for further reading. All passages were traced to their original source in the Complete Works of Francis de Sales and then newly translated. For those passages that could not be located in the original, similar passages have been substituted. Every attempt was made to retain the wise and loving counsels that have given hope, comfort, and joy to several generations of reader.
Order Form
You may order pocket-size booklets of the Golden Counsels for quick and easy referencing from the Visitation Monastery. We ask you to include the following donation.
You may send your order to: Sr. Mary Grace McCormack, c/o Monastery of the Visitation, 3020 No. Ballas Rd., St. Louis, MO 63131. Please include the payment with your order.
Or you may email an order by filling out the form below and submitting it.
To order copies of "The Golden Counsels, fill out the following information. The bill will be enclosed with shipment.
Order Form