A hot temper who learned gentleness, prayer teacher for the laity

Pray with Francis de Sales

Francis de Sales (1567–1622) was a Savoyard nobleman who gave up a law career and an arranged Senate seat to become a priest and, from 1602, Bishop of Geneva, governing in exile from Annecy. Remembered as the gentlest of saints, he insisted that holiness was possible for ordinary lay people in the middle of the world; his Introduction to the Devout Life has stayed in print for four centuries. He was canonized in 1665, declared a Doctor of the Church in 1877, and since 1923 is the patron saint of writers and journalists.

Patron of WritersJournalistsThe Deaf

Feast day · January 24

I Signature moments

What made Francis remarkable

The moments worth telling — the astonishing turns of a life.

c. 1586

The predestination crisis

A student in Paris, not yet twenty, he became certain he was among the damned. For weeks he could not eat or sleep, and his body gave way. What ended it was not a better argument. He went into the church of Saint-Étienne-des-Grès, knelt before an image of Our Lady, and settled it otherwise: if he could not love God for eternity, he would love him now. The dread lifted. Everything he later wrote about God stands on that floor.

Faith that lasts is rarely the faith that won a debate. He kept his by deciding what to do with the time in front of him, before he had an answer.

from 1594

The leaflets of the Chablais

In September 1594 he crossed into the Chablais, Calvinist for nearly sixty years. Being seen at a Catholic sermon cost a man his standing with his neighbours, so he stopped waiting for a congregation. He wrote short pieces by hand, slipped them under doors and pinned them to walls, week after week through two winters. People read at home what they would not be seen hearing. The sheets became The Catholic Controversy.

Two winters of writing to a valley that gave him no sign it was reading. He kept to the same hours as though a church were full.

1593

Refusing the Senate seat, ordained at Annecy

He came home from Padua in 1591 with a doctorate in law and a life arranged for him: a seat in the Senate of Savoy at Chambéry, and a marriage his father had settled. He refused both, and his father would not hear of it. What moved the old man was a letter from Rome naming Francis provost of the cathedral chapter of Geneva, an office he could recognise as an honour. He was ordained at Annecy on 18 December 1593, at twenty-six.

A vocation often shows up first as a no, and the people who love you hear only the no. His father's blessing came late. He did not wait for it.

+All 6 moments

1602

Bishop of Geneva from exile

He was consecrated on 8 December 1602, bishop of a city no bishop had lived in for two generations; since Geneva went over to the Reform the see had been kept at Annecy, on its own lake to the south. He went out on visitation through the alpine parishes, taught the catechism to children himself, and answered letters by the hundred — nuns, soldiers, mothers, magistrates, whoever wrote.

He carried the title Bishop of Geneva for twenty years and governed from another town on another lake. The mountain parishes got the bishop Geneva would not have.

1604–1610

Meeting Jane de Chantal and founding the Visitation

He preached the Lenten sermons at Dijon in 1604. Jane Frances de Chantal was in the congregation, widowed three years earlier and raising four children; the account handed down in her own order says each had already seen the other's face before that day. He did not hurry her. Six years of letters passed before anything was built. On 6 June 1610 the Visitation opened at Annecy with widows and older women other communities would not take.

Friendship in God is slow and it holds. They wrote for eighteen years, and made a house for exactly the women nobody else wanted.

1609

Introduction to the Devout Life

The book began as private letters. A married kinswoman with a household to run asked him how to pray in the middle of it, and he answered in instalments; a Jesuit who read the notes urged him to print them. He called his reader Philothea, the soul who loves God, and refused the assumption of his age that serious prayer belonged behind walls. Devotion must fit the trade, the marriage, the workshop it lives in. It has not been out of print since 1609.

Few people are free to rearrange their lives before they begin praying. Francis wrote for the ones who are not.

II In their own words

Prayer opens the understanding to the brightness of Divine Light, and the will to the warmth of Heavenly Love.
Francis de Sales · Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, ch. 1

“But especially I commend earnest mental prayer to you, more particularly such as bears upon the Life and Passion of our Lord.”
— Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II, ch. 1

“Place yourself in the Presence of God.”
— Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II (preparation for meditation)

III

Who was Francis?

François de Sales was born on 21 August 1567 at the Château de Sales near Thorens, in the Duchy of Savoy, the eldest son of a noble family that expected him to become a magistrate. He was educated by the Jesuits at the Collège de Clermont in Paris and then studied law and theology at Padua, taking a doctorate in law in 1591. His father had already chosen him a wife and a Senate seat; Francis quietly refused both, and in 1593 was ordained a priest at Annecy.

A decisive, well-documented episode from his student years shaped everything after. Around 1586, gripped by the then-fierce debates over predestination, Francis became convinced he was destined for hell. The despair made him physically ill and bedridden for weeks. The crisis broke when he prayed the Memorare before a statue of Our Lady in the Paris church of Saint-Étienne-des-Grès and resolved to love God whatever eternity held. He emerged with a conviction that never left him — that God is love — and it became the root of his famously gentle theology.

What Francis wrote

The writings that survive — and what tradition only ascribes.

Les Controverses (The Catholic Controversy) written c. 1595–1596, published posthumously the collected Chablais leaflets.
Introduction à la vie dévote (Introduction to the Devout Life) · 1609 his best-known work, revised through several editions.
Traité de l'amour de Dieu (Treatise on the Love of God) · 1616
Letters and spiritual conferences large surviving correspondence, especially with Jane de Chantal (though she destroyed much of it after his death); the Conferences were transcribed by the Visitation sisters.

Prayers

The prayers themselves, and how each one came to be.

In their own words

A Hearty Protest — the Renewal of Baptismal Vows

I, the undersigned, in the Presence of God and of all the company of Heaven, having considered the Infinite Mercy of His Heavenly Goodness towards me, a most miserable, unworthy creature, whom He has created, preserved, sustained, delivered from so many dangers, and filled with so many blessings: having above all considered the incomprehensible mercy and loving-kindness with which this most Good God has borne with me in my sinfulness, leading me so tenderly to repentance, and waiting so patiently for me till this present year of my life, notwithstanding all my ingratitude, disloyalty and faithlessness, by which I have delayed turning to Him, and despising His Grace, have offended Him anew: and further, remembering that in my Baptism I was solemnly and happily dedicated to God as His child, and that in defiance of the profession then made in my name, I have so often miserably profaned my gifts, turning them against God's Divine Majesty:—I, now coming to myself prostrate in heart and soul before the Throne of His Justice, acknowledge and confess that I am duly accused and convicted of treason against His Majesty, and guilty of the Death and Passion of Jesus Christ, by reason of the sins I have committed, for which He died, bearing the reproach of the Cross; so that I deserve nothing else save eternal damnation. But turning to the Throne of Infinite Mercy of this Eternal God, detesting the sins of my past life with all my heart and all my strength, I humbly desire and ask grace, pardon, and mercy, with entire absolution from my sin, in virtue of the Death and Passion of that same Lord and Redeemer, on Whom I lean as the only ground of my hope. I renew the sacred promise of faithfulness to God made in my name at my Baptism; renouncing the devil, the world, and the flesh, abhorring their accursed suggestions, vanities and lusts, now and for all eternity. And turning to a Loving and Pitiful God, I desire, intend, and deliberately resolve to serve and love Him now and eternally, devoting my mind and all its faculties, my soul and all its powers, my heart and all its affections, my body and all its senses, to His Will. I resolve never to misuse any part of my being by opposing His Divine Will and Sovereign Majesty, to which I wholly immolate myself in intention, vowing ever to be His loyal, obedient and faithful servant without any change or recall. But if unhappily, through the promptings of the enemy, or human infirmity, I should in anywise fail in this my resolution and dedication, I do most earnestly resolve by the grace of the Holy Spirit to rise up again so soon as I shall perceive my fall, and turn anew, without any delay, to seek His Divine Mercy. This is my firm will and intention,—my inviolable, irrevocable resolution, which I make and confirm without any reserve, in the Holy Presence of God, in the sight of the Church triumphant, and before the Church militant, which is my mother, who accepts this my declaration, in the person of him who, as her representative, hears me make it. Be pleased, O Eternal, All-Powerful, and All-Loving God,—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to confirm me in this my resolution, and accept my hearty and willing offering. And inasmuch as Thou hast been pleased to inspire me with the will to make it, give me also the needful strength and grace to keep it. O God, Thou art my God, the God of my heart, my soul, and spirit, and as such I acknowledge and adore Thee, now and for all eternity. Glory be to Jesus. Amen.

Introduction to the Devout Life (1609), Part I — 'A hearty Protest,' the solemn renewal of baptismal vows Francis composed to conclude the m

In their own words

The Morning Consecration of the Heart

Behold, O Lord, this poor and miserable heart of mine, which through Thy goodness has conceived many good affections, but which, alas, is too weak and wretched to perform the good it desires, unless Thou bestow upon it Thy heavenly blessing; which therefore I humbly beseech of Thee, O merciful Father, through the merits of the Passion of Thy Son, to whose honour I consecrate this day and all the days of my life.

Introduction to the Devout Life (1609), Part II — the Morning Exercise (the offering of the heart), a set prayer Francis composed for the re

The Church's prayer

Collect for the Feast of St. Francis de Sales

O God, who, for the salvation of souls, didst will that blessed Francis, Thy Confessor and Bishop, should become all things to all men: mercifully grant that, being filled with the sweetness of Thy love, and guided by his counsels and aided by his merits, we may attain to the joys of everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

Proper Collect for the feast of St. Francis de Sales — 29 January in the traditional Roman Missal (the saint's traditional feast); 24 Januar

In the original · Latin

Deus, qui ad animarum salutem beatum Franciscum Confessorem tuum atque Pontificem omnibus omnia factum esse voluisti: concede propitius; ut caritatis tuae dulcedine perfusi, ejus dirigentibus monitis ac suffragantibus meritis, aeterna gaudia consequamur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

The Church's prayer

Litany of St. Francis de Sales

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. Saint Francis, admirable bishop, pray for us. Saint Francis, beloved of God, pray for us. Saint Francis, imitator of Jesus Christ, pray for us. Saint Francis, filled with the gifts of the Lord, pray for us. Saint Francis, favorite of the Mother of God, pray for us. Saint Francis, most devout to the saints, pray for us. Saint Francis, burning with love for the Cross of Christ, pray for us. Saint Francis, most closely united to the Divine Will, pray for us. Saint Francis, vessel of election, pray for us. Saint Francis, light of the Church, pray for us. Saint Francis, perfect model of religious, pray for us. Saint Francis, source of wisdom, pray for us. Saint Francis, defender of the Catholic faith, pray for us. Saint Francis, good shepherd of the people, pray for us. Saint Francis, incomparable preacher, pray for us. Saint Francis, scourge of heresy, pray for us. Saint Francis, salt of the earth, pray for us. Saint Francis, model of justice, pray for us. Saint Francis, despiser of the world, pray for us. Saint Francis, lover of poverty, pray for us. Saint Francis, type of sweetness, pray for us. Saint Francis, conqueror of carnal passions, pray for us. Saint Francis, terror of devils, pray for us. Saint Francis, merciful prop to the penitents, pray for us. Saint Francis, refuge of sinners, pray for us. Saint Francis, providence of the poor, pray for us. Saint Francis, consoler of the afflicted, pray for us. Saint Francis, example of all perfection, pray for us. Saint Francis, ark of holiness, pray for us. Saint Francis, imitator of the purity of the Angels, pray for us. Saint Francis, cherub of wisdom, pray for us. Saint Francis, seraph of love, pray for us. Saint Francis, our holy patriarch, pray for us. Saint Francis, our sweet light, pray for us. Saint Francis, our mighty protector, pray for us. Saint Francis, our guide in the ways of God, pray for us. Saint Francis, our refuge, pray for us. Saint Francis, emulator of the Angels, pray for us. Saint Francis, imitator of the Apostles, pray for us. Saint Francis, sharer in the glory of the Martyrs, pray for us. Saint Francis, glory of holy confessors, pray for us. Saint Francis, teacher and director of virgins, pray for us. Saint Francis, glorious fellow citizen of all the Saints, pray for us. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Lord. V. Pray for us, Blessed St. Francis de Sales. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let us pray. O God, by Whose gracious will the Blessed Francis, Thy confessor and bishop, became all things unto all men for the saving of their souls; mercifully grant that, being filled with the sweetness of Thy love, we may, through the guidance of his counsels and the aid of his merits, attain unto the joys of everlasting life. Amen.

Traditional Litany of St. Francis de Sales (Visitation/Salesian devotion, for private use).

The Church's prayer

Novena Prayer to St. Francis de Sales

O great prelate, most blessed saint, model of bishops, the glory of the Church! Thou wast and ever shall be revered on earth as a man according to God's own heart, and a most perfect imitator of our adorable model, Jesus Christ. Thou wast the champion of the Faith whose zeal extirpated heresy; the ardent victim of charity and docile disciple of that heavenly Spirit Who spoke by thy pen, and rendered thy inspired doctrine the treasure of the Church. O good and faithful servant, thou hast now entered into the joy of thy Lord; the divine and Holy Object of thy love on earth is now thy reward exceedingly great in heaven. O amiable saint, whose tender, compassionate charity was always the refuge of the miserable, despise not our supplications. Since thy conduct on earth toward all thy fellow-creatures, particularly the weakest, marked thee out, like thy beloved Master, as the friend of sinners, show thyself such to us, by obtaining for us the intentions of this novena. Receive us, O great Master of solid perfection, into the number of those whom thou didst form according to the true spirit of the religious state. Teach us those heavenly virtues which thy blessed life, no less than thy word, so constantly inculcated. Thou wast one of the most humble of men, though gifted with all that could exalt thee before God and the world; O plant in our hearts that root of every virtue, humility. Thou wast an angel of peace, whose presence alone gave consolation to the most afflicted hearts, and whose heavenly meekness succeeded in gaining the most obdurate sinners; obtain, then, for us also that peace of God which surpasseth all understanding, and a condescending meekness in our conduct toward our neighbor. But principally teach us thy own favorite lesson of perfect conformity to the will of God, that we may repose tranquilly in the arms of His adorable Providence; that we may cast all our solicitude on God, so as "to ask for nothing and to refuse nothing;" at least to ask for nothing more earnestly than the treasure of His divine love, and to refuse nothing so resolutely as the misfortune of consenting to sin. Amen.

Traditional novena prayer to St. Francis de Sales.

The Church's prayer

Prayer to Obtain the Protection of St. Francis de Sales

O great St. Francis, glorious apostle of Jesus Christ, seraph of the earth, who didst breathe but for the glory of God; perfect imitator of thy meek and humble Saviour, and devoted child of the holy Mother of God, deign to receive me among the number of thy special clients; be henceforth my advocate, my counselor, my friend, and my father. Thy prayers, even on earth, were the instruments of innumerable miracles of grace. Oh, vouchsafe to offer one for me, now that their efficacy is so greatly increased in heaven. May my entire conversion now add another to the already countless triumphs of thy charity. Teach me, like thee, to see God in my fellow-creatures, and for His sake to make myself all to all, weeping with them that weep, rejoicing with them that rejoice. May the example of thy wondrous meekness sink into my soul and excite my earnest, persevering efforts to imitate it. Strengthen me, by thy prayers, to pursue the difficult practice of interior mortification, without which I cannot hope to possess my soul in peace and patience. Oh, enkindle in my heart one spark of the heavenly fire of charity which glowed in thine! Teach me, like thee, to seek and find my happiness in God, and to feel that it is good to live, to labor, and rejoice in Him alone. Shield me against the many perils which beset my path; watch over my immortal interests, and obtain that my soul may die the death of the just, and my last end be like unto thine. Amen.

Traditional prayer to obtain the protection of St. Francis de Sales.

The Church's prayer

Prayer to St. Francis de Sales

O glorious St. Francis, model of the interior life, and full of zeal for the salvation of souls! Obtain for me the grace to employ all my faculties, not for my own sanctification alone, but for that of my neighbor also; that continually spreading abroad the sweet odor of Jesus Christ by my words and works, I may attain with thee the blessedness promised to the merciful: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy;" and that I may one day have a share in the glory which thou dost enjoy in paradise with the angels and saints, where those who edify and instruct unto justice shall shine as stars for all eternity. Amen.

Traditional prayer to St. Francis de Sales (for the gift of charity and zeal for souls).

Prayed alongside for centuries

The Memorare — the Prayer of His Conversion

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

The Memorare — traditionally identified as the Marian prayer Francis prayed before the image of Our Lady (Notre-Dame de Bonne Delivrance) at

In the original · Latin

Memorare, O piissima Virgo Maria, non esse auditum a saeculo, quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia, tua implorantem auxilia, tua petentem suffragia, esse derelictum. Ego tali animatus confidentia, ad te, Virgo Virginum, Mater, curro; ad te venio; coram te gemens peccator assisto. Noli, Mater Verbi, verba mea despicere, sed audi propitia et exaudi. Amen.

How Francis prayed

Francis's own prayer was built on a single, simple discipline he urged on everyone: to begin by "placing yourself in the Presence of God" (Introduction to the Devout Life, Part II). He was a practitioner and teacher of what his age called mental prayer — quiet, affectionate meditation, usually on the life and Passion of Christ — recommending it be made in the morning before the day's business crowded it out. He did not treat prayer as the preserve of cloisters. His whole originality was to hand a working method of daily meditation to lay people busy with families, trades and courts, and to insist they could reach real holiness there.

His spirituality was rooted in the conviction won during his youthful crisis: that God is love, and that the soul should respond with trust rather than fear. He counselled short, frequent turnings to God through the day — what he called "spiritual retreats" into the heart — and a gentle patience with one's own failures, beginning again each morning. He carried an intense devotion to Our Lady, dating from the moment at Saint-Étienne-des-Grès when he consecrated himself to her, and a Christ-centred, Eucharistic piety. Much of what we know of his interior life comes through his letters of spiritual direction and the Conferences his Visitation sisters transcribed; the fuller record of his correspondence with Jane de Chantal was largely destroyed by her after his death, so his most private prayer is known chiefly through the counsel he gave others.

Praying with the saints

Francis, Mary, and the rosary

Francis de Sales did not merely live after the Rosary took its modern shape — he taught it. In his Introduction to the Devout Life, the handbook of prayer he wrote for ordinary laypeople, he commends the beads among the devotions of a Christian day, with a caution that is pure Francis: let the heart lead and mental prayer come first, so that the words carry devotion rather than replace it.

His own Marian devotion was personal and hard-won. As a young student in Paris around 1586–87, Francis fell into a terrifying conviction that he was damned. He found his way out on his knees before an image of Our Lady at the church of Saint-Étienne-des-Grès, consecrating himself to her and praying the prayer he would love for the rest of his life:

“Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.”
The Memorare

He rose freed of the darkness and never forgot who had carried him through it. And he gave that devotion an institution: with Jane Frances de Chantal he founded the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary (1610), named for the Gospel scene in which Mary carries Christ to Elizabeth — the very mystery a Catholic contemplates in the second joyful decade of the Rosary.

Take it further

Hand-strung in Europe

The Francis rosary

Francis on the centrepiece, faceted glass in your colour, the crucifix in your finish.

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The Francis book

Take home what you found here — Francis's path, prayers and paintings, deepened in one lasting volume.

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Pray with others

Catherine of Siena →

Mystic and Doctor of the Church who told popes their minds

Jesus Christ →

God made man, who withdrew to the mountains at night to pray

Mary, Mother of God →

Sang the Magnificat: God casts the mighty from their thrones

VI Patron of

Patron of what — and why

Some of it a life decided. Some of it a pope declared.

Writers

Declared 26 January 1923

The Church holds Francis up as the model writer because he put the whole path of holiness into warm, plain language for ordinary lay readers. His Introduction to the Devout Life and Treatise on the Love of God became handbooks of prayer for people who would never enter a monastery.

Pope Pius XI, encyclical Rerum omnium perturbationem (1923); his own works Introduction to the Devout Life (1609) and Treatise on the Love of God (1616).

Journalists

Declared 26 January 1923

On his mission to win back the Calvinist Chablais, Francis found the people would not come to hear him preach, so he wrote — printing short tracts and, by tradition, slipping them under doors and posting them on walls. This early 'apostolate of the leaflet' is why the Church names him patron of journalists and the Catholic press.

Pope Pius XI, encyclical Rerum omnium perturbationem (26 January 1923).

The Deaf

From about 1605 Francis took in a deaf beggar named Martin, devised a set of hand-signs to teach him the faith, and prepared him to receive Communion. His patient care for a man the world could not reach made him patron of the deaf and of their teachers.

Salesian and hagiographic tradition (the Martin episode, recounted from the earliest Lives). Not a formal papal declaration.

The Salesians of Don Bosco

St. John Bosco chose Francis as patron and named his congregation the Salesians (1859) for the saint's gentleness and patience in winning souls, making Francis the namesake and heavenly patron of one of the Church's largest religious families.

Historical: St. John Bosco's founding of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, 1859.

Frequently asked

What is Saint Francis de Sales the patron saint of?+

He is the patron of writers, journalists, and the Catholic press — declared by Pope Pius XI in the 1923 encyclical Rerum omnium perturbationem, on the third centenary of the saint's death — and the patron of the deaf, rooted in his patient teaching of a deaf man named Martin. St. John Bosco later named his Salesian congregation after him for his gentleness.

When is the feast day of Saint Francis de Sales?+

24 January. He died on 28 December 1622 in Lyon, but his feast is kept on 24 January, the day associated with the return of his body to Annecy. Before the 1969 calendar reform his feast was celebrated on 29 January.

Why is Francis de Sales a Doctor of the Church?+

Pope Pius IX declared him a Doctor of the Church in 1877. He is often called the 'Doctor of Charity' (Doctor Caritatis). His great teaching was that devotion and holiness are not reserved for priests and nuns but are meant for everyone — the merchant, the married woman, the soldier — lived out gently in ordinary duties.

Did Francis de Sales pray the Rosary?+

Yes. Unlike saints who lived before the Rosary took its modern form, Francis (1567-1622) lived in the era when it was fully established, and he recommended it in his Introduction to the Devout Life: 'The Rosary is a useful devotion when rightly used.' He also had a deep Marian devotion, having consecrated himself to Our Lady after praying the Memorare during a spiritual crisis as a young man.

What did Francis de Sales write?+

His two most famous works are the Introduction to the Devout Life (1609), a practical guide to prayer and holiness addressed to a laywoman, and the Treatise on the Love of God (1616). Both were written for ordinary people rather than scholars, which is exactly why he became the patron of writers.

Why is Francis de Sales the patron saint of the deaf?+

Around 1605 he took in a deaf beggar named Martin, who had been deaf from birth. Francis developed a set of hand-signs to teach him the faith, catechized him personally, and prepared him to receive First Communion, later keeping him in his household. This care for the deaf is why he is venerated as their patron.

Was Francis de Sales really as gentle as his reputation?+

His gentleness was famous but not effortless. Biographers and the Salesian tradition recount that he was by nature quick-tempered and worked for years to master it, which is why his gentleness is presented as a hard-won virtue rather than an easy disposition. This is what drew St. John Bosco to name the Salesians after him.

Did Francis de Sales found the Salesians?+

No — that is a common confusion. Francis de Sales died in 1622. The Salesians were founded much later, in 1859, by St. John Bosco, who named his Society of St. Francis de Sales after him because he admired the saint's gentle, patient method of winning souls. The order Francis himself co-founded, with Jane Frances de Chantal in 1610, was the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary.

Sources & further reading+

Wikidata Q231256 — identity, dates, titles, canonization, feast day · reliability: high.
Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), "St. Francis de Sales" (New Advent / Wikisource) — full biography, Chablais mission, episcopate, death · reliability: high.
Encyclopædia Britannica, "Saint Francis of Sales" — education, ordination, Bishop of Geneva, works, Doctor of the Church · reliability: high.
Wikipedia, "Francis de Sales" and "Jane Frances de Chantal" — predestination crisis, Dijon meeting (1604), founding of the Visitation (1610), death in Lyon, heart kept in Lyon, patron of writers named by Pius XI (1923) · reliability: medium-high (aggregated; cross-checked against the above).
Francis de Sales, *Introduction to the Devout Life*, public-domain English edition (H. B. Mackey trans.; CCEL) — all verbatim quotations and the morning-offering prayer · reliability: high (primary text).
Aleteia / EWTN GB features on the 1586 crisis and the *Memorare* at Saint-Étienne-des-Grès — detail of the despair episode and its resolution · reliability: medium (devotional, but consistent with the biographical record).