The Works of St. Francis de Sales (6 vols.)

St. Francis de Sales began An Introduction to the Devout Life as a correspondence with a married women looking to increase her spiritual devotion in the midst of a busy life; the result was a layman’s guide to the spiritual life. Each chapter is a short meditation designed to challenge and refocus the believer towards an authentic Christian life. At nearly 120 chapters, An Introduction to the Devout Life is the perfect companion for jump-starting a devotional routine or continuing a life-long journey toward spiritual maturity.

A prolific letter writer and teacher, St. Francis de Sales wrote hundreds of letters to those seeking spiritual counsel. Letters to Persons in the Religion is divided into six sections:

• Letters Previous to the Founding of the Visitation
• Earlier Letters to Sisters of the Visitation
• Later Letters to Sisters of the Visitation
• Further Letters to Religious Outside the Visitation
• General Instructions to Sisters of the Visitation
• Letters for Various Festivals

A prolific letter writer and teacher, St. Francis de Sales wrote hundreds of letters to those seeking spiritual counsel. Letters to Persons in the World is divided into seven sections:

• Letters to Young Ladies
• Letters to Married Women
• Letters to Widows
• Letters to Men of the World
• Various Letters
• Various Letters Continued
• Letters of the Saint about Himself

St. Francis de Sales’ treatise on the love of God is divided into 12 areas of study:

• Introduction to the Whole Treatise
• The Origin of Divine Love
• The Progress and Perfection of Love
• The Decay and Ruin of Charity
• The Two Chief Acts of Divine Love, Which Are Complacency and Benevolence
• The Practice of Holy Love in Prayer and Meditation
• The Union of the Soul with Its God as Perfected By Prayer
• The Love of Conformity, By Which We Unite Our Will to That of God
• The Love of Submission, By Which Our Will is United to God's Good Pleasure
• The Command to Love God Above All Things
• The Supreme Authority of Love Over All the Soul’s Virtues, Actions, and Perfections
• Counsels Concerning the Soul’s Advance in Divine Love

Found in a box by St. Jane Frances de Chantal 15 years after his death, The Mystical Explanation of the Canticle of Canticles contains St. Francis de Sales’ explanation of the Canticle of Canticles set out in the form of a meditation. The Depositions of St. Jane Frances de Chantal contains the list of deposition questions provided to St. Jane Frances de Chantal about St. Francis de Sales during the investigation for his canonization, and the answers she provided.

The Spiritual Conferences are a collection of instructions addressed to the Sisters of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary. For over two years St. Francis de Sales delivered these 21 discourses in the orchards outside of the order. Topics include confidence, cordiality, humility, generosity, and more.