St. John Eudes
Patron Saint of Missionaries and the Congregation of Jesus and Mary
St. John Eudes was a French priest and a member of the Oratory of Jesus until 1643. He left the Oratory of Jesus when he founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, known as the Eudists, in 1643. He spent his life promoting devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary. As a young priest, he preached in over 100 parish missions and founded several different monasteries. In 1641, two years before founding the Eudists, Eudes founded the Order of Our Lady of Charity to help prostitutes escape their former lives. Both communities remain active in their ministries today. He is a patron saint of missionaries.