WELCOME

DESALES SECULAR INSTITUTE (DSI)

The primary mission of our DeSales Secular Institute is to share and promote Salesian  spirituality. Francis de Sales was the Bishop  of Geneva in the 16th Century during the  counter-reformation, when Calvinism was  taking root in Western Europe. A Doctor of  the Universal Church and Doctor of Divine  Love his writings begin with the premise that  every Christian in every walk of life can lead a  devout life. By following his simple techniques Christians are able to advance in love of God and neighbor.
For more information on DSI, visit us at www.desalessecularinstitute.org or download our brochure below.

dsi_pamphlet.pdf

DIRECTION OF INTENTION

My God and Savior, grant me the help of Your Grace. Through love for You, I offer to Your Divine Goodness all the good that I may do in this action. I promise to bear with interior peace and meekness of heart all the trouble and humiliation which I may meet with therein, as coming from Your fatherly hand, for I know it is Your holy intention to make me merit by this means so as to reward me afterwards out of the abundance of Your love.

Short Form: My God, grant me the grace to perform this action with You and through love for You. In advance, I offer You all the good I may do and accept all the pain and trouble I may meet therein.

Introduction to the Devout Life

INTRODUCTION TO DEVOUT LIFE
Excerpt from Fr. John Conmy, OSFS

The Introduction was published in 1609, there were four (4) schools of spirituality that exercised considerable influence. One can find their counterparts in the world of today. They can be characterized as follows:

1. School of flight from the world.
2. School of accommodation with the world.
3. Mystical school of direct union with God.
4. Pastoral school of bringing the richness of spiritual life into the life of every person.

In all four schools, there are elements of truth which St. Francis de Sales incorporated into his system, but he is preeminently a member of the fourth school. His teachings cover the union of the temporal and the eternal, of the spiritual and the material is the Introduction.

Five major parts made up the Introduction to the Devout
Life:

PART I – UNITS 1-5
I – History of the Introduction, and Preface
2 – Nature and Effects of the Devout Life: Chapters 1-4
3 – First Purification: Chapters 5-6
4 – Second Purgation: Chapters 7-21
5 – Purgation from Lesser Evils: Chapters 22-24
PART II – UNITS 1-6
1 – Prayer and the Forms of Prayer: Chapter 1
2 – Meditation: Chapters 2-9
3 – Five Shorter Forms of Prayer: Chapters 10-13
4 – The Mass: Chapter 14
5 – Helps in Our Life of Prayer: Chapters 15-18
6 – The Sacraments: Chapters 19-21
PART III – UNITS 1-10
1 – Guidelines in Choosing the Virtues to Practice: Chapters 1-2
2 – Patience and Humility: Chapters 3-7
3 – Meekness and Peace of Mind: Chapters 8-10
4 – The Evangelical Counsels: Chapters 11-16
5 – Friendship: Chapters 17-22
6 – Moderation and the Mature Person: Chapters 23-25
7 – Speech: Chapters 26-30
8 – Recreation: Chapters 31-34
9 – Three Basic Guidelines: Chapters 35-37
10 – The States of Life: Chapters 38-41
PART IV –  UNITS 1-4
1 – Sources of Discouragement: Chapters 1-2
2 – Temptations: Chapters 3-10
3 – Natural Sources of Temptation: Chapters 11-12
4 – Spiritual Sources: Chapters 13-15
PART V – UNITS 1-5
1 – Necessity of Renewal: Chapter 1
2 – Examination of the Resolution We Took: Chapter 2
3 – Examination of Conscience: Chapters 3-8
4 – Considerations to Strengthen Resolutions: Chapters 9-16
5 – Epilogue: Chapters 17-18

DEDICATORY PRAYER

Ah, sweet Jesus, my Lord, my Savior, and my God, behold me here prostrate before Your Majesty as I pledge and consecrate this work to Your glory. By Your blessing give life to its words  so that the souls for whom it has been written may receive from it the sacred  inspirations I desire for them, in particular that of imploring Your  infinite mercy in my behalf to the end that while I point out to others the way of devotion in this world I myself may not be rejected and eternally condemned in the other, but that with them I may forever sing as a canticle of triumph, words that with my whole heart I utter in witness of fidelity amid the hazards of this mortal life:

            LIVE JESUS! 

Yes, Lord, Jesus, live and reign in our hearts forever and ever. Amen.

Treatise of the Love of God

TREATISE ON THE LOVE OF GOD
By St. Francis de Sales

Treatise on the Love of God is a manual intended to help believers strengthen their devotion to God. St. de Sales describes his
project by saying, “It is truly my intention to represent simply and naively, without art, still more without false colors, the history of the birth, progress, decay, operations, properties, advantages and excellences of divine love.” The Treatise is divided into twelve (12) books.

+ Books 1 through 4 explain the nature of the human soul and provide the history of
divine love.

+ Book 5 explores the two principle exercises of love, namely, sacred complacency and
benevolence.

+ Books 6 and 7 discuss the importance of practicing love through prayer.

+ Books 8 and 9 express the importance of submitting to God’s will.

+ Books 10 through 12 are devoted to exploring the practical importance of God’s holy love in our lives. St. de Sales’ Treatise is a captivating depiction of love.

The following twelve (12) books made up the Treatise on the Love of God:

+ Book I – Containing a Preparation for the Whole Treatise
+ Book II – The History of the Generation and Heavenly Birth of Divine Love
+ Book III – Of the Progress and Perfection of
Love
+ Book IV – Of the Decay and Ruin of Charity
+ Book V – Of the Two Principal Exercises of Holy Love, Which Consist In Complacency and Benevolence
+ Book VI – Of the Exercises of Holy Love in
Prayer
+ Book VII – Of the Union of the Soul with Her God, Which is Perfected in Prayer
+ Book VIII – Love of Conformity, by Which We Unite Our Will to the Will of God, Signified unto Us by His Commandments, Counsels and Inspirations
+ Book IX – Love of Submission, Whereby our Will is United to God’s Good-Pleasure
+ Book X – Commandment of Loving God above All Things
+ Book XI – Sovereign Authority, Which Sacred Love Holds over All the Virtues, Actions and Perfections of the Soul
+ Book XII – Containing Certain Counsels for the Progress of the Soul in Holy Love