The Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary was founded on 6 June 1610 by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. As a man ahead of his time, St. Francis de Sales preached the call to universal holiness, encouraging men and women to become holy by being faithful to their daily duties in life. We are not to measure ourselves by the deeds we do – great or small – but by how faithfully and lovingly we do them.

This message is still as needed today as it was four centuries ago. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta was often heard paraphrasing St. Francis de Sales when she said, “We cannot do great things in this world, we can only do little things with great love.” The Salesian spirituality which bears his name has often been called “inspired common sense.”

Today, men and women, religious, priests and laity all over the world live out the advice of St. Francis de Sales and his timeless message.

In the United States, the Second Federation of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary combines the Salesian monastic tradition with the apostolate of education. Visit the websites of our different monasteries to see how the balance of prayer and education is lived in each individual community.