One of the most profoundly influential and deeply inspirational saints in the last five centuries of the Church, St. Francis de Sales is famous for his personality and writings, which have earned him, respectively, the appellation "The Gentleman Saint" and the designation Doctor of the Church.

De Sales’s tempered and gentle yet firm and determined approach to spiritual direction made him a true pearl of great price in the Church’s spiritual patrimony. No one ever mastered the doctoring of souls quite like this gentle Doctor of the Church—as countless saints formed by his legacy will attest. His Marian devotion and dedication to educating the laity by means of modern communication (at that time, leaflets) placed him ahead of his time, and his erudition combined with his sweetness mark him as a highly unusual man in the story of the Church, particularly during his time.

As a bishop of the Church, St. Francis was emboldened by the charism of preaching the Word of God in a truly apostolic manner. In this volume of The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales: On Prayer, discover St. Francis's teaching on prayer and the interior cultivation of conversation and intimacy with Our Lord. In characteristic style, he shows the hidden meaning of Scripture (especially the Song of Songs) in application to Christian prayer and dialogue with God. Most of all, St. Francis emphasizes that prayer that prayer is the key to all holiness: without it, we can do nothing to please God. Let this master of prayer teach you how best to approach the Lord in a spirit of humility.