As a soldier you were really quite inept,
And as a student you weren’t much,
Although the seminary gave you a chance,
It seemed holy orders you’d never touch;
But when the good God takes charge,
There’s nothing that He cannot do,
So through the intercession of St. Philomena,
Grace most bountifully fell on you.
Sent to a corrupt village named Ars,
You woke it up with fiery preaching,
People were flabbergasted by your words
And threatened by your priestly teaching;
Yet in the little box of the confessional,
You won a victory over selfish hearts,
Though the devil anxiously pursued you,
God extinguished all his flaming darts.
So many made pilgrimages to see you,
And confession lines were terribly long,
But through God’s grace you read their souls,
Bringing hope to many in the throng;
Thus the devil grew angrier and angrier,
That’s why the beast ranted and raved,
Still you won over many many souls,
In God’s mercy they were finally saved.