Someone had left a book on the table—a copy of “Introduction to the Devout Life” by St. Francis de Sales. With breakfast about to be served, that book needed to be moved, but who did it belong to?
Parishioners Steve and Gabrielle Cahalan remember the moment somewhat differently, but they agree on its significance. It was fall of 1999, and the Christian Experience Weekend (CEW) at St. Augustin’s was drawing to a close. Steve had served on the men’s team and Gabrielle was helping with Sunday breakfast. At the time, the two had met only in passing.
Gabrielle turned to claim what she thought was her book. “Oh, that’s mine.” Then Steve stepped forward.
“Actually, it’s mine.”
That’s all, just a brief exchange over a book. But Gabrielle—who wasn’t interested in dating anyone—noted with mild curiosity that a man from her parish owned a copy of a book that she treasured. And when she and Steve began dating a few months later, that mattered.Gabrielle’s devotion to St. Francis de Sales began when her dad, wanting to help her through a difficult time, gave her a prayer card that she promptly clipped inside her day planner. Each time she opened the cover, the saint welcomed her with his gentle wisdom: “God will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it.” She began praying to him, asking for his guidance, and when her dad invited her to read “Introduction to the Devout Life,” she immersed herself in it, finding just the guidance she needed.
The book, based on spiritual direction Francis had provided for his cousin, contains a series of letters to Philothea (Lover of God), who represents all seekers of spiritual guidance. “Those letters could have been written to me,” says Gabrielle, who found surprisingly relevant answers about life, marriage, and vocation throughout the book. Her devotion to St. Francis de Sales grew. “I feel an attachment to him. My dad opened the door, but he (Francis) was there in a fatherly way—the advice and the information and solace and comfort and hope, which I needed so desperately at such a hard time.”
Enter Steve, whose own trials had led him to a profound deepening of faith. He’d noticed Gabrielle at church and finally asked her out in early 2000. She was wary, but then she remembered the book. “I pieced it all together that he was the Steve from the CEW, and the breakfast, and reading St. Francis de Sales. That told me something.”The two married in 2001 and their devotion to St. Francis de Sales remains strong to this day. The saints have much to teach us, they say, no matter how long ago they lived—and Gabrielle points to their story as proof. “It’s a perfect example of how the saints are relevant in our lives today.”