""Ah! how happy are these well-beloved hearts of my daughters, in having given up some years of the false liberty of the world, in order to enjoy eternally that desirable slavery in which no liberty is taken away save that which hinders us from being truly free."" - Francis de Sales St. Francis de Sales (1567 -1622) was a Bishop of Geneva. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church. He is known for his writings on the topics of spiritual direction and spiritual formation--most notably, the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God.