Fidelis was not an early vocation. He had always been a devout Catholic—he even practiced severe mortifications—but a religious vocation was not his goal.
He began his adult life by studying at a university and was nearly thirty by the time he left the school and took up tutoring in 1604. For the next seven years, Fidelis taught and traveled. Finally, he decided to enter the courts and study civil and canon law.
Corruption was so rampant in the courts that Fidelis left in disgust—and did not return to his former way of life.
He went to the Franciscan friars in Freiburg and asked to join them. A year later, at the age of thirty-five, he was ordained a priest. One of his repeated prayers was that he might die on behalf of the Church.
A depiction of St. Fidelis stamping out a figure of heresy by Giambattista Tiepolo
Fidelis soon became known as a zealous and powerful preacher. He took up the fight against the errors of Zwingli and Calvin, preaching and writing pamphlets that refuted their misguided teachings.
In 1621, the Franciscans sent him as a missionary to Switzerland, which had been overtaken by the Calvinists. With a few companions, he set out to reform the Swiss Church and banish heresy.
He was so successful that the Calvinist leaders became alarmed. They threatened and attempted to intimidate Fidelis. When he remained fearless, they incited the people against him, saying that he was motivated by politics and taking part in a power struggle.
Finally, in 1622, they attacked a church in which he was preaching. Refusing to flee and hide, Fidelis was struck on the head and dragged out of the church. There, before the doors, he was offered his life if he would only apostatize. Fidelis replied, “I came to extirpate heresy, not to embrace it.”
St. Fidelis had to fight heresy in the 17th century, and we have to fight heresy in the 21st century! Sadly, we live in a confused time where many heretical beliefs form the makeup of our society. In Flee from Heresy, Bishop Athanasius Schneider—raised among persecuted Catholics in the Soviet Union—explains 130 doctrinal errors, from ancient times down to our own day, and helps explains the Church’s major anti-heresy documents of the past two centuries. In this fascinating exposé, you will discover the ideological roots of our own unsteady times and be better equipped to “test all things; hold fast what is good.” Order your copy today from The Catholic Company!
