St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church, Bethesda

Founded in 1950, by Monsignor James A. Caulfield, St. Jane Frances de Chantal Parish is a community of nearly 2,000 families from many backgrounds and of varied professional lives and interests. Its primary purpose is to enable its parishioners to live the life of Jesus Christ, to share their God-given talents for the benefit of each other and of society and to pass on to their children the rich gift of their Catholic Faith. 

Our patroness, St. Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641) was born in Dijon, France to a wealthy family. She was widowed with four young children and vowed a life of chastity. She prayed for the Lord's guidance and was shown in a vision what was to be her life's work.  She met and worked with St. Francis de Sales and later they co-founded the Visitation Order of nuns dedicated to the virtues of Mary and works of charity toward the sick and the poor. The Visitation Convent on Old Georgetown Road (now part of NIH) was the first home of the parish.