Jean Pierre de Caussade

Born in 1675, Jean-Pierre de Caussade was a French Jesuit priest and spiritual director. He is closely associated with the Visitation nuns in Nancy, France, and with the spiritual teaching that holiness is found in accepting the present moment with trust.

He is best known for the book now called Abandonment to Divine Providence, a work published after his death and drawn from writings attributed to him. The book helped make him widely known far beyond his own time.

Caussade died in 1751. Though little biographical detail is easy to confirm, his reputation has lasted because his message is simple and memorable: everyday life, with all its duties and surprises, can become the place where grace is met.