On On February 24th 1840, Jean Berthier was born in Châtonnay a small village in East France. He was the eldest child of a family of simple farmers. Gifted with good brains and a still better memory, he received a exemplary religious education from his parents, strengthened by the good care of the parish priest, the Reverend Father Champon.

Having finished the elementary school, Jean and a few classmates were received by Father Champon in a kind of private minor seminary, set up in the parish house, for a year of preparation for the official minor seminary of the diocese Grenoble. At the age of thirteen he entered the minor seminary, and finished secondary school in only four years, thanks to his great assiduity.

The same zeal creates the possibility to finish his study at the mayor seminary at the age of 22 years. During the years in the mayor seminary he thought much about his future, helped by his spiritual director. On the one hand he was strongly attracted by the example of Jean Vianney, the saint curate of Ars, who died a few years earlier. But on the other hand he was fascinated by the religious life and wanted to live his priesthood in a community. A visit in La Salette, about a year before his ordination, gave him the certainty concerning his future: here I will come back! And so it was: immediately after the last year in the seminary Jean went to La Salette and entered the Congregation of the Missionaries of La Salette. Ten years earlier, this community was founded by the bishop of Grenoble, with the scope to take care of the pilgrims at La Salette during the summer months, and during the winter to give new impulses to the people of God, preaching parish-missions and retreats everywhere in the diocese of Grenoble.

Although he had a weak health and was very often hampered by it, he became however one of the most important Missionaries of La Salette. His talents as a preacher and as author of spiritual books made him a priest for the whole people of God. During his pastoral activities on the holy mountain and in the course of his missions and retreats he met with all kind of people. His numerous books were meant to enlarge and extend his pastoral assistance. With almost 40 books and brochures and with his numerous articles in religious reviews Father Berthier tried to help everybody in her or his living their vocation as lay person, priest or religious. His books became a big success; during his lifetime more than one million exemplars were sold.