Jean-Pierre de Caussade (March 7, 1675 – December 8, 1751) was a French preacher and Jesuit priest whose calling from God centered on spiritual direction and proclaiming the transformative power of surrendering to divine providence across his lifetime. Born in Cahors, Quercy (now Lot, France), to parents of minor nobility—specific names undocumented—he entered the Society of Jesus at Toulouse in 1693 at age 18, studying at the Jesuit college there before his ordination as a priest in 1704. His formal education focused on theology, typical of Jesuit training, though details of his early schooling are sparse. Caussade’s calling from God unfolded through varied roles: he taught classics and sciences in Jesuit colleges for over two decades, preached widely in southern and central France, and served as rector at Perpignan (1739) and Albi (1743). From 1733 to 1740, he was spiritual director to the Visitation nuns in Nancy, where his sermons and letters called believers to embrace the present moment as a sacrament from God, rejecting Quietism’s passivity while advocating trust in divine will—a message preserved in his authentic Letters of Spiritual Direction. Though Abandonment to Divine Providence (published 1861) is famously linked to him, scholars like Dominique Salin argue it wasn’t his work, possibly penned by a Lorraine woman and attributed to him posthumously by Visitandines honoring his legacy. Unmarried, as a Jesuit priest, he passed away at age 76 in Toulouse, leaving a lasting influence on Christian spirituality through his preaching and guidance.