The Memorial of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort is the Patron Saint of
• Preachers
• Brothers of Saint Gabriel
• Company of Mary
• Daughters of Divine Wisdom
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort Date of Birth, Country of Birth, Profession, Place of Work, Date of Death, Place of Death, Feast Day, Beatification Date, Canonization DateMatrimony/Holy OrdersPriests who became Saints
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort brief life History |
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Date of Birth | 31 January 1673 |
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Country of Birth | France in Europe |
Profession | French Roman Catholic priest and Confessor |
Place of Work | France |
Date of Death | 28 April 1716 (aged 43) |
Place of Death | Saint-Laurent-sur-Sovre, France of natural causes |
Feast Day | 28 April |
Beatification | By Pope Leo XIII in 1888 |
Canonization | By Pope Pius XII in 1947 |
Patron Saint of | • Preachers • Brothers of Saint Gabriel • Company of Mary • Daughters of Divine Wisdom |
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort Short life History
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was born poor. He studied in Paris, France, and ordained in 1700. While a seminarian he delighted in researching the writings of Church Fathers, Doctors and Saints as they related to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom he was singularly devoted.
Under Mary’s inspiration, he founded the Daughters of Divine Wisdom, a religious institute of women devoted to the care of the desititute, and a brother organization, the Brothers of Saint Gabriel. During this work, he began his apostolate of preaching the Rosary and authentic Marian devotion. He preached so forcefully and effectively against the errors of Jansenism that he was expelled from several dioceses in France.
In Rome Pope Clement XI conferred on him the title and authority of Missionary Apostolic, which enabled him to continue his apostolate after returning to France. He preached Mary everywhere and to everyone. A member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, Saint Louis was one of the greatest apostles of the Rosary in his day, and by means his miraculously inspiring book, The Secret of the Rosary, he is still so today; the most common manner of reciting the Rosary is the method that originated with Saint Louis’s preaching. In 1715, he founded the missionaries known as the Company of Mary or Montfort Missionaries.
His greatest contribution to the Church and world is Total Consecration to the Blessed Virgin. He propagated this in his day by preaching and after his own death by his other famous book True Devotion to Mary. Consecration to Mary is for Saint Louis the perfect manner of renewing one’s baptismal promises. His spirituality has been espoused by millions, especially Pope John Paul II, who has consecrated not only himself but every place he has visited as pope. In True Devotion to Mary, Saint Louis prophesied that the army of souls consecrated to Mary will be Her instrument in defeating the Devil and his Antichrist. As Satan gains power in the world, so much more shall the new Eve triumph over him and crush his head.
Today’s Catholic Quote:
Even as a seminarian in Paris, Montfort was known for the veneration he had toward the angels: he “urged his confreres to show marks of respect and tenderness to their guardian angels.” He often ended his letters with a salutation to the guardian angel of the person to whom he was writing: “I salute your guardian angel”.
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