St. Louis De Montfort was born on January 31, 1673. He was one of eighteen children of a lawyer in Montfort, France. He was always very holy, even when he was so young that most people at his age were just learning to read! He used to teach other children, younger and older than himself catechism.He was also very dedicated to the Blessed Mother and the Holy Rosary. He would kneel by his bedside by the age of six and say the entire rosary. When he was twelve he entered a Jesuit college, where in the first year he was entrusted with the care of the infirm and the poor that came to the door asking for alms. Here he began his penances of scourging himself, wearing hairshirts, and very strict fastings. Here he also received his vocation as a priest.
After becoming a priest, he completely devoted himself to Jesus through Mary. He never had a single personal possession. When he set out to the Seminary of Saint Sulpice he gave all the money he had to a beggar on the street and traded in his brand new suit for some beggar clothes. Then he decided to walk the seven-hundred-mile journey from Paris to the seminary! He even begged for his food! He completely gave up the world.
At the seminary many doubted he had true devotion and thought he had only spiritual pride. They thought this because of his talks with Our Lady when he passed a statue of her and his visits to the chapel before and after his classes. His superiors tried to make him stop with every kind of humiliation but never succeeded. From all this St. Louis never gave one complaint!
St. Louis' favorite saying of Our Lord's was: "If anyone should follow Me then let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" So, he thought it his job to enjoy mockeries and those who made fun of him throughout the 16 years from his ordination to his death.
The devil never stopped trying to make him fail. Once he was heard saying, while upon his hands and knees, "Mary Mother of God help me!" The devil would go to St. Louis' room and torment him. But he never could he make St. Louis stop trusting in God.
St. Louis then went to Poitiers. Where the people there begged the bishop to give him a more definite job that would give him more time to stay there. Soon a daughter of a very rich man decided to become one of the first nuns in St. Louis' Daughters of Wisdom convent. The community and her family made such a riot about it that the bishop said that St. Louis could no longer offer Mass! So, he moved on.
Wherever the holy man went he left behind cures, miracles, and fervent devotions. He was rewarded with mockery and scorn.
So, St. Louis left for a hospital in Paris where he took care of both the physical and spiritual needs of his patients. One day when coming to dinner he found a dismissal paper on his plate (who knows why). So he left.
He was allowed to preach in far off towns where the sight of a priest tended to cause much anger and hatred. Soon, St. Louis completely converted one of the villages where it was the worst. There he taught devotion to the Holy Rosary, had nightly processions and bonfires for burning impure books. He turned saloons into places of prayer, and restored churches. Goodness became a part of everyday life!
After trying a life devoted to the poor and a life converting small villages, receiving no help and only hindrance from his superiors, he decided to ask the pope for advice. He walked one thousand miles to Rome. The pope said there were many more positions in France for a priest and he appointed him an Apostolic Missioner.
He soon joined Fr. Leuduger who was also an Apostolic Missioner. Soon trouble arose and through a misunderstanding Fr. Leuduger soon dismissed St. Louis.
So, St. Louis was on his own with only a few priests to join him in the Company of Mary. He was sometimes assisted by other missionary priests. His successful work continued in Saint Malo until a heretical bishop sent him out.
At a town called Pontchateau St. Louis built an imitation of Mount Calvary that covered 300,000 feet of ground! Then came one of the biggest disappointments of St. Louis' life. One of St. Louis' few enemies thought that the Mount Calvary imitation might be a good shelter for the enemies of France. So the day before the blessing it was announced that it must be destroyed (although St. Louis had foreseen that it would have to be destroyed twice before it would successfully be able to stay).
St. Louis was hated for his conversions. Many times he was almost killed. Once a large dose of poison was put in to his food and he did not notice until after having a spoonful. It did not kill him right away but it did deteriorate his once perfect health and he slowly began to die.
He still went wherever he could to preach even with his failing health. It was getting to the year 1716 and his death was very near. By this time his nuns had almost a full convent. On his deathbed his confessor insisted on him removing the straw and rock bed he had had since he became a priest and replace it with a mattress and pillow.
Just before he died the Devil tried one last time to make St. Louis fail. In one last effort against the Devil St. Louis cried aloud "You attack me in vain. I stand between Jesus and Mary. I shall sin no more!" With that his soul was finally able to go to it's true home - Heaven.
His feast is April 28th,
He is the author of the famous book The Secret of Mary, and he is known for founding the devotion called Total Consecration to Mary.He is the patron saint of travellers.
~by Theresa
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