Louis de Montfort
Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, TOSD (French pronunciation: [lwi maʁi ɡʁiɲɔ̃ də mɔ̃fɔʁ]; 31 January 1673 – 28 April 1716) was a French Catholic priest known for his preaching and his influence on Mariology. He was made a missionary apostolic by Pope Clement XI. Montfort wrote a number of books which went on to become classic Catholic titles and influenced several popes. His most notable works regarding Marian devotions are contained in Secret of the Rosary and True Devotion to Mary.
Saint
Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort
31 January 1673
Montfort-sur-Meu, France
28 April 1716 (aged 43)
Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre
1888 by Pope Leo XIII
20 July 1947 by Pope Pius XII
28 April
Pope Pius XII canonised him on 20 July 1947. A "founders statue" created by Giacomo Parisini is located in an upper niche of the south nave of St. Peter's Basilica.
From priest to preacher[edit]
Louis was ordained a priest in June 1700,[4] and assigned to Nantes. His great desire had been the foreign missions, preferably in the new French colony of Canada, but his spiritual director advised against it. Letters of this period show he felt frustrated by the lack of opportunity to preach as he felt he was called to.
In November 1700 he joined the Third Order of Saint Dominic and asked permission not only to preach the rosary, but also to form rosary confraternities.[6] He began to consider forming a small company of priests to preach missions and retreats under the standard and protection of the Blessed Virgin. This was to eventually lead to the founding of the Company of Mary.
Around this time, Louis de Montfort was appointed chaplain of the hospital in Nantes.[7] This was when he was first introduced to Marie Louise Trichet, a meeting that launched her 34 years' service to the poor. During Louis de Montfort's time, France was beginning to face a mounting economic crisis. Outpacing food supply was a rapidly growing population.
Desiring to be a missionary, Montfort made a pilgrimage to Rome to ask the advice of Pope Clement XI.[2] The Pope recognized his real vocation and, telling him there was plenty of scope for its exercise in France, sent him back with the title of Apostolic Missionary.[8] On his return from his long pilgrimage to Rome, Montfort made a retreat at Mont Saint Michel "to pray to this archangel to obtain from him the grace to win souls for God, to confirm those already in God's grace, and to fight Satan and sin".[5] These occasions gave him time to think, contemplate and write.
For several years he preached in missions from Brittany to Nantes. As his reputation as a missioner grew, he became known as "the good Father from Montfort". At Pontchateau he attracted hundreds of people to help him in the construction of a huge calvary. However, on the very eve of its blessing, the Bishop, having heard it was to be destroyed on the orders of the King of France under the influence of members of the Jansenist school, forbade its benediction. It is reported that upon receiving this news, he simply said, "Blessed be God."[1]
Priest and poet[edit]
While Montfort is best known for his spiritual writings, he was also a poet and during his missions managed to compose more than 20,000 verses of hymns.[24] Montfort's hymns and canticles were, for the most part, meant to be sung in village churches and in the homes of the poor. Some authors argue that a reading of Montfort's hymns is essential for an understanding of him as a man and for appreciating his approach to spirituality.[25]
Based on the analysis of Bishop Hendrik Frehen of the Company of Mary, Montfortian hymns fall into two major categories "inspired" and "didactic". The inspired canticles flow spontaneously, on the occasion of a pilgrimage to a Marian shrine, or on the occasion of a joyful celebration. The didactic hymns took more effort and time to compose, and focus on instructional and informative qualities: they teach the audience through the use of a moral and a theme. After Montfort's death, the Company of Mary (which continued his work of preaching parish renewals) made great use of his hymns and used them as instruments of evangelization.
He is also said to have carved at least three statues depicting the Madonna and Child.[26]
