The Childhood of St. Louis de Montfort
Saint Louis de Montfort is best known in the Church as the saint who gave us the devotion of finding Jesus through Mary. St. Louis de Montfort’s devotion to the Virgin Mary was very deep and he taught that through her many graces are granted to help us grow in holiness. His personal motto that he adopted to show this devotion was the Latin phrase, “Totus tuus” which means “completely yours”. He consecrated himself to Mary and was completely hers throughout his life as a priest.
Louis was the second oldest of 18 children. He was born to Jean-Baptiste and Jeanne Robert Grignion in the small village of Montfort, France on January 31. He was the oldest surviving son, and one of 8 siblings that reached adulthood in his family.
His father was in the legal profession, and the family had a moderate income. Louis grew up in a manor house. Because he was the oldest child, Louis accepted much responsibility while growing up. He had a very close relationship with his mother, and she had a deep devotion to the Virgin Mary.
Guided Toward His Vocation
God guided Louis from an early age toward his vocation and gave him many graces which aided Louis in his ability to grow in virtue and knowledge about his faith. From an early age Louis’s deep devotion to Mary was fostered. He even chose to honor Mary by taking her name for his confirmation saint.
Time as a Student
When he was 12 years old, Louis enrolled as a student at the Jesuit College of St. Thomas à Becket in Rennes, France. He was one of hundreds of young men in his class and was so intelligent and studious that he made a good reputation for himself. Louis was also a very pious young man. He had an uncle in Rennes that was a parish priest, and it was during this time and through his uncle’s influence, that Louis discovered he had a vocation to the priesthood.
Louis de Montfort becomes a Priest
In 1693, at the age of 20, Louis chose to begin seminary in Paris. He adopted the life of a mendicant, deciding to walk the entire 230 miles to Paris. He arrived with the tattered outward appearance of a poor beggar, and the inward disposition of one completely surrendered to God’s will. Louis chose to attend the seminary for poorer students, and it may have been at this time that he discontinued the use of his family name, Grignon, for the simpler and humbler association with the tiny village of his birth: Montfort. During these years he focused on the works of the Church fathers, Doctors, and saints as they related to the Virgin Mary, as he had a deep devotion to her.
Louis de Montfort was ordained a priest on June 5, 1700. As a young priest he wanted to go to America and serve the poor there as a missionary. He wrote: “I feel a great desire to make Our Lord and His Holy Mother loved, and to go about in a poor and simple way, catechizing poor country people.” His request for the foreign missions was denied and so he remained in France as a priest.
Founding Father of a Congregation
In 1703, Fr. Louis de Montfort founded the Congregation of the Daughter’s of Wisdom. This was a religious apostolate of women dedicated to caring for the poor. Then in 1705 he founded the Company of Mary, this was a missionary organization of men that many called the Montfort Fathers. He preached against widespread heresy, teaching people that the rosary would protect them from believing falsehoods about our Catholic faith. All his preaching focused on love for both Mary and for Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. St. Louis de Montfort loved to teach people about the devotion to the rosary, and so this led him to enter the Dominican Third Order in November, 1710. He preached against the errors of Jansenism, a heresy that wrongly taught that Jesus didn’t die for all men and that most men were predetermined to go to hell before they were born.
True Devotion to Mary Book
He wrote a book called, “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary” but he died in 1716, and the book wasn’t discovered until 1842. The Vatican declared it free from theological error in 1853, and this book is widely used today by many Catholics devoted to the Virgin Mary. St. Louis de Montfort taught people to receive Jesus in the Eucharist very frequently, even daily. Back in his time this was not customary. He teaches us to imitate Mary and surrender our will to God the same way she did. He called this “Totus tuus” which is Latin for “completely yours”.
St. Louis de Montfort, pray for us!
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!