Blessed Louis Bertran
Blessed Louis Bertran (Spanish: Luis Beltrán; born January 1, 1526 AD in Valencia, Spain; died October 9, 1581 AD in Valencia, Spain) was a Spanish Dominican friar and missionary, the "Apostle of the New Kingdom of Granada," who evangelized the indigenous peoples of the region of present-day Colombia and Venezuela. Venerated as a Blessed and canonized in 1671, he is now honored as Saint Louis Bertrand. His feast day is October 9.
A Dominican of Valencia, a novice-master and preacher, Louis Bertrand spent several years as a missionary in the Spanish New World, where he baptized great numbers and denounced the mistreatment of the native peoples. He returned to Spain and died in his native city.
Stored in Cargo: Blessed Louis Bertran
| Blessed Louis Bertran | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | October 09 |
| Profession | Dominican friar (Order of Preachers); missionary; preacher; novice-master |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Order of Preachers (Dominicans) |
| Patronage | Colombia; missionaries; novices; the Dominican Order; against poisonings |
| Attributes | Dominican habit; a chalice with a serpent; crucifix that turned into a pistol; indigenous peoples of the Americas |
| Birthplace | Valencia, Spain |
| Death Place | Valencia, Spain |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; Dominican friar and missionary to the New World; died at Valencia |
| Primary Shrine | Valencia, Spain |
Biography
Luis Beltrán was born on January 1, 1526, at Valencia in Spain. In 1544 he entered the Order of Preachers—the Dominicans—at Valencia and was ordained a priest. He was known for his austerity, his gift of preaching, and his zeal, and he served for many years as master of novices, forming young friars in the religious life. During an outbreak of plague he devoted himself heroically to the care of the sick.
In 1562 he set sail for the Spanish possessions in the New World, going as a missionary to the region then called the New Kingdom of Granada, in what is now Colombia, as well as to the Caribbean coasts and Panama. There he preached the Gospel to the indigenous peoples, baptizing many thousands. He is remembered not only for his evangelization but for his forthright denunciation of the cruelty and exploitation inflicted on the native peoples by many of the Spanish colonists, in the tradition of the defenders of the Indians.
After some six years in the missions, Louis Bertrand returned to Spain, where he again served the Order as a preacher and superior and as a spiritual guide—he was a counselor of Saint Teresa of Ávila. He died at Valencia on October 9, 1581.
He was beatified in 1608 by Pope Paul V and canonized on April 12, 1671, by Pope Clement X. Honored as Saint Louis Bertrand, the Apostle of the New Kingdom of Granada, he is a patron of Colombia. His feast is kept on October 9.
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Feast day
October 9
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