Saint Louis Mary Grignion
Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort (born January 31, 1673 AD in Montfort-sur-Meu, Brittany, France; died April 28, 1716 AD in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, Vendée, France) was a French priest, Marian theologian, and founder who wrote True Devotion to Mary — one of the most influential works of Marian spirituality ever written. He founded the Montfort Missionaries (Company of Mary) and the Daughters of Wisdom. Pope John Paul II's personal motto Totus Tuus ("Totally Yours") came directly from this book. He was canonized in 1947. His feast day is April 28.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Louis Mary Grignion
| Saint Louis Mary Grignion | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | April 28 |
| Profession | Diocesan priest; founder; preacher; Marian theologian |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Company of Mary (Montfort Missionaries, SMM); Daughters of Wisdom (co-founded); Marian devotion; Breton Catholic tradition |
| Patronage | Montfort Missionaries; Daughters of Wisdom; Brittany; the Vendée; preachers of popular missions; those devoted to Mary; rosary devotion; consecration to Mary |
| Attributes | Statue of Our Lady (Marian devotion); rosary; ''True Devotion to Mary'' (his book); Calvary cross (he erected many); walking staff (itinerant preacher); France |
| Birthplace | Montfort-sur-Meu, Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, France |
| Death Place | Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, Vendée, France |
| Cause of Death | Natural death; died April 28, 1716, at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre after a final preaching mission; he was 43 years old and his health had been broken by years of grueling itinerant preaching; he died while in the middle of preaching a parish mission |
| Primary Shrine | Basilica of Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, Vendée, France — his tomb and relics; mother house of the Montfort Missionaries; pilgrimage destination; his feast (April 28) draws pilgrims from France and internationally; a major center of Montfortian Marian spirituality |
| Liturgical Class | Optional Memorial (Roman Rite); April 28 |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar; widely observed in France and in Montfortian communities |
Biography
Louis-Marie Grignion was born on January 31, 1673, in Montfort-sur-Meu, Brittany. He was ordained a priest in 1700. From the beginning of his priestly ministry he was drawn to the care of the poor and to popular preaching.
He became an itinerant missionary preacher in western France, conducting intense, weeks-long missions in parishes throughout Brittany, Vendée, Poitou, and Anjou. He erected Calvary crosses, taught the rosary, and confronted the spiritual laxity left by Jansenism and the religious disorders of the Revolution's antecedents.
Around 1706 he walked to Rome to seek guidance from Pope Clement XI, who confirmed his vocation as a missionary apostolic. He founded the Company of Mary (Montfort Missionaries) and co-founded the Daughters of Wisdom.
Around 1712 he wrote True Devotion to Mary — a manuscript hidden during the French Revolution and rediscovered in 1842. Its teaching of total consecration to Jesus through Mary became one of the most influential Marian texts in Church history and formed the Marian spirituality of Pope John Paul II (Totus Tuus).
He died on April 28, 1716, at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, at age 43, while in the middle of a parish mission.
Pope Pius XII canonized him in 1947.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Montfort-sur-Meu, Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, France
Death location: Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, Vendée, France
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Louis Mary Grignion have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
Known shrines
- Basilica of Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, Vendée, France — his tomb; principal pilgrimage site; mother house of the Montfort Missionaries.
Feast day
April 28
Veneration
Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort is venerated as the founder of Montfortian spirituality and the author of True Devotion to Mary. His motto Totus Tuus was adopted by Pope John Paul II. He was canonized in 1947.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.