St. Louis de Montfort
Feast day: April 28
Born in Montfort, France, in 1673, St. Louis de Montfort was educated by Jesuits at Rennes. He attended seminary in Paris and was ordained in 1700, becoming a chaplain in a hospital in Poitiers. Louis organized a women’s congregation there called the Daughters of Divine Wisdom. Louis then began preaching parish missions throughout western France. He also founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary. He was known for fostering devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary. Louis spent his final years preaching and writing; his best-known work was the “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.” Louis died in 1716 and was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1947. His feast day is April 28, and he is the patron of preachers.
