Born in France in the village of Montfort in 1673, Louis was the oldest surviving child of Jean and Jeanne Grinion and his father was a notary who also owned a farm. 

As he grew up, John developed a great devotion to The Blessed Mother and a desire to become a priest. With the help of a benefactor, he went to Paris to study but, when he arrived, he realized his Benefactor had not provided quite enough money, so he found lodging in a number of different boarding houses among the very poor while, at the same time, attending lectures at The Sorbonne. 

He finished his studies in 1700 and was ordained. 

He always maintained a special connection to God’s Holy Angels and, in particular, our Guardian Angels. Often, when closing a letter, he would offer a salute to the Guardian Angel of the person he was writing to. 

A great preacher, Louis traveled all across Western Europe, always paying special attention to the poor. 

Meanwhile, his devotion to The Blessed Mother continued to grow, and he eventually founded the Missionaries of The Company of Mary, and he wrote his classic: True Devotion to The Blessed Virgin. 

He also founded the Daughters of Wisdom, dedicated to caring for the sick. 

He died on this day in 1716 at the age of just 43. 

St. Louis De Monfort, please pray for us.