Saint’s Life Story

His Early Life

François (Francis) de Montmorency-Laval was born into one of the largest families in France, on April 30, 1623, in Montigny-sur-Avre, Eure-et-Loir, France, in the diocese of Chartres. François (Francis) was baptized the day he was born in St. Martin’s Church in Montigny-sur-Avre. He was named after Saint Francis Xavier, a Jesuit missionary who was canonized in 1622.

His parents, Hugo de Laval and Michaela de Pericord, raised him with solid Christian principles. His family was noble but not wealthy. Francois had five brothers and two sisters; one of his brothers became a Benedictine Monk and one of his sisters became a nun. His mother was a pious, generous woman who set an example of caring for the less fortunate.

As a boy, François joined the Congregation of the Holy Virgin, a society that encouraged regular prayer and religious practices. At age 8, François received the tonsure because he felt attracted to the lifestyle of missionaries returning from abroad, as well as to reading the accounts of their travels to New France, as Canada was then called. In addition in 1631, François took minor orders which allowed him to attend the College of La Flèche, a Jesuit college in Anjou, France. Here, François met up with the many sons of the elites of France. Meanwhile, François also heard reports of the Jesuit missions to the Hurons of North America. His time here deepened his desire to be a priest and also piqued his interest in the Canadian missions.

Priesthood

In 1635, a year after his father’s death, François was appointed canon of Évreux by the bishop, his maternal uncle, François Tubeuf de Péricard. To pursue his priestly vocation he completed his classical education at the age of nineteen, François entered the College of Clermont in Paris. Here, he completed his studies in theology. However, following the death of his two elder brothers in 1645, François was forced to take care of the family business, having become its head.

At the age of 24 on May 1, 1647, François was ordained a priest, carrying out his priestly ministry in Paris, France. The following year, he was appointed archdeacon of Evreux, prompting François to resign a prior position as canon granted to him in 1637. In this new post as archdeacon, François approached this task with fervor and enthusiasm. He immediately began a series of visits to the 155 parishes and four chapels in the diocese that he oversaw.

Almost off to the Far East

In 1652, the Jesuit Father Alexandre de Rhodes returned to France to look for priests willing to go to the Far East. In 1653, the Queen’s Council, which also included Saint Vincent de Paul, later founder of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, designated François as Apostolic Vicar for Tonkin, in present-day Vietnam. At that point, François resigned from the office of archdeacon, entrusting the government of the family and the management of the assets to his younger brother.

However, that task could not be carried out, due to the differences that arose between the countries of the East and the European colonial powers. At that point, François retired for four years, from 1654-1658, to the Hermitage of Caen, a school of spirituality in Caen, directed by Jean Bernières de Louvigny, a lay leader in the reform of the Catholic Church in France.

Vicar of New France

For the first 50 years, New France (Canada) had no bishop. So, the missionaries in Canada requested an Apostolic Vicar. For this reason, in 1658, Pope Alexander VII appointed François as Apostolic Vicar of New France and titular bishop of Petra. After leaving immediately, François departed from La Rochelle, France. François landed in Canada on May 16, 1659. A month later, he arrived in Québec, Canada to a settlement of roughly 500 French inhabitants.

François found himself creating the ecclesial organization practically from nothing: parishes, missions, schools, religious communities, in a vast territory with few inhabited centers and about 2,000 faithful, the total European population of New France. François’ direct involvement and his zeal for their spiritual welfare, included pastoral visitations beginning in 1660, during which he administered confirmation to hundreds of both European settlers and indigenous individuals, extending to remote areas like Gaspé.

In 1662, François returned to France for a visit, obtaining many privileges for the Church of Canada from King Louis XIV. On March 26, 1663, François returned and founded the Seminary of Québec, as a theological college and a mother house of all secular priests. This seminary would later become Laval University.

First Bishop of Québec

Faced with the expansion of the apostolic field of his Vicariate, François asked the Pope to make it as a diocese. On October 9, 1670, Pope Clement X made this degree. On October 1, 1674, the Vicariate of New France became the Diocese of Québec. François was its first bishop with his ordination taking place on December 8, 1674 in the chapel of Saint-Germain-des-Prés abbey in Paris. It was performed by the papal nuncio, Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini.

Liquor Trade

His primary purpose was to achieve peaceful coexistence between indigenous and European peoples. However, his greatest struggle was against the liquor trade. The liquor merchants exploited the Native Americans’ weakness for firewater, and were in danger of corrupting them completely.

François fought in particular against the spread of alcoholic beverages among the natives, who risked being exterminated by disease and alcohol abuse. Eventually, after much consultation, François decreed excommunication for those liquor sellers whose greed made them enemies of all Canadian society. Excommunication helped solve the problem, but it gained for him many enemies in business and government.

Concern for the Natives and the Poor

To consolidate the foundations of his diocese and make the right decisions, François consulted with the clergy. By his zeal, he inspired the fervor of religious communities. In addition, François established the Association of the Holy Family, widespread in many families, even among the natives.

Concerned with education, François favored the birth of the congregation of Notre-Dame in 1676. Later, this congregation became a community of non-cloistered nuns dedicated to teaching, a novelty for the Church of the time.

Finally, his work extended to helping the poor, creating and multiplying small schools. To prepare the artisans necessary for the life of the colony, François also established a school of arts and crafts.

His hard work bore fruit. In the thirty years that had passed since his arrival, the parishes rose from 5 to 35, the priests from 24 to 102, including 13 Canadian-born, and the nuns from 22 to 97.

A Poor and Sober Lifestyle

His standard of living was marked by prayer and penance. Voluntarily poor, François donated his possessions to the Seminary, reducing himself to depending on the Superior for every need. Personally, François did his utmost to help the sick, both in the Hôtel-Dieu (hospital) of Québec, in the infirmary of the Seminary, and in the huts of the natives.

Until his last years, François had the habit of sleeping on the floor, getting up at two in the morning, celebrating Mass at half past four for the workers of Québec.

His Death

For health reasons, after ten years as Bishop, in 1684 François was forced to resign. François retired and became a hermit at the seminary in Québec, dedicating the remainder of his life to prayer. However, two disastrous fires in November 1701 and October 1705 interrupted his retirement as he oversaw the reconstruction efforts. Despite being in retirement, François remained involved in charitable work, especially for the poor, and was available to consult with his successor. Residing in the Seminary of Québec, François lived another twenty years, in poverty, humility and prayer, François lived another twenty years.

At the age of eighty-five on May 6, 1708, François died in Québec, Canada. He was buried in the crypt of the Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral.

The city of Laval, Québec, north of Montreal, is named after him. Laval University in Québec is also named in his honor, a fitting tribute to his tireless efforts in founding educational institutions and strengthening the Catholic faith in Canada. Saint François de Montmorency Laval’s legacy continues to inspire and guide bishops and Catholics alike, reminding them of the importance of evangelization, education, and social justice in building a vibrant and holy Church community.

Born:                    April 30, 1623 in Montigny-sur-Avre, Eure-et-Loir, France

Died:                    May 6, 1708 age 85 in Québec, Canada

Beatified:            June 22, 1980 by Pope John Paul II

Canonized:        April 3, 2014 by Pope Francis (equipollent canonization)

Feast Day:         May 6

Patron Saint:    Bishops of Canada

Source:

• • CatholicSaints.Info » Saint Francis de Montmorency Laval
  • Francis of Montmorency-Laval – Ecumenical Encyclopedia of Saints (translated from German)
  • Saint Francois de Laval, Canada’s First Bishop • The Koala Mom
  • Saint Francis De Montmorency Laval – Saint for a Minute: Saints & Blesseds
  • Saint Francis de Montmorency-Laval – Santi e Beati (Translated from Italian)
  • François de Laval – Wikipedia

Prayers

Video Link

Saint Francis de Laval: Steadfast In The Face Of Misdemeanor – YouTube Video (Awaken The Saint)