ST FRANÇOIS DE MONTMORENCY LAVAL, BISHOP OF QUEBEC - 6 MAY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY

Saints celebrated on the 6th of May

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

ST FRANÇOIS DE MONTMORENCY LAVAL, BISHOP OF QUEBEC 

Born into one of the greatest families of France on April 30, 1623, Saint François de Montmorency Laval was ordained priest in 1647. After taking a degree in canon law at the Sorbonne, he was named archdeacon of the diocese of Évreux. He later resigned that post, however, and lived (1654–58) at the Ermitage of Caen, a spiritual school under the direction of Jean de Bernières.

HE WAS THE FIRST BISHOP IN CANADA

In June 1658 St François was made a bishop and vicar apostolic of New France, and a year later he took up residence in Quebec. He was a man of great vision and strong character. His staunch opposition to liquor sales to the Native Americans brought him into conflict with the civil governor, Baron d’Avaugour, in 1662. 

THE DIOCESE OF QUEBEC

St François founded the Seminary of Quebec, which was intended to be both a training school for priests and a home for retired priests. In 1674 he was appointed bishop of Quebec. The newly created diocese of Quebec, which included all French territory in North America, was placed under the direct supervision of Rome.

HIS RESIGNATION ON GROUNDS OF ILL-HEALTH

In 1684 St François, suffering from ill health, left Quebec and presented his resignation to the court, which reluctantly accepted it. Although he technically continued in office for several more years, his destined successor, Monsignor de Saint-Vallier, took office in Quebec in 1685 with the title of vicar general. Upon Laval’s official resignation in 1688, Saint-Vallier succeeded him. St François resided at the Seminary of Quebec until his death on May 6, 1708.

THE LAVAL UNIVERSITY

In 1852 the Seminary was named after its founder, becoming Laval University. His cause of canonisation was introduced in 1878; the decree stating that Laval was a man of saintly virtues was promulgated by Pope John XXIII in 1960.

(Information from Encyclopedia Britannica -

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francois-de-Montmorency-Laval)