Our Inspiration
Our inspiration comes from the life and teachings of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort,born on31 January 1673. Even as a young student he championed the cause of the poor. At the age of nineteen, he left home to become a missionary. On becoming a priest he relied entirely on God’s Providence. He chose to identify himself with the poor and the neglected and shared their life. He helped them to live with dignity as children of God.
His uncompromising and radical following of the Gospel and his commitment to the poor always invited the wrath of the powerful and the affluent. Yet he continued fearlessly to preach the Word of God throughout the western France caring for the marginalized, the sick, the uneducated, the disabled and all those whom the society rejected.
Along with preaching, Montfort found time to write a number of books that have gone on to become classic Catholic titles that have influenced many including several popes (Pope Leo XIII, Pope Pius X, Pope Pius XII and Pope John Paul II). His sixteen years of missionary life included many hours and months of solitude and prayer. He excelled in organizing large retreats and leading people to God.
The essence of his spirituality consisted of a complete dependence on God, devotion to Mary the Mother of God whom he considered as the shortest and the surest way to Jesus, contemplation of the mystery of the Cross, love of Eternal Wisdom, and the complete fidelity to the vocation as a missionary.
He founded three religious congregations: Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel (Montfort Brothers), The Company of Mary (Montfort Fathers), and The Daughters of Wisdom (Montfort Sisters). Spread across the five continents, these congregations continue in his footsteps to bring good news to the people. Montfort is known for his particular devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the practice of consistently praying the Rosary. He is considered as one of the early proponents of Mariology. Mary to him is the surest and shortest way to Jesus. Worn out by hard work and sickness, his end finally came on 28th April 1716. He was 43 years old.