St. Louis Marie de Montfort

St. Louis de Montfort is famous for his association with the Rosary, but few know that he was a Dominican too, concretely a Lay Dominican. From his youth he showed interest for the poor and with a group of young people, devoted himself to the poor.

At 19, he went on foot to Paris to learn theology and on his journey gave his money to the poor, changed clothes with another and made a vow to live on alms. He was 32 when he found his true vocation of preaching to the people. He was a skilful preacher using simple language with passionate zeal.

He founded two congregations, a masculine and a feminine one. The Sisters of Wisdom worked in hospitals and the instruction of poor girls and the Company of Mary, composed of missionaries, which later split into the Gabrielite Brothers, who work specifically in schools.

It is interesting to note that these beginnings appeared to be most discouraging. These congregations numbered only four sisters and two priests with a few brothers. Today we have around 5,000 Sisters of Wisdom, 500 priests of the Company of Mary and and about 1,200 Brothers of St. Gabriel.