St. Louis de Montfort was a confessor, founder of the Sisters of Divine Mercy, and one of the Church’s most prominent Mariologists (The study of the Blessed Virgin Mary). He was born in Montfort, France in 1673. Educated at Rennes, he was ordained a priest in 1700, becoming a chaplain in a hospital in Poitiers. His congregation, the Daughters of Divine Wisdom, started there. Louis went to Rome and Pope Clement XI appointed him as an Apostolic Missionary. At the young age of forty-three, Louis de Montfort fell ill and passed away. But his teachings and legacy changed the Church forever.

Louis de Montfort is most famously remembered for his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary. He wrote The True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin and encouraged people to consecrate themselves to Jesus through Mary. According to Louis de Montfort, “Mary is the safest, easiest, shortest and most perfect way of approaching Jesus.”

The devotion to Mary spread throughout the church and for years to come. Over 300 years later, Pope John Paul II’s personal motto was “Totus Tuus Maria” which means “I’m totally yours, Mary”.