St. Louis de Montfort is Mary’s saint.
Confessor, Marian devotee, and founder of the Sisters of Divine Wisdom He was born Louis Maie Grignon in Montfort, France, in 1673.
St. de Montfort is famous for fostering devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Rosary.
The True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin is one of the greatest and most celebrated books ever written about Our Lady. Praised by popes, mystics and theologians, this profound and powerful book presents Mary as the essential and infallible key to the heart of Jesus. Nowhere will you find a deeper and more life-changing book on that quintessentially Catholic doctrine: the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the Christian and the life of the Church.
The key to De Montfort’s Marian spirituality is that he considered Our Lady to be the infallible and chosen gate to the heart of Christ – To Jesus through Mary: it is Christ Himself Who is at the centre of True Devotion.
Some quotes:
- On Total Belonging: “I am all yours, and all that I have is yours, O most loving Jesus, through Mary, your most holy Mother.” This expresses the essence of true devotion.
- On Mary’s Role: “God the Father has communicated to Mary His fruitfulness… in order that He might give her the power to produce His Son, and all the members of His mystical body.” This illustrates Mary’s unique role in salvation.
- On Spiritual Growth: “When Mary has struck her roots in a soul, she produces there marvels of grace… because she alone is the fruitful Virgin who never has had, and never will have, her equal in purity and in fruitfulness.” This emphasizes the transformative power of devotion to Mary.
- On the Nature of Devotion: “We never give more honour to Jesus than when we honour his Mother… We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek – Jesus, her Son.” This highlights the purpose of Marian
- Satan, being proud, suffers infinitely more from being beaten and punished by a little and humble handmaid of God, and her humility humbles him more than the Divine power; and, secondly, because God has given Mary such a great power against the devils, that, as they have often been obliged to confess, in spite of themselves, by the mouths of the possessed, they fear one of her sighs for a soul more than the prayers of all the Saints, and one of her menaces against them more than all other torments.
- The Surest, Easiest, Shortest and the Most Perfect’ Way to Heaven, Being a Saint
If you haven’t consecrated yourself to Jesus. Through Mary, I highly highly recommend you do so. You don’t have to dive into St. DeMontfort’s ‘True Devotion’ and Consecration right away. Father Gaitley’s “33 days to morning glory” is an excellent consecration program. I did this the first few times I did and renewed my Consecration. It was only years later I picked up ‘True Devotion’ – I fell in love more deeply with our Lady and Jesus through this one. But, all my Consecrations have been depth building experiences.