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Today’s missionary hero was a Frenchman who became known as the “Father of the Canadian Church” because of his missionary work in that country.
François-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval, more commonly known simply as François de Laval, was born on April 30, 1623 in France to an illustrious family.
From an early age, François’ parents taught him to be charitable towards those who had little in life. One of his brothers, Henri, was a Benedictine monk, and one of his sisters, Anne Charlotte, was a Sister of the Blessed Sacrament.
As a young man, François decided that not only was God calling him to be a priest, but also to be a missionary as his patron saint, Francis Xavier. Fortunately, he studied in Paris at an institution that would become famous for its commitment to foreign missions. François was ordained at the age of 24 in 1647.
In 1658, François was consecrated a bishop, and in 1659, he landed in Quebec which, at that time, had only 500 inhabitants.
Of all the problems Bishop François had, his greatest was the sale of alcohol to the aboriginals of Canada. The white traders soon had the natives dependent on alcohol, and that caused all the problems associated with alcoholism. Also, it is good to know that at the time Bishop Laval lived, the Diocese of Quebec covered most of North America!
In spite of all his problems, Bishop Laval was able to establish an education system for children, training schools for older youth, and a seminary. One of his endeavors became a university which is named after him.
François de Laval died on May 6, 1708 in Quebec and was canonized by Pope Francis in 2014. Saint François’ feast day is May 6.
