Jacques-Désiré Laval
Encyclopedia
Jacques-Désiré Laval was a French
Roman Catholic
priest
and missionary
to Mauritius
. He is known honorifically as the "Apostle of Mauritius", and was the first blessed
of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit
.
, Eure
, a department of the Normandy
region of France
. He was the child of a successful farmer. His uncle was a priest, and he grew up in a devoutly Catholic household. His mother died when he was seven years old.
Laval was educated at Évreux
, and the Collège Stanislas de Paris
. Though initially uncertain whether to pursue the priesthood or the practice of medicine, he received his medical degree in 1830 and set up a practice in Saint-André
and Ivry-la-Bataille
in his native Normandy.
He reexamined his choice after a near-fatal riding accident. Feeling he was called to the priesthood, he closed his practice and entered the seminary of Saint-Sulpice; he was ordained in 1838, and worked as a parish priest for two years. He desired a more active ministry, however, and entered the Society of the Holy Heart of Mary (later renamed as the Congregation of the Holy Spirit). He was sent as a missionary to the island of Mauritius on 14 September 1841. He spent the next twenty-three years in service to the people of that island nation.
Many of Père Laval's parishioners were poor and uneducated former slaves. He lived with them, learned their language, fasted when supplies were short, and slept in a packing crate. His medical training was useful to his ministry, as he worked to improve conditions in agriculture, sanitation, medicine, and science. Laval was tremendously successful—he is believed to have made 67,000 converts in his parish.
Jacques Laval was beatified on 24 April 1979, the first of 1,340 people beatified in the pontificate of Pope John Paul II
.
The date of Père Laval's death has become a holiday of sorts in Mauritius, marked by a festival and procession to the site of his tomb.
The annual pilgrimage to the parish church of Sainte-Croix
originated on the day of his funeral procession in 1864. The funeral oration commented on the words of Isaiah: Evangelizare pauperibus misit me — "He sent me to announce the Gospel to the poor". The casket was followed by more than thirty thousand weeping people and buried opposite the church in Sainte Croix. Every year, offerings and ex votos are placed at the site of his tomb from the night of 8 September until the end of the feast of the blessed.
A building on the campus of Duquesne University
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, a university administered by the Holy Ghost Fathers, is named "Laval House" in honor of Blessed Jacques Laval.
A picture of Pere Laval is found at Notre Dames de Lourdres (Leicester Square,London)
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and missionary
Catholic missions
As the church normally organizes itself along territorial lines, and because they had the human and material resources, religious orders—some even specializing in it—undertook most missionary work, especially in the early phases...
to Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. He is known honorifically as the "Apostle of Mauritius", and was the first blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit
Holy Ghost Fathers
The Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...
.
Life
He was born this day on the 18 September 1803 in CrothCroth
Croth is a commune in the Eure department in northern France.-Population:...
, Eure
Eure
Eure is a department in the north of France named after the river Eure.- History :Eure is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, a department of the Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He was the child of a successful farmer. His uncle was a priest, and he grew up in a devoutly Catholic household. His mother died when he was seven years old.
Laval was educated at Évreux
Évreux
Évreux is a commune in the Eure department, of which it is the capital, in Haute Normandie in northern France.-History:In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named Mediolanum Aulercorum, "the central town of the Aulerci", the Gallic tribe then inhabiting the area...
, and the Collège Stanislas de Paris
Collège Stanislas de Paris
Le Collège Stanislas de Paris is a private Catholic school in Paris, situated on "Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs" in the Montparnasse arrondissement. It has approximately 3,000 students, and is the largest private school in France....
. Though initially uncertain whether to pursue the priesthood or the practice of medicine, he received his medical degree in 1830 and set up a practice in Saint-André
Saint-André-de-l'Eure
Saint-André-de-l'Eure is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
and Ivry-la-Bataille
Ivry-la-Bataille
Ivry-la-Bataille is a commune in the Eure Department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. Ivry-la-Bataille was formerly known as Ivry.-History:The Battle of Ivry took place near Ivry on 14 March 1590...
in his native Normandy.
He reexamined his choice after a near-fatal riding accident. Feeling he was called to the priesthood, he closed his practice and entered the seminary of Saint-Sulpice; he was ordained in 1838, and worked as a parish priest for two years. He desired a more active ministry, however, and entered the Society of the Holy Heart of Mary (later renamed as the Congregation of the Holy Spirit). He was sent as a missionary to the island of Mauritius on 14 September 1841. He spent the next twenty-three years in service to the people of that island nation.
Many of Père Laval's parishioners were poor and uneducated former slaves. He lived with them, learned their language, fasted when supplies were short, and slept in a packing crate. His medical training was useful to his ministry, as he worked to improve conditions in agriculture, sanitation, medicine, and science. Laval was tremendously successful—he is believed to have made 67,000 converts in his parish.
Veneration
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
.
The date of Père Laval's death has become a holiday of sorts in Mauritius, marked by a festival and procession to the site of his tomb.
The annual pilgrimage to the parish church of Sainte-Croix
Sainte-Croix, Mauritius
Sainte-Croix is a town in Port Louis, Mauritius, Africa.It is most famous for its association with the Roman Catholic beatus Jacques-Désiré Laval, who worked in Sainte-Croix as a missionary from 1841 until his death in 1864. Sainte Croix is the site of Laval's tomb, and is thus a place of...
originated on the day of his funeral procession in 1864. The funeral oration commented on the words of Isaiah: Evangelizare pauperibus misit me — "He sent me to announce the Gospel to the poor". The casket was followed by more than thirty thousand weeping people and buried opposite the church in Sainte Croix. Every year, offerings and ex votos are placed at the site of his tomb from the night of 8 September until the end of the feast of the blessed.
A building on the campus of Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, a university administered by the Holy Ghost Fathers, is named "Laval House" in honor of Blessed Jacques Laval.
A picture of Pere Laval is found at Notre Dames de Lourdres (Leicester Square,London)