Thousands of Canadians are currently united as they pray the 54-day Rosary novena for our beloved nation. Please consider joining the novena by signing up as a Prayer Partner at www.Canada54.com.
The 54-day novena consist of six 9-day novenas. Different saints and blessed are being honoured in each of the six 9-day novenas. From April 28 to May 6, St. Louis was honoured by the participants with this prayer: “St. Louis de Montfort, who during your life on earth taught Christians how to have true devotion to Mary, and had a zeal for becoming a Canadian missionary; pray for us. May God make us apostles of the last days, to find refuge in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and to courageously witness to Christ and His Glorious Cross. Amen.”
St. Louis Marie de Montfort was ordained a priest in June, 1700. After his ordination, he had hoped to go to Canada to serve as a missionary priest. However, due to the needs in France, his bishop sent him to travel throughout France and preach against the errors of Jansenism.
Jansenism produced general harshness and moral rigorism. It denied God’s mercy to all mankind. Saint Louis opposed to the proud austerity of Jansenism with confident and expansive love of Mary.
Father Donald Calloway, author of Champions of the Rosary, wrote: “[St. Louis’] approach to winning back souls was two-fold: Preach both the wisdom of the Cross and true devotion to Mary. In his preaching on true devotion to Mary, he focused on total consecration to Mary and praying the Rosary. With these weapons at his side, he set out on a walking tour throughout France as an itinerant preacher. As he travelled from town to town, he was known to preach with the cross in one hand and the rosary in the other.”
The two great Marian books written by St. Louis are: True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin and The Secret of the Rosary.
During the canonization of St. Louis, Pope Pius XII pointed out the attitudes which were the foundation of St Louis’ devotion to Mary: firm conviction regarding her powerful intercession, determination to imitate her virtues, and ardent love for Jesus and Mary.
St. Louis promoted consecration to Jesus through Mary, with the renewal and deepening of one’s baptismal promises. We are to consecrate all that we are (our body and soul) and all that we have (material and spiritual possessions) through the hands of Mary.
Father Calloway wrote, “Preaching consecration to Mary had proven very fruitful in [St. Louis’] apostolate, but he was an itinerant preacher who was constantly on the move. There was the possibility that, after he left, people would lose their initial fervor if they did not have something ‘in hand’ to remind them of their consecration on a daily basis. The Rosary would be the ongoing means to help people remain consecrated to Mary after he had left town.”
St. Louis became a Third Order Dominican and an ardent promoter of the Confraternity of the Rosary. Members of the Confraternity strive to pray the mysteries of the Rosary each week. A member shares in the prayer of countless thousands of members the world over, and this even after death. He also shares in the prayers, Masses and apostolic works of the entire Dominican Order and receives various indulgences throughout the year.
Faithful in Canada can consider enrolling in the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary at Cap-de-la-Madeleine online at www.visitationproject.org. This Confraternity was established during the life time of St. Louis in 1694.
Both St. John Eudes (1601-1680) and St. Louis Marie de Montfort (1673–1716) influenced the spirituality of the faithful in France. Missionaries brought the treasure of French spirituality to New France. St. John promoted devotion to the Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary and St. Louis promoted consecration and Rosary. Through their intercession, may the people in Canada come to Jesus through Mary.
聖類斯宣講奉獻
為了本國，上千計的國民，已參加了54天玫瑰經敬禮；還未參加的，可到www.Canada54.com網站，加入成為眾多的祈禱夥伴。
54天玫瑰經敬禮其實是一連六個九日敬禮；每一個九日敬禮都包括恭敬不同的聖人或真福。4月28日至5月6日第一個九日敬禮，紀念聖類斯. 瑪利亞.蒙福，誦唸以下經文：「聖類斯.蒙福，你在世時，曾教導基督徒如何誠心恭敬瑪利亞，並有意到加拿大傳教，請為我們祈求。願天主讓我們成為末世的使徒，在聖母無玷聖心的庇蔭下，勇毅地為基督及祂光榮聖架作證。亞孟。」
聖類斯.蒙福1700年晉鐸，本想到加拿大傳教，；但由於法國的需要，當地主教要他周遊法國傳教，抗衡楊森學派的謬誤。。
楊森學派提倡苛刻的規範和嚴厲的道德守則；他們否定天主對人類的慈悲。聖類斯反對他們的自以為是的嚴苛，並對依靠聖母寬宏的愛，滿有信心。
「玫瑰經的擁護者」作者、當奴.郝路偉神父寫道：「（聖類斯）從兩方面把人靈喚回教會：一是聖十字架的智慧，另一是恭敬聖母。在他宣講對聖母的真敬禮時，專注於奉獻給聖母和誦唸玫瑰經。他帶著這些武器走遍法國，巡回宣道；一手拿著十字架，另一手執玫瑰唸珠。」
「對聖母的真敬禮」和「玫瑰經的秘密」是聖類斯有關聖母的箸作。
教宗庇約十二世把類斯宣聖時指出，聖人對聖母的愛，基於他對聖母大能轉禱能力的堅信，並矢志效法她的聖德，和熱愛耶穌和瑪利亞。
聖類斯推廣通過聖母奉獻給耶穌，重發及深化聖洗誓詞，要藉聖母的手，我們把整個的自己（靈魂和肉身）和一切（物質和靈性上的）所得，完全奉獻給耶穌。
郝路偉神父又指出：聖類斯宣講奉獻給聖母非常有成果。因為他是巡回傳教，深怕自己離開該地到別的地方時，原來的信眾，便會冷淡下來；所以，他在離開之前，要信眾用玫瑰唸珠作為『實物提醒』，讓他們繼續記得自己是奉獻給聖母的。
聖類斯加入道明會第三會，也是玫瑰經善會的熱心推廣人。善會成員每星期都努力誦唸玫瑰經，讓每位在世和去世的成員，均可分享世界無數成員祈禱的善功。成員也分享道明會士的祈禱、彌撒，和傳教事工，並在一年中可得到數個大赦。
加拿大信眾可以考慮上網www.visitationproject.org參加在魁北克省的達蓮角的至聖玫瑰善會。這善會在1694年成立，當時聖類斯尚在人間。
聖若望.恩道（1601-1680年）和聖類斯. 瑪利亞.蒙福（1673-1716年），影響了法國人的靈性生活。傳教者把法國的靈性瑰寶，帶給了新法國（加拿大）。聖若望.恩道推廣了對耶穌及聖母聖心的敬禮；聖類斯.蒙福則推廣了奉獻給聖母和玫瑰經的敬禮。
希望藉著這兩位聖者的轉禱，加拿大人能通過聖母到達耶穌。