35 Facts About Francois Laval

1.

Francis-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval, commonly referred to as Francois de Laval, was a French prelate of the Catholic Church.

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2.

Francois Laval continued to work in New France until his death in 1708.

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3.

Francois Laval was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 22 June 1980 and Pope Francis declared him a saint on 3 April 2014.

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4.

Francois Laval's mother served as an example of piety and encouraged him to be charitable to those who were less fortunate.

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5.

At the age of eight, Francois Laval received the tonsure and took minor orders, which then allowed him to enter the College of La Fleche in 1631, an institution that educated the sons of the elite families and guaranteed him a good education.

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6.

In 1637, Francois Laval was appointed a canon of the Cathedral of Evreux by the Bishop of Evreux.

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7.

Francois Laval received revenue from the prebend attached to his position as a canon, which allowed him to continue his education.

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8.

Once he completed his classical education at the age of nineteen, Francois Laval left La Fleche to study philosophy and theology at the College de Clermont in Paris.

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9.

Francois Laval was said to approach this task with fervour and enthusiasm.

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10.

The Sulpicians proposed one of their own, Gabriel Thubieres de Levy de Queylus, as bishop, while the Jesuits supported Francois Laval and gained royal approval easily with the support of the Queen Mother, Anne of Austria.

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11.

Francois Laval began work immediately and on the day he arrived he baptized a young Huron and gave a dying man his last sacraments.

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12.

Francois Laval found himself having to make concessions where he never thought to before to a population that, while scarce, was spread out, and was less inclined to continue under strict church discipline.

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13.

De Queylus continued to assert his authority for nearly two years, while Francois Laval repeatedly appealed to the king and the Holy See for support.

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14.

Francois Laval struggled a great deal throughout his career to defend the church's power against state intrusion.

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15.

Francois Laval was immediately in opposition with Governor d'Argenson, particularly regarding ceremony and protocol.

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16.

Francois Laval believed that intoxicated natives were an embarrassment to the colony and endangered the lives of those around them.

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17.

Francois Laval quickly imposed the threat of excommunication on those who continued to deal in this trade.

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18.

D'Argenson soon resigned and was replaced by d'Avaugour, who, in order to avoid any conflict with Francois Laval, decreed harsh penalties against anyone caught selling alcohol to the natives.

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19.

Again, Francois Laval was displeased, believing that excommunication was a far more humane consequence.

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20.

Francois Laval succeeded in bringing about d'Avaugour's recall the following year.

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21.

For governor, Francois Laval chose Chevalier de Mezy, a friend from his time at the Hermitage of Caen.

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22.

Francois Laval appointed Mezy hoping to have an ally among high-ranking state official.

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23.

Francois Laval wanted these teachers to spread the word that his institution was to establish a sense of charity and love for religion in the colony and not another source of law or authority.

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24.

Francois Laval hoped that it would become a home for all parochial priests.

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25.

Francois Laval convinced the king, Louis XIV, to give him the income of three different abbeys in France.

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26.

Francois Laval shared a large part of his administrative work with other clerics to develop their experience.

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27.

Francois Laval took interest in practical education for craftsmen and farmers, founding a school of arts and crafts at Saint-Joachim.

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28.

Francois Laval revisited the issue of alcohol sales to the indigenous peoples.

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29.

Francois Laval eventually realised that his health was declining and that he could no longer run his large diocese, which extended from Acadia to Lake Michigan.

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30.

Francois Laval continued to collaborate with the colony's high religious authorities, until his last days.

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31.

Francois Laval helped the poor with his presence and his gifts of charity.

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32.

Francois Laval never missed a Mass or a day of fasting, despite his ever declining health.

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33.

Francois Laval's body was placed in a coffin in the cathedral; however his heart was kept in the chapel of the seminary to which he had dedicated most of his life and fortune.

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34.

Francois Laval's remains have been entombed in a shrine for personal veneration in the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Quebec.

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35.

Francois Laval was granted Equivalent canonization on 3 April 2014 by Pope Francis.

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