Saint Louis: History and Sainthood

Growing up, I wasn't Catholic and was not raised in the kind of Church that ever thought about saints. I knew that I lived in St. Louis, but it took me a shockingly long amount of time to realize that St. Louis was actually a historical person. Today is the feast day of King Louis IX of France, or St. Louis. In the Roman calendar, it is a memorial, what we might think of as a minor feast, but because this is our namesake and the patron for our city, the feast is elevated in stature. We have several masses this weekend to celebrate, and tonight there is a Mass celebrating St. Louis at the Cathedral Basilica at 5 p.m. Cardinal Rigali will serve as the papale legate, with Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, Archbishop Carlson, Archbishop Thierry Jordan and Prince Louis de Bourbon also there. That last man, Prince Louis de Bourbon, is descended from the last Kings of France and we ought to rightly consider him the current King of France. This is to say, this feast is a very special occasion.

Louis was born in the year 1215 and was made King at the young age of 11. He was a very popular monarch. He married young, stayed married, and had 11 children. He was zealous for the Church and took his coronation vows seriously to represent God in the way he governed. He protected clergy against their local landlords who at that time would often attempt to extort money and valuables away from the Church. After recovering from a violent fever, he made a vow to lead the 7 ^th Crusade. Taking along 35,000 French soldiers, they sailed to Egypt to try to help relieve the Christians there of Muslim oppression. The Crusade itself had a negligible impact and Louis was actually at one point captured and had to ransom his way to freedom. He went back to France but the situation of the Christians in the Holy Land continued to bother him and he went back a second time to help defend them. It was on this trip that he died of illness. Louis was known for his zeal as a soldier and, if you have ever noticed the statue of him in front of our Art Museum, he is mounted on his horse in his armor as a Crusader. (I am surprised and amused that in our current society in which we misunderstand and malign the Crusades such a statue continues to have a prominent display)


He was not only a warrior, though. During his reign, France was at the height of her cultural influence and many of the great Cathedrals of Europe were built in the gorgeous Gothic Style (think St. Francis de Sales in St. Louis pictured to the right). Louis often spent large amounts of his own money to build monasteries and chapels. He once told his friend that he would rather be stricken with leprosy than commit one mortal sin because leprosy is healed at death but a mortal sin has eternal consequences. He went to mass twice a day and always kept priests around him who would sing the psalms. While on his deathbed, he called his son to him and gave him advice, the first thing he said to him was "Fair son, the first thing I would teach thee is to set thine heart to love God; for unless he love God none can be saved."

Louis was strong, idealistic, holy, and charitable. He was loved by all and after his death was quickly made a saint. He is the only French King to be sainted.



So, how did our lovely town obtain this man as our patron? Pierre Laclede, a French explorer and faithful Catholic, first landed here in 1763 to set up a trading post. One of his first acts was to dedicate the settlement to the protection of King Louis. Whether there are people who are like I was as a little boy and don't think twice about the man King Louis IX or others who are very aware of his patronage, King Louis is currently in heaven interceding for us all. Let us ask him, especially this weekend, to continue to bless our city and make it a place of strong faith and Catholic culture.