Diocese of Nantes

De Montfort continued to work fruitfully in his native diocese until harassed by the Jansenists and forced to leave. He then offered his services to the great diocese of Nantes and his missions there met with the same remarkable response. Encouraged by the enthusiasm of the crowds, he decided to erect an immense Calvary that, rising from the vast plain that surrounds Pontchateau, would be visible for miles around. It was to be a center of pilgrimage and a perpetual reminder of the promises the people of the district had made to God during the mission.

The project was greeted with joy and 500 laborers immediately volunteered. Soon the work was completed and proved its worth, not only by continuing to stimulate local devotion but also by drawing crowds from other areas—hundreds of people who found here the inspiration for the reformation of their lives. Once again de Montfort showed that he understood and respected the need men have to find God through the windows of the senses—through what is tangible, moving, and essentially human.