The Tree of Life

Someone placed Boudon’s work on “Slavery to the Blessed Virgin” into his hands and he sensed immediately the importance and influence it was to be in his spiritual life. He soon began to share his enthusiasm with the other students and, from such a small seed, the “Tree of Life” grew to its present incredible dimensions. As he wrote later:

“If you cultivate (Mary) the Tree of Life, freshly planted in your soul by the Holy Ghost, it will grow so tall that the birds of Heaven will come to dwell in it. It will be a good tree, yielding fruit of honor and grace in due season, namely the sweet and adorable Jesus, who always has been, and always will be, the only fruit of Mary.” (From “The Tree of Life – Its Culture and Growth,” Saint Louis Marie de Montfort.)

Louis Marie de Montfort was ordained a priest on 5 June 1700 and spent the entire day in thanksgiving before the Blessed Sacrament. His first Mass was celebrated in the chapel of the Blessed Virgin in the parish church of Saint Sulpice. Not long before, he had been one of two students chosen to make the annual pilgrimage to a Marian shrine and at Chartres had placed his future work under the powerful protection of the Queen of Apostles; one of the most significant events of his early life.

As he had had previous experience and unexpected success giving catechetical instruction to the roughest of Parisian children, he sought apostolic work that would call for strength and sacrifice—the total dedication that he was so eager to give.