This week in Christian history: Sunday School Society founded, Jacques-Désiré Laval dies
Jacques-Désiré Laval dies – Sept. 9, 1864
This week marks the anniversary of when Jacques-Désiré Laval, a Catholic priest known for his mission work in the island nation of Mauritius, died days shy of his 61st birthday.
A native of the village of Croth, France, who had earned a doctorate of medicine in 1830, Laval was ordained a priest in 1838 and became a missionary priest to Mauritius in 1841.
“Fr. Jacques threw himself into mission life with great fervor,” explained the website Mission Priest. “He lived with the people, most of whom were formerly enslaved and uneducated, learned their language, and helped them in any way he could.”
“As a physician, as well as a priest, he had a great skill set to offer the people, especially when the population experienced epidemics. He helped the people not only with their physical illnesses, but he helped them improve agriculture thanks to his knowledge base in science.”
Laval is credited with having converted around 67,000 people to Christianity, leading to him commonly being known as the “Apostle of Mauritius.”
In 1979, Laval was beautified by Pope John Paul II.
