Patron of Tertiaries and PrisonersSt. Louis, the ninth of his name, was born at Poissy, France, in 1214. His father was Louis VIII, and his mother was Blanche, daughter of Alfonso VIII of Castile. At the age of twelve he lost his father, and his mother became regent of the kingdom. From his tenderest infancy she had inspired him with love for holy things.
In 1234, the Saint married Margaret, the virtuous daughter of Raymond Berenger, Count of Provence, and two years later he took the reins of government into his own hands. In 1238, he headed a crusade, in which he fell a prisoner among the Mohammedans, but a truce was concluded and he was set free and returned to France. In 1267, he again set out for the East at the head of a crusade, but he never again beheld his native land. In 1270, he was stricken by the pestilence at the siege of Tunis and died after receiving the Last Sacraments. He was canonized in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII.
PRAYER: God, You transferred St. Louis from the cares of an earthly throne to the glory of the heavenly Kingdom. Grant, through his intercession, that we may seek Your eternal Kingdom by carrying out our earthly duties. Amen.