On September 9, we celebrate the Feast Day of Blessed Jacques Laval, the "Apostle of Mauritius," who worked tirelessly to empower and care for a forgotten people, the formerly enslaved people living in Mauritius. He became the first beatified Spiritan on April 29, 1979.

Using the example of Jacques Laval’s life and ministry, here are some things we can learn. 

Don’t be Afraid to Make a Change When the Spirit Leads

As a young man, Jacques Laval wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life, considering priesthood and becoming a doctor. He went to school and practiced as a doctor for several years, but a near-death experience led him to pursue the priesthood. 

He said, “True. I hesitated all along between the priesthood and medicine. I chose medicine and now I see that I was wrong. God is calling me. This is my vocation. As a priest, I shall be able to do more good. I must follow the voice of God.”

After being ordained, Laval served as a parish priest in a rural village in France for a couple of years, he was introduced to the idea of missionary work among the formerly enslaved. 

When Francis Libermann, who hadn’t officially started the Congregation of the Holy Heart of Mary yet, suggested he go to Mauritius, he listened to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, which guided him to make changes before and he went. 

When the Holy Spirit prompts a change in our lives, it can be intimidating and sometimes scary. Fr. Laval, who had already made a big change in his life from doctor to priest, made another bold step to go to Mauritius, alone, as a missionary with a Congregation that wasn’t even official.  The fruit of that decision would become evident in Mauritius and beyond. We too, can use this inspiration to remind us to follow the Holy Spirit even when we feel unsure about it.

We Can Walk Beside People Where They Are

Fr. Laval truly walked beside the poor, formerly enslaved residents of Mauritius. He viewed every person he interacted with in the image of God. He worked in local prisons. He was active in the response to deadly epidemics that struck during his time in Mauritius. Fr. Laval was always walking with the people on the margins of this society.

Fr. Bernard Hym, C.S.Sp., describes part of his mission in “Blessed James Desiré Laval, CSSp: Spirituality and Mission. A Message for Our Time” in the following way: 

“ Fr. Laval succeeded in learning enough Creole in six months to become chaplain of the prison.3 Morning and evening, he prayed with the men, then with the women. He had no chapel, but he said Sunday Mass for them. Over the course of 15 years, he devoted close to 4,000 hours to them. He emptied the prisons of Creoles, for on their release from prison they were welcomed by his Lay Auxiliaries who helped them find work. Also, by formalizing their marriages, he helped them become responsible persons.”

Everyone has a Mission- Lay People Included

Since Fr. Laval was the only missionary priest in his area, he made immediate connections with Lay Catholics. The group of Lay Auxiliaries were trained by Fr. Laval as catechists, who helped Fr. Laval reach more people with the message of the Gospel. There were at least 70 of these lay catechists and 30 of them were women. 

Fr. Laval recognized that all Catholics were to be on mission. As Pope Francis said in his 2019 Message for World Mission Sunday, “This missionary mandate touches us personally: I am a mission, always; you are a mission, always; every baptized man and woman is a mission. People in love never stand still: they are drawn out of themselves; they are attracted and attract others in turn; they give themselves to others and build relationships that are life-giving. As far as God’s love is concerned, no one is useless or insignificant. Each of us is a mission to the world, for each of us is the fruit of God’s love.” 

Be Supported by Prayer

Early in his priesthood, in his first parish, it was known that if you wanted to find Fr. Laval, you could find him kneeling in the chapel praying. He was known to pray for hours a day. In Mauritius, he woke up at 4:30 a.m. so he could start his day in prayer before going to work. This time in prayer and the sacraments strengthened Fr. Laval for the incredible amount of work he had to do. 

This serves as a reminder to us that prayer and the sacraments are the support we need for life and mission. It’s also a reminder that we can always make time for this, even when bogged down by our busy lives and vocations. 

Even if Our Work Feels Like It’s Not Enough - God Uses It

Fr. Laval was known to think he wasn’t doing enough. He was always looking for ways to spread the Gospel, wishing that he could go to Madagascar where missionaries were not allowed. He was alone in Mauritius for 5 years before more Congregation members were sent to help him in his mission. He was also very humble, often rejecting attention from others who were trying to draw attention to his work. Nonetheless, the impact and reach of his work are wide and broad. He himself describes his work this way: 

“Port-Louis, where I am working, with around 30,000 people, all of whom have to be visited. We have to teach, catechize, console, visit and administer the sacrament to all these people, so you can see that there is much work to be done. The good Lord for whom we are working has blessed our efforts and has made his word bear fruit.”

Fr. Laval was credited for the conversion of 67,000 people in Maritius. When he died more than 30,000 mourners followed his casket. And to this day, many people travel to maritius to visit his tomb. 

Despite Fr. Laval’s feeling that he wasn’t doing enough, God helped his work bear fruit. He will do the same for each of our efforts to further the Gospel and walk with those on the margins. 

These ideas were inspired by “Blessed James Desire Laval, CSSp: Spirituality and Mission. A message for Our Times” an article by Bernard Hym C.S.Sp.  in Spiritan Horizons Volume 13: Issue 13.

Hym, B. (2018). Blessed James Desiré Laval, CSSp: Spirituality and Mission. A Message for Our Times. Spiritan Horizons, 13 (13). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/spiritan-horizons/vol13/iss13/8