Who is bishop Francois Montmorency de Laval and why is he important?

Francis-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval, commonly referred to as François de Laval (30 April 1623 – 6 May 1708), was the first Roman Catholic bishop of Quebec, appointed when he was 36 years old by Pope Alexander VII. Laval was a member of the Montmorency family and was one of the most influential men of his day.

How did bishop Laval organize the church?

His goal was a diocese of Québec in which all religious were subject to the bishop. To reduce lay control of the clergy, Laval instituted a church court to judge cases involving clerics. In 1663, he founded the Séminaire de Québec as a theological college and a mother house of all secular priests.

Was François de Laval married?

Hugues de Laval and his wife had six sons and two daughters, one of whom, Isabelle, a posthumous child, died at the age of seven months.

What are people from Laval called?

Laval, Quebec

Laval
Demonym(s) Lavallois, Lavalloise
Time zone UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Postal code(s) H7A to H7Y

Who was Francois de Laval and what did he do?

François de Laval, who was an “intimate friend” of M. de Bernières, put his admirable maxims into practice: he combined charitable works with prayer and preaching and, as he had done in Paris, engaged in helping the poor and the sick, in the great tradition of St Vincent de Paul.

When did Francois de Laval resign as Bishop?

In 1685, infirmity and advancing age prompted Laval to offer his resignation as bishop, although he agreed to remain until the consecration of his successor, Jean-Baptiste de La Croix de Saint-Vallier, which took place in 1688. Laval’s church seemed firmly established.

Why was Francois de Laval Bishop of Petraea?

In defiance of French bishops and the parlements of Rouen and Paris, a papal nuncio in 1658 consecrated Laval bishop of Petraea, a diocese in Muslim lands — there being no diocese of Québec yet. Although he swore allegiance to the French king, Laval was the pope’s vicar-general.

When did Francois de Montmorency Laval return to Quebec?

Laval returned to Quebec in 1663 and in that year founded the Seminary of Quebec, which was intended to be both a training school for priests and a home for retired priests. It was not long, however, before he quarrelled also with the new governor, who, in 1664, removed from the Sovereign Council four men who were protégés of Laval.