François de Laval
Catholic saint, First Bishop of Quebec
Feast: 6 May (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
The Vatican record
- 3 April 2014 — Decree of the Dicastery (decree list, 2014)
Who they were
François de Montmorency-Laval was born on 30 April 1623 at Montigny-sur-Avre, in the diocese of Chartres, of a noble family, and studied with the Jesuits at La Flèche, where his interest in the Canadian missions began. Ordained in 1647, as archdeacon of Évreux he visited over 150 parishes, reforming them in the spirit of Trent.
Named vicar apostolic in Canada on 3 June 1658, he founded the seminary of Quebec, the heart of the Church in Canada, and became Bishop of Quebec. For about fifty years he gave himself to building up the Church across a vast area of North America.
The miracles
Canonised by decree of Pope Francis without a second miracle (equivalent canonisation).
Why that counted as sanctity
The first bishop of Quebec, who laid the foundations of the Church in Canada.
Connected on this site
- Marie Guyart Saint“She was canonized by Pope Francis through equipollent canonization in 2014 alongside François de Laval.” — Wikipedia
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: François de Montmorency-Laval
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints — promulgated decrees (causesanti.va), summarised in our own words
- Wikidata Q607145 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — François de Laval (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.