For over a century, Saint Louis de Montfort’s masterpiece, the Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, remained completely hidden and mysteriously concealed.
Although Saint Louis wrote the book in the early 1700s, it was only in 1842 that a librarian at the mother-house of the Montfort Fathers at Saint Laurent-sur-Sèvre, France, unearthed the manuscript.
Was “True Devotion to Mary” discovered by chance or Divine Providence?
It seems the latter.
Saint Louis himself foretold that his book would be exposed to vicious attacks and kept hidden by Satan, who would try to suppress any means of spreading the ‘true devotion’ to Our Lady.
Saint Louis de Montfort penned these prophetic words:
“I clearly foresee that raging beasts will come in fury to tear to pieces with their diabolical teeth this little book and the one the Holy Spirit made use of to write it, or they will cause it at least to lie hidden in the darkness and silence of a chest and so prevent it from seeing the light of day.
“They will even attack and persecute those who read it and put into practice what it contains. But no matter! So much the better!
“It even gives me encouragement to hope for great success at the prospect of a mighty legion of brave and valiant soldiers of Jesus and Mary, both men and women, who will fight the devil, the world, and corrupt nature in the perilous times that are sure to come.” (True Devotion to Mary, n. 114).
Saint Louis’ prophetic words indeed came true over a century later.
Despite his death in 1716, his work and lasting mission lived on. During the French Revolution in the 1790s, civil authorities rigorously searched the records and documents held by the Missionaries of the Company of Mary in the mother-house at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, the order Saint Louis founded.
To avoid the seizure or destruction of important texts, the missionaries entrusted many manuscripts to local farmers for concealment and protection. The manuscripts were buried in old wooden trunks and chests underground in nearby farms.
And for a long time, Saint Louis de Montfort’s treasure-trove, Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, lay hidden and forgotten.
It was only after the Revolution had passed that any books and manuscripts were discovered and returned to the library of the missionaries. After over 100 years, on April 22, 1842, the mother-house librarian Father Rautureau stumbled upon the old and decrepit manuscript.
As the priest remarked:
“After I had read a few pages…I took it, hoping to find it useful for making a sermon on Our Lady. I read by chance the place where he speaks of his Company of Mary.
“I recognized the style and thoughts of our venerable founder, and his way of addressing his missionaries, and after that, I had no doubt the manuscript was his. I took it to our superior, who identified the handwriting.”
After the official stamp and handwriting of the founding father of the Company, Father de Montfort, was verified, the superior general at the time joyously announced, “We have found a treasure!”
The book was successfully published in 1843 and has since endured through the ages.