ULYAL
45
LAVAL
dead and in Blasaes de tempore from Passion Sunday to
Holy Saturday exclusively ("Ritus celebrandi , VII,
6, in the Missal). A bishop at high Mass wears the
- ' precious" mitre {mitra pretiosa) while he is incensed
and washes his hands (Caerim. Episc., II, 8, 64) ; in this case a larger silver jug and basm are generally used, thou^ the " Cserimoniale Episcoporum" does not mention them. At low Mass, since there is no incense, the celebrant goes to the Epistle side and washes his hands in the same way immediately after the prayer " Veni sanctificator ". For his convenience the altar- card on the Epistle side contains the prayer said when the water is blessed before it is put into the chalice ("Deus qui humanse substantis) and the verses "Lavabo^, etc.
QiBS, DoM ktnliat MeMfonfmr (Freibuis im Br., 1897), 502-05; BxNBDicT XIV, De SS, Mt—m Sacrificio, II, 11 (ed. Schneidkb, Mains. 1879, pp. 14^-48); Durandxts, Rationale divinorum offi- IV, 28, DB HsBDT, S. Liiwrgia praxu, I (9th od., Lou-
Tain. 1894), 307-08; 464-65; Duchxsnb, Orients du CviU
€krHien (Paris. 1898). 167, 443.
Adbian Fortescue.
•
Laval, DiocE«E of (Valus Guidonis) includes the DepaEurtment of La Mayenne. Until 1855 the territory of this diocese was annexed to Le Mans. Since the seventeenth century the creation of a See of Laval had been under consideration. A constitu- tional bishopric existed there for a short time during the Revolution ; and two titular incumbents, Vilar and Doriodot, occupied the position. In 1S46 the creation of the see was decided upon, but was not carried out until after the death of Bishop Bouvier of Le Mans in 1854. A Bull of Pius IX, 30 June, 1855, established the See of Laval. The apologist Emile Bougaud (q. v.) was consecrated Bishop of Laval in February, 1888, and died a few months later. The request of the Holy See in 1904 for the resignation of Bishop Pierre Victor Geav (1896-1904) was one of the reasons assigned by the French Republic for breaking with the pope and preparing the separation o£ Church and State. During the French Revolution, Laval was captured by the Vendeans on 22 October, 1793, after widch the diocese became the seat of the "Chouannerie", a movement similar to theVendean but less aristocratic, the ** Chouans " consisting almost entirely of peasants who wore a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesiis on their arm or their breast and fougjbt for the liberty of their priests and for the royaUst cause, without, however, avoiding frequent acts of brigandM^e. They were organized into bands by a eertain Jean Cottereau, called Jean Chouan (1757- 1794) and after his death continued their adven- turous resistance till 1796. For the principal saints ven»ated in the Diocese of Laval, see Le mans; only those whose memories are closely associated with the present confines of the diocese are here mentioned: St. Constantianus, a monk of Micy, who founded the monastery of Lasisay, at the same time that St. Er- neus, St. Bohemad, and St. Alveus, also monks of ICcy, were foimding the monasteries of Ceaul^, Saint-Bomer, Saint Auvieu in the forest of Passais, on the borders of the Departments of Mayenne and rOme (sixth century), the deacons Sts. Serenus and Serenic, hermits of Saulges, who belong to the seventh century. Blessed Merolus, a native of Evron and chorepiscopus of Saulges, later Bishop of Le Mans, is of the eighth century, and the hermit St. Simeon of Vauc6 of the ninth. Bemier (1764-1806),
Eishop of Origans, one of the negotiators of the con- irdat and Cardinal de Cheverus, Bishop of Boston, Maas. and Archbishop of Bordeaux (1768-1836), were natives of the diocese.
Two councils were hdd at Laval m 1207 and 1242 and four at ChAteau Gontier in 1231, 1253, 1268 and 1336 for the restoration of discipline. The prindpal pikrimages in the diocese are: Notre-Dame de F^ at Laval, a shriDie of great antiquity; Notr^Dane de
r£j»ne at Evron. About 648 a pilmm bearing a
rehquary containing a relic of the Blessed Virgin
stopped at a sanctuary which had been erected in her
honour by St. Thuribius, second Bishop of Le Mans,
and hung the reliquary on a hawthorn bush. Sub-
seciuent miracles, it is said, induced St. Hadouindus,
Bishop of Le Blans, to build there a second shrine
and a monastery. In the last half century more
than 100,0(X) people visited Notre-Dame de TEpine.
Notre-Dame des Freux at Bellebranche, Notre-Dame
d'Av^nidres, and Notre-Dame de CourM!fo6se at Fou-
Serolles date from the twelfth century. Notre-Dame es Bob at dJontest dates from the mteenth century. Notre-Dame de la Mariette at Beaumont, Notre-Dame de la Crueat St- Martin du Limet, and Notre-Dame du Ch^ne at St-Martin de Conn^. date from the six- teenth century. Notre-Dame de la Tremblaye at Daon (since 1660), Notre-Dame de Bon Secours at Craon Saint Nicholas (since 1709), and since 1871 two im-
g>rtant pilgrimages, Notre-Dame Auxiliatrice de la ucraie at Burest and Notre-Dame d'Esp^rance at Pontmain.
Before the application of the Associations Law of 1901, there were Jesuits, Fathers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and' of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and various orders of teaching brothers in this diocese. The Trappists are still at the monastery of Notre Dame du Port Salut, at Entrammes. The principal communi- ties of women originating in this diocese are: the Ursulines of Chateau Gontier, founded in 1630 for teaching; the Hospitaller nuns of the Mercy of Jesus founded at Ch&teau Gontier in 1674; the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, hospitaller nuns found^ in 1816 by Thdr^se Agathe Rondeau, a poor working woman known as "Good Mother Th^r^"; the Sisters of Charity of Notre-Dame, teachers and hospitallers, founded in 1682 by Madame Thulard. The mother- house of this community established at Evron in 1901, coimts 1700 members and 184 institutions in the Dio- cese of Laval and 137 outside the diocese. In 1908 there remained twenty communities of women in this see. At the close of the nineteenth century the reli- ^ous orders maintained here 27 infant schools, 2 institutes for the deaf and dumb, 1 orphanage for boys and 6 for girls; 4 work rooms, 12 hospitals or alms houses; 6 nouses whose members care for the sick in their homes and 4 houses for retreats. In 1908 the Diocese of Laval numbered 305,457 inhabitants; 31 parishes; 265 "succursales"; 210 vicariates, and 705 secular priests.
CouANiER DE Launat, Vie De Mgr C. Wicart^ premier Svique de Laval, et hietaire de Virectum de cet Mchi (Laval, 1888); BouiLLiER, Reeherrhes hietoriauee eur Vfgliee el la paroiese de la Trinity de LatnZ (ibid., 1845) ; Couanier de I^unat, Legendaire ou vie» dee eainU du dioc^ae de Laval (ibid.. 1891); Idem, PHe' rinagee et Sanctuairee didiie ii la Sainte Vierge dana le dioeiae de Laval (ibid., 8. d.): Chevalier, Topobibl., pp. 1647-48.
Georoes Goyau.
Laval F&AN^oiB de Montmorency, first bishop of Canada, b. at Montigny-sur-Avre, 30 April, 1623, of Hu^ues de Laval and JVIichelle de P^ricard; d. at Quebec on 6 May, 1708. He was a scion of an illus- trious family, whose ancestor was baptized with Clovis at Reims, and whose motto reads: "Dieu ayde au premier baron chrestien. He studied under the Jesuits at La Fl^he, and learned philosophy and theology at their college of Clermont (Paris), where he
i'oined a group of fervent youths directed by Father )agot. This congregation was the ^erm of the Sem* inaiy of Foreign Missions, famous in the history of the Church, and of which the future seminary of Que- bec was to be a sister institution. His two older brothers having died in battle, Francois inherited the family title and estate. But he resisted all worldly attractions and a mother's entreaties, and held fast to his vocation. After ordination (1647), he filled the office of archdeacon at Evreux. The renowned Jesuit misajooaiy, Alexander de Rhodes, having obtained
