The Saints: St. Louis Bertrand

1526 - 1581 / Feast - Oct. 9

Born in Valencia, this Dominican friar spent the greater part of his priestly ministry as his order’s novice master in his native Spain. But, as a missionary in Colombia, Panama and the Lesser Antilles from 1562 to 1568, he zealously converted large numbers of Indians and was said to have received the gift of tongues and other supernatural powers. His care for plague victims in Valencia earned him a reputation for holiness and St. Teresa of Avila consulted him about reforms for the Carmelite order.