Today the Church remembers an unlikely candidate to have become a saint, a king, King Louis IX of France.
He was born in 1214 and became King of France when just 12 years old. His mother, the half-English Blanche of Castile, was regent during his minority, and an influence while she lived. In 1234 he married Margaret of Provence, sister of Eleanor the wife of Henry III of England.
Louis worked for the political unification of France. He largely eliminated the feuding and wars among French nobles and vassals that had ravaged France before his time. He protected vassals from oppression, and required their lords to fulfill their obligations. He reformed the system of taxation. He reformed the courts, so that every man in France, regardless of his station, had a far better chance of receiving justice than had previously been the case. Louis also promoted the writing down of the law, so that it was clear what the laws were, and made major strides toward eliminating trial by combat in favor of trial by jury. His reputation for integrity was such that foreign monarchs regularly asked him to arbitrate their disputes.
He founded a hospital for the poor, sick, and blind, known as the Quinze-Vingts. His reign coincided with the great era of the building of Gothic cathedrals in France. Robert de Sorbon, the founder of the Sorbonne (University of Paris) was his confessor and his personal friend, and Thomas Aquinas was a frequent guest at his table.
Louis also led 2 Crusades, one in 1248 and the other in 1269. He was captured in the first Crusade in April of 1250. King Louis eventually negotiated his freedom and that of his barons for a costly ransom. He decided to remain in the Holy Land. There he was able to overcome the stigma of his military defeat by forging advantageous alliances. He stayed there 4 more years and only returned home when he learned of his mother’s death.
On the second Crusade, he returned to Africa, and chose Tunisia as the point to strike a serious blow against the Muslims. This would prove a dreadful mistake. After landing at Tunis at the beginning of July of 1270, he scored a series of easy victories, taking Carthage in the process. But as on his previous expedition, his forces were struck by plague.
He was born in 1214 and became King of France when just 12 years old. His mother, the half-English Blanche of Castile, was regent during his minority, and an influence while she lived. In 1234 he married Margaret of Provence, sister of Eleanor the wife of Henry III of England.
Louis worked for the political unification of France. He largely eliminated the feuding and wars among French nobles and vassals that had ravaged France before his time. He protected vassals from oppression, and required their lords to fulfill their obligations. He reformed the system of taxation. He reformed the courts, so that every man in France, regardless of his station, had a far better chance of receiving justice than had previously been the case. Louis also promoted the writing down of the law, so that it was clear what the laws were, and made major strides toward eliminating trial by combat in favor of trial by jury. His reputation for integrity was such that foreign monarchs regularly asked him to arbitrate their disputes.
He founded a hospital for the poor, sick, and blind, known as the Quinze-Vingts. His reign coincided with the great era of the building of Gothic cathedrals in France. Robert de Sorbon, the founder of the Sorbonne (University of Paris) was his confessor and his personal friend, and Thomas Aquinas was a frequent guest at his table.
Louis also led 2 Crusades, one in 1248 and the other in 1269. He was captured in the first Crusade in April of 1250. King Louis eventually negotiated his freedom and that of his barons for a costly ransom. He decided to remain in the Holy Land. There he was able to overcome the stigma of his military defeat by forging advantageous alliances. He stayed there 4 more years and only returned home when he learned of his mother’s death.
On the second Crusade, he returned to Africa, and chose Tunisia as the point to strike a serious blow against the Muslims. This would prove a dreadful mistake. After landing at Tunis at the beginning of July of 1270, he scored a series of easy victories, taking Carthage in the process. But as on his previous expedition, his forces were struck by plague.
Louis died in August at the age of 56 in the year 1270. It is said that when his body was brought back to France, all along the way crowds gathered and knelt as the procession passed. His funeral was held at Notre-Dame de Paris, and he is buried in the tomb of the kings of France at the abbey of Saint-Denis.
King Louis wrote: “To keep right and justice be righteous and steady you’re your people, without turning to the right hand or to the left, but straight forward, and uphold the poor man’s suit until the truth be made manifest.”
Let us pray: O God, who called your servant Louis of France to an earthly throne that he might advance your heavenly kingdom, and gave him zeal for your Church and love for your people: Mercifully grant that we who commemorate him this day may be fruitful in good works, and attain to the glorious crown of your saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
St. Augustine’s Feast Day & Our 127th Anniversary: Potluck Dinner and Dancing on Saturday, 27 August at 7 p.m. and Eucharist Rite II on Sunday at 9 a.m. followed by a reception in Sutton Hall. We will also bless backpacks at the end of the service as our students start another school year. There is a sign-up sheet in Sutton Hall for the pot luck dinner. Please sign up to bring a dish to share.
TREES FOR GALVESTON
The Galveston Island Tree Conservancy’s 2011/12 NeighborWoods Project has been chosen as one of 20 finalists for Tom’s of Maine 50 States for Good Community Sponsorship. We have the opportunity to win a share of $150,000 to fund next year’s NeighborWoods in Galveston, Texas, but we need your on-line vote to help us win one of five $20,000 sponsorships or one $50,000 sponsorship. To find out more about NeighborWoods please visit www.galvestonislandtreeconservancy.org.
To vote, please go to www.50statesforgood.com, click on Vote Now and vote for The Galveston Island Tree Conservancy. Help us plant 700 trees in Galveston Island Neighborhoods in 2011/12!
Top twenty (20) applications will be posted on www.50statesforgood.com, and the public will be encouraged to vote from Tuesday, 2 August 2011 to Tuesday, 13 September 2011. Visitors can vote once (1) per day. Project voting standings will be displayed on www.50statesforgood.com and will be public until the last week of voting, on or about 6 September 2011. At the completion of the final voting phase, the 6 projects with the highest vote totals will be declared as the selected projects to receive funding, as determined by the consumer vote.
PRAYER MINISTRY
Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, and we especially pray for everyone starting a new school year this week; those addicted to drugs and/or alcohol; shut-ins; anyone suffering from depression of anxiety of any kind; those suffering from the extreme heat, all of those who are traveling; those suffering any kind of adversity; for families; and for all those looking for work. "If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer.” Martin Luther
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
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