“A Journey of a Hundred Years, in the Service to the Nation”

St.Louis Grignion de Montfort was born on 31st January 1673 in a small town called Montfort in Western France. In 1715, he started a few schools in France for the education of children, particularly the poor.

Montfort died at an early age of 43 in 1716 on 28th April. He was a great devotee of Blessed Virgin Mary and lived always in close contact with God. He founded three religious congregations: the Daughters of Wisdom, Montfort Fathers and the Brothers of St.Gabriel.

After his death, his followers like Montfort Brothers of St.Gabriel took up the challenge of carrying out his mission of educating the youth, the handicapped and the marginalized ones in the society.

On September 11th, 1903, three French Brothers, Denis, Jean Baptist de la sale and Martin de Vertou arrived in Pondicherry to teach in the Petit Seminaries High School. In 1904, Bro.Baptist started an industrial school in Tindivanam.

In 1917, Montfort school Yercaud was founded followed by St.Joseph’s, Yercaud. Gradually Brothers established many more institutions all over India and in some Oceanic and African countries. Today, more than 600 Brothers are working in six provinces with more than 120 institutions spread far and wide from the North East to Kanyakumari.

This monument has been erected to mark the centenary of the Montfortian Presence in India. At the upper portion, we have six sinusoidal shoots that are ever growing and moving upward… They represent the six Montfortian Provinces of Brothers, each one having its own uniqueness, working among God’s people in the same road that St.Montfort trod.

The lower portion of the monument depicts the source of our inspiration and the Montfortian dynamism viz. the images of our founder St.Montfort with children and the three pioneers who reached the Indian shores exactly hundred years ago.

As the members of Mother Province, Brothers of Yercaud Province along with all its associates, collaborators and students, past and present are ever grateful to its Founder and their Pioneers in India.

May the beacon of light brought to the Indian shores by our pioneers continue to shine with greater intensity in the years to come.

“Our journey continues with time. We have miles and miles to go before we rest…”
“You are a part of our heritage… Continue to walk with us…”