BERTRAND, LOUIS, ST.

Dominican preacher and missionary; b. Valencia, Spain, Jan. 1, 1526; d. there, Oct. 9, 1581. He entered the Dominican Order at the convent in Valencia on Aug. 26, 1544 and was ordained in October 1547. More distinguished for his extraordinary sanctity than for his scholarship, he spent much of his life as master of novices, first serving in that position in Valencia from 1553 to 1555. During the plague of 1557 he went into the city to care for the sick and help bury the dead. His preaching became so famous that the cathedral could not accommodate the crowds and he began preaching in the public squares. In 1562 he went to America as a missionary, working first in the kingdom of New Granada in the Turbará, Palauto, and Turbaco missions. Later he worked in the Diocese of Santa Marta in the area of Tenerife and Tamalameque, and he also visited several of the West Indian islands. His love and concern for the native peoples brought remarkable results to his missionary work wherever he went. After seven years in the mission area, just as he was named prior of Santa Fe, he was recalled to Spain. There he became prior of the convent of San Onofre, then master general, and he eventually went back to the convent in Valencia as master of novices and prior. Louis Bertrand was distinguished by his edifying penitential spirit and by the remarkable wonders that accompanied his preaching. Everywhere he was admired for his prudence and his religious spirit. He received extraordinary graces, including the gift of prophecy. He was beatified by Pope paul v and canonized by clement x in 1671. He was named patron of the New Kingdom of Granada (now Colombia) in 1690.

Feast: Oct. 9.

A namesake of St. Louis, Bl. Louis Bertrán, died as a Dominican martyr in Omura, Japan (1629) and was beatified in 1867.

Feast: July 29.

Bibliography: v. galduf blasco, Luis Bertrán: El santo de los contrastes (Barcelona 1961). a. de zamora, Historia de la provincia de San Antonio, ed. c. parra and a. mesanza (Caracas 1930).

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