18 Century

St. Louis Marie of Montfort (1673-1716) founded an Institute of Religious Women, the Daughters of Wisdom, and a second one, of Brothers and Priests, named either the Company of Mary or the Community of the Holy Spirit. The same Superior General was responsible for the whole Montfortian Family. The headquarters were located at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre where Montfort had died and was buried.

Providence brought Fr Gabriel Deshayes (1767-1841) to be the seventh Superior General of the Montfortian Family. Thanks to his zeal, the members of the Community increased many fold. The Brothers who were engaged in education were transferred to the house called “St. Gabriel” and soon the inhabitants of this house were known under the name: “The Brothers of St. Gabriel”. This name replaced their former one: “The Brothers of the Holy Spirit” and became official when the Brothers were authorized to teach all over France by a decree of the Emperor Napoleon III, on March 3, 1853.

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