This morning, the pope met in the Vatican's Clementine Hall with some members from the Montfort Family.
This congregation, dedicated to mission, was founded by Luis María Grignion de Montfort in 1715.
With a desire to reach consecrated persons and lay people, the congregation has branches such as the Company of Mary, the Daughters of Wisdom, and the Brothers of St. Gabriel.
This weekend they are in Rome to commemorate the anniversary of the death of its founder, St. Louis de Montfort.
The pope thanked them for their work with the underprivileged and asked them to continue their mission with delicacy, charity and humility, as described in his latest apostolic exhortation, 'Gaudete et Exsultate.'
POPE FRANCIS
'At the center of your mission, you have always paid attention to the poor and the marginalized. Continue to help them be agents of their futures, so they can take their place in society.'
The Montfort Family's first meeting in the Vatican was in 1706, when Pope Clement XI appointed St. Louis de Monfort the apostolic missionary for France. Now, more than 300 years later, the congregation works in 32 countries.
