Blessed Louis Laurent Gaultier

Louis-Laurent Gaultier (born March 13, 1717, in Bazouges-la-Pérouse, died September 2, 1792, in Paris) was a blessed of the Catholic Church, a martyr, and a victim of the persecution of Catholics during the French Revolution. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1737. Before leaving the order, he taught at Jesuit colleges and later served as a vicar in Le Havre. After retiring, he lived in Rouen and subsequently in Issy. He is credited with efforts to convert Voltaire. He was one of the victims of the September Massacres, in which 300 clergy members were killed out of hatred for the faith (odium fidei). He was murdered at the Carmelite monastery on September 2, 1792. Louis-Laurent Gaultier is the patron of a church in Ille-et-Vilaine. His feast day in the Catholic Church is the anniversary of his death. He was among the group of 191 martyrs of Paris beatified by Pope Pius XI on October 17, 1926.