Among the luminous pages of Church history, certain works, though born in small villages, achieve universal resonance, like a light shining to the ends of the earth. Such is the case of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Montligeon in France, founded through the dedication of a priest who, inflamed with love for God and compassion for suffering souls, wished to offer the Catholic world a center of prayer for the souls in Purgatory.
Purgatory: a doctrine often “forgotten”
Before recounting the origin of this work, it is important to recall the doctrine of the Holy Church on Purgatory, so often neglected by today’s Catholics.
The Council of Trent teaches “that Purgatory exists and that the souls detained there are helped by the suffrages of the faithful and particularly by the acceptable sacrifice of the altar” — that is, the Holy Mass. Sacred Scripture already hints at this truth in the famous episode of Judas Maccabeus, who offered sacrifices for soldiers who died in battle: “Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from sin.”
The Church Fathers, such as Saint Augustine, recommended offering Mass for the deceased: “Let us not hesitate to help those who have gone before and offer our prayers for them.”
Why? Because Purgatory is a place of purification. Souls who die in God’s grace, but still bear penalties to expiate or attachments to purge, are held until they are worthy of entering the beatific vision. They are saved, but suffer intensely. They can no longer merit or shorten their time of purification on their own; only we, the Church militant, can help them through prayers, almsgiving, and above all, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
The humble parish priest of La Chapelle-Montligeon
This comforting doctrine ignited the heart of Father Paul-Joseph Buguet (1843–1918), born March 25, 1843, in the small village of Bellavilliers, Orne, Normandy. He was the son of Jean-Michel Buguet, a humble clog maker, and Marguerite Bellanger, a spinner. On March 26, 1843, he received the invaluable grace of baptism, which would forever mark his soul.
He grew up in a simple household, accustomed from a young age to material hardships, yet nurtured in robust faith and exemplary piety, following the example of his parents. Ordained a priest in 1870, the same year the Franco-Prussian War broke out, he experienced from the beginning of his ministry the weight of the times and the urgency of eternal realities.
In 1876, he was appointed parish priest of the small village of La Chapelle-Montligeon in the Diocese of Séez.
The region was poor and neglected, and the priest, in addition to caring for souls, had to contend with the material misery of his parishioners. Yet in the depths of his soul burned an even greater concern: the fate of souls after death. He himself had suffered tragic personal losses. In 1876, three painful deaths marked him profoundly: his brother Auguste, crushed by a falling church bell, and two nieces who soon died of grief. The young priest interpreted these trials as a call from Heaven. In his notes he wrote: “One consequence that follows from what I have just reflected upon is the need to help the souls in Purgatory. I have delayed too long in carrying out the work I had planned.”
It was amid such reflections that the inspiration arose in him: to found a universal work of suffrages, dedicated to the most forgotten souls, those for whom no one prays.
Foundation of the Montligeon Work
In 1884, after prayer and trials, Father Buguet’s dream was realized: the Association for the Relief of the Souls in Purgatory, placed under the special protection of the Blessed Virgin. His vision, both simple and grand, was to create a vast spiritual family, in which the living and the dead could participate continuously and perpetually in the prayers and suffrages offered at Montligeon.
At the heart of this work is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, celebrated daily at the sanctuary for all enrolled souls — a concrete expression of the charity that unites the Church militant with the Church in Purgatory.
The devotion grew quickly. On October 4, 1884, the Bishop of Séez, François-Marie Trégaro, officially approved the Expiatory Work for the Liberation of Abandoned Souls in Purgatory. With missionary zeal, Father Buguet began visiting neighboring parishes in Perche and then other dioceses in France, preaching, organizing enrollments, and inspiring the faithful with this noble cause.
Church approval and worldwide expansion
Providence confirmed his efforts. In 1893, Pope Leo XIII elevated the association to the dignity of archconfraternity, and in 1895 granted it the singular title of “Prima-Primaria Archconfraternity”, making it the “mother work” of all similar associations worldwide. Between 1895 and 1899, Father Buguet traveled extensively, bringing the work beyond France and achieving international renown. In Rome, a secretariat was established under Cardinal Lucido Maria Parocchi. At the same time, the Office of the Dead began to be celebrated daily in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Montesanto, as a Roman extension of Montligeon’s work.
To spread his initiative further and maintain ties with members, Father Buguet used the press. He founded a printing house in Montligeon, producing bulletins, pamphlets, and holy cards, which were distributed everywhere. In this way, he combined his two beloved goals: suffrage for the souls in Purgatory and providing dignified work for parish laborers. With God’s blessing, both flourished beyond what the humble priest could have imagined.
Soon it became clear that the small 16th-century parish church could no longer accommodate the growing crowds of pilgrims. In 1892, Father Buguet decided to build a larger church worthy of the universal mission entrusted to the work. With the bishop’s approval, he tirelessly sought funding. On June 4, 1896, Mons. Trégaro laid the cornerstone of the new neo-Gothic church. Challenges arose — financial difficulties, local misunderstandings, even criticism from those who called him a visionary. Yet the priest persevered, sustained by his filial trust in the Blessed Virgin. On June 1, 1911, the first Mass was celebrated in the majestic building, which in 1913 became the official seat of the Prima-Primaria Archconfraternity, the Expiatory Work for the Liberation of Abandoned Souls in Purgatory.
Our Lady, “Liberator and Gate of Heaven”
The title of Mary at Montligeon expresses her maternal mission: Our Lady, Liberator of the Souls in Purgatory, also inscribed on the high altar as Notre-Dame Libératrice et Porte du Ciel (Our Lady, Liberator and Gate of Heaven).
The Marian sculpture dominating the sanctuary is profoundly symbolic. It depicts the Virgin descending to Purgatory, tenderly inclining over suffering souls. Her gaze is compassionate, and from her hands emanates a maternal gesture of liberation, lifting the faithful prepared for the final encounter with God. Simultaneously, she leads these souls to Heaven, the true “Gate” to the beatific vision.
This is not merely artistic representation: it embodies Catholic doctrine on Mary’s universal mediation, taught by the Church Fathers and confirmed by the Magisterium. While Christ is the one necessary Mediator between God and men, Mary participates in this mediation in a real and effective way, as Mother of the Redeemer and dispenser of all graces.
As early as the 12th century, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux proclaimed: “In danger, in anguish, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let her name never leave your lips, never abandon your heart; and to obtain her intercession, never forget her example.” At Montligeon, this lesson is made tangible: the Blessed Virgin is invoked as the Mediatrix who shortens the pains of Purgatory, obtaining from her Divine Son mercy for those still expiating.
Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort also affirmed in his Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin: Mary is the surest and shortest path to Jesus, for “God the Son wants to form Himself through Mary and, so to speak, incarnate every day in the members of His Mystical Body.” If this applies to earthly life, how much more to the afterlife, when souls eagerly await liberation!
At Montligeon, Marian devotion illuminates the mystery of Purgatory with the light of hope. Divine justice purifies, but Mary, as Mother and Advocate, presents our prayers before the throne of the Almighty, obtaining liberation for the children she loves.
In times of materialism and forgetfulness of the Last Things, Montligeon stands as a voice crying: “Remember the souls in Purgatory!” By praying for them, we fulfill the commandment of charity and prepare advocates in Heaven for ourselves. As Saint Ambrose said: “If we help the souls, we shall be helped when our hour comes.”
May the Catholic faithful of Peru know and spread this devotion, and may Our Lady of Montligeon — Mother of Hope, Liberator, and Gate of Heaven — always intercede for us, so that one day we may meet, purified and joyful, in the eternal vision of God.
By André de J. da Silva
Sources:
- Council of Trent (1545–1563), Session XXV, Decree on Purgatory
- 2 Maccabees 12:46
- Saint Augustine, Sermon 172, 2
- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Homilia II super Missus est, n.17
- Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, Treatise on True Devotion
- Saint Ambrose, De Viduis, c. IX, n. 55
Photo credits: Sanctuary of Montligeon and Our Lady Liberator, Johan Allard, CC BY-SA 4.0 and GO69, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
