Today, January 30, is the memorial of Saint Mutien-Marie Wiaux.
The saint was born Louis-Joseph Wiaux in 1841 in Hainaut, Belgium. He came from a devout Catholic family, with his blacksmith father, coffeeshop-owner mother, and his five siblings. His family was the type that would pray the Holy Rosary after work. In his younger days, he tried working in his father’s shop, but he found that being a blacksmith was not his thing. He realized he had a vocation.
His pastor recommended that he join the Brothers of the Christian School or the De La Salle Brothers. Louis-Joseph did so in 1856 and was later given the religious name Mutien-Marie.
As a Lasallian Brother, he became a teacher in Belgian elementary schools. However, his students would get rowdy beyond his control. Mutien-Marie persevered and got better at being a teacher, becoming a complete picture of virtue with his patience and great devotion to prayer.
In 1916, he suddenly fell sick and was confined in the infirmary. He tried going to their chapel, but his superior found him too weak to do so. In 1917, he passed away at age 75. Soon after his death, miracles through his intercession were being reported.
Pope St. Paul VI beatified him in 1977. Pope St. John Paul II canonized him in 1989.