St. Louis IX

St. King Louis IX was both King of France and a third-order Franciscan — living in the spirit of poverty, chastity, and obedience, when his circumstances could not have been less conducive to these. He raised 11 children, founded the Sorbonne, and was a friend of St. Thomas Aquinas. He daily dined with destitute beggars, fiercely opposed blasphemy, and built one of the world’s most beautiful chapels (Sainte Chappelle) to house the Crown of Thorns. There seems to be no virtue he did not have, and no field in which he did not accomplish. St. Louis makes a great patron if you feel it would be inappropriate to relinquish your worldly advantages — money, possessions, influence, etc. He shows that you could be far more burdened with these things, and still be a saint. The front of the shirt features the French royal blue and Fleur de Lis, the charter to establish Sainte Chappelle. Below, the Crown of Thorns is exalted over his head by attendants holding the Eucharist and a sword. (from the