Rococo piety?

Lawrence S. Cunningham's otherwise perceptive "Religion Booknotes" column (September 24) was marred by a negative reference to the Marian devotion associated with St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (d. 1716). Followers of Montfort are certainly aware of the twistings and even perversions of his spirituality. But to simply dismiss the teachings of this important saint as "rococo piety" is unfortunate. Pope John Paul II has repeatedly referred to Montfort's teaching about Mary and its importance in his own life. (The pope carried around a dogeared copy of Montfort's True Devotion as a worker in occupied Poland.) The great lay movement of modern times, the Legion of Mary (founded in 1921), was inspired by Montfort's teaching. Surely the Legion's outlook on the holy Virgin is not guilty of "rococo piety."

EAMON R. CARROLL, O CARM

Nokomis, Fla.

The reviewer replies:

One of the wonderful things about being a Catholic is the wide range of devotional paths available to nurture faith. Fr. Carroll (a distinguished Mariologist) defends Montfort's Marian effusions whereas I find them cloyingly unappetizing, the Legion of Mary and the piety of the pope notwith-standing.

LAWRENCE S. CUNNINGHAM

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