In the summer of 2020, vandals threatened to destroy the statue of Louis, King of France, which stands on Art Hill in St. Louis, Missouri. Catholics from all over the region joined together to pray the Rosary publicly at the base of the statue all summer long. They prayed to St. Louis their patron for an end to the senseless violence which plagued so many cities at that time. Over the summer, the number of crusaders grew, and the number of “demonstrators” diminished.

On August 25th, the Feast of St. Louis,  hundreds of Catholics processed with a first class relic of their patron to the statue on Art Hill where they concluded with fifteen decades of the Rosary. This marked the first annual “Festival of Saint Louis.”

The festival has now grown to a grand multi-day affair that attracts pilgrims from far and wide. The multitude of traditional liturgies, educational conferences, public Rosaries, festive meals, and, of course, the procession across town with the relic of Saint Louis, our crusader king, make it one of the most joyful patronal feasts in the world. For this seventh annual Festival of Saint Louis, we invite you to come and share our joy.