Saint Felix of Valois

Biography

Saint Felix of Valois, also known as Hugh of Valois, was born in April 1127 in the province of Valois, France. He came from a noble family, being the son of Count Raoul de Vermandois et de Valois and Alienor de Champagne. As a child, Felix received the blessings of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and Pope Innocent II. Felix was educated at the prestigious abbey of Clairvaux, where he learned about the monastic life and spirituality. However, his life took a significant turn when his parents went through a disruptive divorce. This event deeply affected Felix, leading him to renounce his wealth and inheritance. He decided to embrace a life of poverty and dedicated himself to God, taking the name Felix. Felix joined the Cistercian order at Clairvaux, where he lived as a monk. However, he felt called to a more solitary and contemplative life, and thus became a hermit in the Italian Alps. He spent his days in intense prayer and meditation, seeking a deeper union with God. Eventually, Felix returned to France and settled in the forest of Galeresse, located in the diocese of Meaux. There, he continued his life of solitude and austerity, living as a hermit. It was during this time that he met Saint John of Matha, who would become his close friend and spiritual companion. Together, Felix and John felt a shared calling to help those suffering under the oppression of slavery. In response to this call, they founded the Order of the Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Captives, also known as the Trinitarians or Redemptionists. The primary mission of this order was to ransom Christians held as slaves by the Moors in Spain and Northern Africa. Their order received papal approval on 17 December 1198, and within a short period, it grew rapidly. Within 40 years, there were over 600 Trinitarian houses worldwide. The order's members dedicated themselves to the ministry of redeeming captives and providing spiritual care for those in need. Today, the Order of the Holy Trinity continues its work, with around 600 members involved in prison ministries in over twenty countries. Saint Felix is often depicted in various ways, including on banners and flags. He is represented as an old man wearing the Trinitarian habit, with a coronet at his feet, symbolizing his nobility. Other symbols associated with him include a purse, representing his renunciation of wealth, and a slave or captives nearby, representing his mission to redeem them. He is also depicted alongside Saint John of Matha, with the Holy Trinity, or with a stag nearby. Saint Felix passed away on 4 November 1212 at the Cerfroi monastery in Picardy, France, of natural causes. He was buried in the church at Cerfroi, which became a pilgrimage destination for those seeking to honor his memory and seek his intercession. Saint Felix was canonized on 1 May 1262 by Pope Urban IV and confirmed on 21 October 1666 by Pope Alexander VII. In 1679, Pope Innocent XI fixed his feast day on 4 November, in honor of the day of his death. Although Saint Felix is not specifically associated with any patronage, his legacy lives on through the Order of the Holy Trinity for the Redemption of Captives. His dedication to the freedom and spiritual care of those held captive continues to inspire generations of Trinitarians and others involved in similar ministries worldwide.