Born May 12. 1626, Ath, Belgium
Died c. 1705

Louis Hennepin was born in the town of Ath, in what is now Belgium, the son of a butcher. After attending classical school there, he became a Franciscan novice (student priest) around the age of seventeen. He entered the priesthood and traveled to Rome in an effort to be assigned to a missionary post. But for the next several years he remained in Europe, preaching in Belgium and northern France. From 1672 to 1674 he cared for the sick and wounded during the war between France and the Netherlands.

Begins missionary work

In 1675, King Louis XIV (1638–1715) of France asked that the Franciscans send five missionaries to the North American colony of New France (Canada). Happily, Hennepin was among those chosen. At the end of May the missionaries left Europe on the same ship on which French explorer René-Robert Cavelier...