Such was his life as preacher and missionary that his own brethren would 

write after his death:

“From the beginning he was a preacher, intrepid, excellent particularly in 

the missions but much appreciated also in the great pulpits of Paris or the 

Province. One remembers, in more than one place, his words, warm and 

vibrant which an accent very pronounced, rendered perhaps more attractive 

still. One must cite the long list of his stations of Lent and of Advent or his 

Month of Mary in Paris in the churches of St. Denis of the Blessed 

Sacrament (1874 and 1885); of St. Michael of the Batignolles (1875); of St. 

Laurence (1880 and 1888); of St. Nicholas of the Fields (1886)…Algiers 

(1874)…and his numerous missions, especially in the Midi which it is 

impossible to enumerate.”

The Dominican vocation opened for Fr. Saintourens a broad new horizon for 

his preaching and profound love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. As Fr. T. 

Philippe, O.P. has said:

“St. Dominic did not write any books. The task of elaborating a theology was 

left to St. Thomas. But Dominic gave us the Blessed Virgin. He himself did 

not experience the fullness of contemplation; no saint except the Blessed 

Virgin ever did. But St. Dominic gave and entrusted us to her, and it is the 

superabundance of her contemplation that will give the Dominican the 

audacity to preach.”

Undoubtedly, Fr. Damien Marie’s total submission to the Queen of the Most 

Holy Rosary served to fire his zeal and charity in preaching the Word of God.

Having arrived in New York City on the 6th of January 1886, he remained a

 few days with the Dominican Nuns in Newark (NJ). He then began the long

 journey to New Orleans to fulfill his mission of preaching the Lenten 

services there. Once there he wrote:

11 February 1886

“Before opening my big valise, I went to the Cathedral to prostrate myself 

before the altar of my Divine Master Whose Word I have come to preach…

My joy was great when our Father Provincial proposed my preaching here 

during Lent. I realized immediately that it was an excellent opportunity for 

propagating the Perpetual Rosary…”

As all missionaries do, Fr. Damien Marie utilized every opportunity to 

evangelize and to propagate devotion to the Mother of God. So that, from 

Boston to New Orleans, from Quebec to Vancouver, from the Maritime 

Provinces to Cuba and the West Indies he preached and organized the 

Perpetual Rosary devotion in honor of the Most Holy Virgin. In the life of Fr.

Damien Marie, the Dominican Preacher and the Missionary of the Most 

Holy Virgin were inseparable.