He was born Louis-Joseph Wiaux in the small village of Mellet, now part of the town of Les Bons Villers, in French-speaking Belgium, to a devoutly Catholic family.

After the joviality of evening, where customers would enjoy the beer and card games, the family would end their day by praying the rosary together.

[1] Wiaux was a gentle, obedient boy who was marked by his piety, leading his classmates to pray at their local church at the end of the school day.

After he finished elementary school, he worked as an apprentice in his father's shop, where he found that he was both physically and temperamentally unfit for this career.

[3] But in time, with the help of the Brother who headed the Fine Arts Department, Mutien grew into an effective teacher and Prefect of discipline, known for his patience and piety.

On the following 26 January, despite his weakness and the bitter cold, he was found praying at the communion rail before the Brothers' first prayer service of the day.

With the opening of a process of canonization by the local diocese, his remains were moved on 11 May 1926 to a new tomb next to the parish church, right on the main street of the town.